JASON RICCI & NEW BLOOD Source: Real Blues Magazine  Date: 11/2007 Writer: A. Grigg

For all of you who’ve been fretting, lamenting pulling your hair out and crying “Woe is us, what will become of Good/Great music…” (which often includes yours truly), I can finally say “Relax!”  I had never heard of Jason Ricci & New Blood prior to having this CD in my hand and without any preconceptions or bias I was certainly ‘virgin ears’.  But, I also had a little voice saying “Remember all those horrible ‘Future-of-The-Blues’ artists and CDs you’ve suffered through in the last 10 years?”, which made me somewhat ready to run at the first signs of pretension and hypsterism.  But…yes, we can all kneel down and yell “Hallelujah!” and rejoice for this artist and band known as Jason Ricci & New Blood has more talent, creative genius/juices, passion, honesty and pure Truthful Blues Mojo than any other act to come down the pike in at least a decade.  Anyone who prayed for a Blues Messiah to put Blues back on the map can rest easy now.  If anyone could restore Blues to its rightful place in a broad commercial media sense it should be Jason Ricci & New Blood.  Charisma, charisma and truckloads of stupendous music that can and will reach out to everyone who loves and desires Talent, Truth and Honesty.  Yes, “Rocket Number 9” is all that and more.  From reading the very interesting and literate notes and information crammed into the CD booklet, one gets a pretty good idea as to Ricci’s History and also a glimpse into his Soul.  Not only is the man extremely eloquent and honest, his ability to communicate meaningfully with fans is a bonus.  There’s no hint of ‘manufactured identity’, unlike 95% of today’s Franken-stars and Ricci’s REAL-ness is refreshing and guaranteed to win admiration and adulation.  He’s been around for a while despite his relative ‘youth’ (in Blues years) and his Spiritual Journey to Blues Mecca, the Kimbrough/Burnside territory in and around Holly Springs, MS, where he apparently stayed with David Malone (himself a Troubled Purveyor of Blues Truth) helped form his foundation.  Given some of the drug-fuelled mayhem stories that surround the Holly Springs Blues clan, few White folks have dared to stay long.  But, Ricci stayed and took the bad (and crazed) with The Good.  The Good, of course, is an education/enlightenment that money could not buy plus an erasing of all Color and social barriers as one is accepted into a Fraternity (for lack of a better term…) that offers lessons-in-life and Music that is made available to a very select chosen few.  Label C.E.O. Randy Chortkoff has been around long enough to know shit-from-shinola and he passes on dozens (maybe hundreds) of artists in order to keep the Delta Groove/Eclecto Groove roster as Honest/Real as possible.  To read and digest Randy’s comments on Jason Ricci & New Blood, one can’t help but have a piqued interest and appetite.  Chortkoff only honks-his-horn this loudly on very rare occasions and as you’ll see/hear it’s all an understatement.  Blues is Truth, that’s something everyone can agree on and one of the ugliest Truths in North America today is a Society totally undermined by Addiction, much of it Government-promoted.  Yet, aside from occasional songs, The Blues has been uncharacteristically silent and even complicit (deaths listed as Heart Attacks don’t help change anything…) in perpetuating the disease.  On this point alone, Ricci deserves major respect and support as he comes clean about his own Demons in order to break-the-silence and reach others.  We’ve all lost friends and many brilliant talents have been extinguished over the years thanks to ‘slow suicide’ so “Rocket Number 9” is landmark in that it addresses what others avoid. 

