Last week I was listening to Memphis Lights the latest release from blues harp player Tomislav Goluban. It was pretty good. Anyway, this morning when I went to Spotify to find some music to listen to on my trip to Trader Joe’s among the albums recommended for me was a group of albums and artist “similar to” Tomislav Goluban. I listened briefly to four of the artists whose names were unfamiliar to me.They were: Fabrizio Poggi and the Chicken Mambo, Dave Nevling, Grant Dermody, and The 44’s. I created a quick playlist grabbing a few songs from each of these blues harp players and I was on my way!!
The end result was I have some new blues harp players to include in music rotation and library! First up….
Fabrizio Poggi and the Chicken Mambo –Spaghetti Juke Joint
About Fabrizio Poggi
From Wikipedia…..
Fabrizio Poggi (born 1 July 1958) is a singer and harmonica player Grammy Awards nominee. He has received the Hohner Lifetime Award, and has been two times Blues Music Awards nominee and Jimi Awards nominee. Over his lengthy career he has recorded twenty two albums. Additionally he has performed in the US and Europe with The Blind Boys of Alabama, Garth Hudson of The Band, Steve Cropper, Charlie Musselwhite, Ronnie Earl, John P. Hammond, Marcia Ball, Guy Davis, Eric Bibb, Flaco Jimenez, Little Featand many others.
Full Biography at Wikipedia
The album I listened to was his 2014 release Spaghetti Juke Joint (with a title like that how could I not listen to it!) I enjoyed both his harp and the band.
When I got home I discovered his 2017 release Sonny & Brownie’s Last Train recorded with Guy Davis was nominated for a Grammy. The nomination was for Best Traditional Blues album. Being a fan of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee I listened to that album also. Another winner! Overall I think I need to go back and listen to some of Fabrizio’s back catalog!
Dave Nevling – Heady Brew
About Dave Nevling
Dave grew up in New York and was first introduced to the blues when he was attending junior college in Connecticut.
In the 80s Dave moves to Texas and from the mid-70s through the mid 90s he honed his craft with several Texas blues bands. On 1997 he struck out on his own forming “Dave Nevling and the Blues Kats”. Forming his band gave Dave the opportunity to concentrate on the blues and write his own songs!.
From CDBaby….
Nevling said, “My early harmonica influences were Paul Butterfield and Charlie Musslewhite. Ray Charles was one of my favorite vocalists, as was Delbert McClinton.”
…. He says he draws his inspirations from current events, movies, billboards, and relationships. Scott Colvin, an English teacher who has a website devoted to literature teaching tools, has used Dave’s song “Haunting Me” as a musical theme example for Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible.” Of course, Nevling’s sense of humor can’t be ignored either, as expressed in the fun songs, “Short and Stout” and “Dip My Wick.”
Dave has written, arranged and produced four CDs. His first release, “That Look” in the spring of 2000, followed by “Nightshade” in 2002, “Heady Brew,” May 2004, were met with rave reviews. “Sweet Bijou” was released in September 2012.
The songs that I put on my playlist were from “Heady Brew” I enjoyed them and now I need to listen to his other albums!! More at CDBaby
Break Time
The above discusses the first two albums that I picked songs from for my playlist. Spaghetti Juke Joint, the first album picked from, was released in 2014. Heady Brew, the second album, was released in 2004! While that doesn’t make them any less good they aren’t exactly on the cutting edge.
The next two albums My Dony (Grant Dermody) and Twist the Knife (The 44’s) are both released in 2019. Therefore, they are just a little more current! I’d like to listen to both of these albums a little more fully before I write about them. So here’s the playlist along with some links for further exploration of the music of Fabrizio Poggi and Dave Nevling .
Links for Further Blues Harp Players Explorations
Fabrizio Poggi
Artist’s Website:
Facebook
Twitter
Dave Nevling
