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MITCH
KASHMAR "WAKE UP & WORRY"
Source: Living Blues
Magazine
Date: 09/2006
Writer: Lee Hildebrand |
Few
blues singers, songwriters, and harmonica blowers
performing today can top Mitch Kashmar. The Santa
Barbara’born musician has been kicking around
the Southern California blues scene since the
1980s, when he was the driver’s seat of
a terrific combo called the Pontiax, but he attracted
little attention in parts beyond until Delta Groove
Productions released his awesome second CD, Nickels
& Dimes, early last year. On the booklet cover
of the follow-up CD, Wake Up & Worry, the
handsome bluesman is surrounded by three scantily
clad women and two bills rubberstamped “PAST
DUE,” one in his lap, the other on the bed
sheet, a white harmonica resting on one corner.
Is he worried, as the title suggests? Or did he
just wake up with a hangover? Probably both, though
the arty concept is vague. On the dozen tracks
inside the box, however, Kashmar doesn’t
beat around the bush musically. “The sidewalks
are crawlin’/There’s music in the
air/I’ll be hurtin’ in the mornin’/But,
baby, I don’t care/I’m a night creeper,
baby/I can’t stand the light of day/You
won’t see me runnin’ ‘round/Till
the stars come out to play,” he sings in
robust, richly resonant tenor tones before picking
up his harp and wailing in a high, keening Jimmy
Reed manner. Night Creeper, a Chicago-style shuffle
that Kasmar first recorded with the Pontiax in
1989, is one of seven original songs on the CD.
All are winners, as are his treatments of two
tunes originally recorded by Little Walter (Dead
Presidents and Up The Line) and one by Johnny
“Guitar” Watson (Half Pint A Whiskey).
Little Walter’s influence looms large in
Kashmar?s playing, as it does on most every other
blues harp blower of his generation, and the booklet
even includes a tiny color photo of Walter (playing
guitar!). Yet Kashmar also carries other flavors
in his harmonica case, including those of Reed,
Sonny Terry, Rice Miller, and, on a Rollin’
And Tumblin’ style duet with National Steel
guitarist Alaistair Greene titled Black Dog Blues.
Drummer Richard Innes, bassist Rick Reed, and
pianist Fred Kaplan supply swinging support on
most tracks, and Junior Watson and Rusty Zinn
play outstanding lead and rhythm guitars, together
on some songs, separately on others. Producer
Randy Chortkoff even steps center stage for one,
singing lead and blowing second harp on his original
Jimmy Reed, inspired You Dogged Me, to which Zinn
contributes all three guitar parts. |
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