“The Rocker” opens up the disc and it’s as subtle as a Taser.  Manic and ugly-yet-funny for its brutal crack-den dialogue, Ricci addresses the insanity head-on while Shaun Starsky paints an aggressive canvas behind Ricci’s dementia and killer harp verses, proving that as great as Ricci is on harmonica/vocals that Starsky is destined for Fame (and Guitar Player Magazine…) as well.  Many have tried to ‘expand’ The Blues and take it to new places but most have failed as they’ve lost something important in the process.  Jason Ricci has finally done it right and this journey is an awe-inspiring trip akin to hearing “Strawberry Fields Forever” for the first time.  Before I go any further; Todd Edmunds is the fine bassist and clarinet player and Ron Sutton is the excellent drummer for New Blood.  This is a BAND and they give new definition to the term tight.  “I’m A New Man” is a joyous, happy romp and an ode to Love and a ‘goodbye-to-vices’ that all of us feel when breaking free from addiction (“I wasn’t arrested – I was rescued” is an old saying and a good one…) and Ricci readily admits he came clean during incarceration.  His harmonica playing is magical, lyrical and breath-taking and one can easily picture all the Top Harp-slingers listening to this and smiling, shaking their heads in disbelief.  “Loving Eyes” opens with pure, breathtaking beauty as Starsky’s chiming, understated guitar work is joined in tandem by Ricci’s other-worldly harmonica and deep-breath vocals.  Add drums and bass and this Masterpiece soars.  This should be a Mega-Hit everywhere outside of Blues.  College radio, video shows on mainstream TV (once this is a video…), FM Rock Radio…where-ever!  It transcends any/all genre barriers and God knows the 15-to-30-music audience is starved for and waiting for Music like this.  “Dodecahedron” features West Coast sax Ace Michael Peloquin and he and Ricci get-down on this sizzling Funky Jazz/R&B instrumental with exemplary performances from the whole band with Sutton showing his percussion abilities while Starsky burns off a solo that is an out-and-out screamer (I just phoned 3 guitar players and made them listen to the phone…).  By the end of this track even the most bitter, cynical and Joy-less critics should be up-and-jumpin’ totally converted and spewing pro-New Blood accolades.  “Mr. Satan” is a tribute to NYC street musician Satan of Satan & Adam fame.  Chord structure defies all set-in-stone standards, as the line between Blues & Jazz grows faint on this exciter.  “Deliver Us” is both a personal Serenity prayer and a Plea to Humanity. 

Spirituality, environmental concerns and a search for Enlightenment (on a broad scale) make for perfect contemporary fodder.  “The Blow Zone Layer aka Mongoose Nuts” is a modern Little Walter-style instrumental and as close to ‘normal’ Blues as this band gets and it’s reminiscent of James Cotton’s mighty band-on-fire instrumentals of the 1970s/80s.  It’s obvious that Ricci woodshedded the ‘typical’ way earlier in his career with a stack of Little/Big Walter, Cotton, Magic Dick and Rod Piazza vinyl.  A killer tune.  “The Way I Hurt Myself” is the most revealing expose on addiction/self-destruction thinking process that I’ve ever encountered.  Ricci digs deep into his own closets of skeletons in order to find common threads that connect all addicts (after all, addiction is now finally seen as nothing more than ritualized, repetitive self-abuse) to find out why.  It’s delivered as a stark yet deep Slow Blues with hints of Otis Rush.  It’s Ricci’s best vocal so far and also Starsky’s hottest straight Blues picking.  “The Eternals” is more proof of Ricci’s jaw-dropping talents (initially) but then Starsky jumps forward with a solo that evokes Steve Stevens/Jeff Beck/Danny Gatton all at their fiery best.  If only one tune was used to promote this band to the un-hip this would be my choice.  “Snow Flakes and Horses” is Ricci diverting bad/insane memories from his experiences with crack house Hell.  The music is perfectly suited for the roller-coaster ride.  Ricci’s harmonica work is simply heart-stopping stunning as he summons up all the Dark Energy to wail as few can wail.  Make no mistake about it; Jason Ricci is the Best Thing to happen to Blues Harmonica in decades.  (Paul deLay, God Rest His Soul, was the most inventive contemporary harp blower but he didn’t get heard, while Ricci will undoubtedly get more coverage than all Harmonica players combined).  And, Shaun Starsky alone will probably have his own massive Army of Guitar Freaks, thoughts which segue nicely into “Sonja”, a beautiful, melancholy number that shows the magic of Ricci & Starsky working together.  This is truly one of the most beautiful songs you’ll ever hear, evoking memories of Hendrix’s “Little Wing”, but only fleetingly.  Ricci’s harmonica breathes, talks and sings like no one else.  It takes a brave, adventurous musician with superior talent to tackle the Sun Ra songbook.  The closing track is of course, Ra’s “Rocket Number 9” and for those of us who remember his mind-blowing performances (and the hilarious reaction from Jazz snobs everywhere) it’s fitting that the New Blood pay tribute to a fellow Revolutionary.  It’s Jazz but it’s also Rock, Blues and other things as well.   Hell, it’s just plain magnificent and inspiring.  This album will lift the spirit of thousands of musicians all over the World, for it says loudly & clearly: Truth & Talent still matter and when delivered in heaping, enthusiastic doses it will kick-the-crap out of all the poseurs and shit-merchants that have been occupying The Palace of The Kings/Queens.  This is a revolutionary album.  Let me rephrase that; “Rocket Number 9” by Jason Ricci & New Blood is a Revolution and it’s gonna sweep the nation.  Thank God for that.  6 Bottles of Near Beer for the album we’ve all been waiting for.  P.S. John Porter a.k.a. Mr. Producer, produced this work-of-art and it may very well be the biggest feather-in-his-cap.