Norcia

Four great blues harmonica players (James Cotton, Billy Branch, Charlie Musselwhite, and Sugar Ray Norcia) are featured in various combinations on this spirited disc, backed by a four-piece rhythm section (with guitarist Kid Bangham and pianist Anthony Geraci). Cotton and Norcia have solo pieces, seven numbers feature two harmonicas, and the lengthy low-down blues "Harp to Harp" has all four of the harmonica players taking turns soloing. Much of the material is jazz-oriented, including "The Hucklebuck," "TD's Boogie Woogie," and "Route 66," and the majority of the selections are instrumentals. Each of the harmonica players sounds inspired and the results are consistently exciting and swinging.

Severn Records announces a September 18 release date for Too Far from the Bar, the new album from Sugar Ray and the Bluetones, featuring Little Charlie Baty. Produced by Duke Robillard, who also adds his tasty guitar licks to four tracks on the new disc, Too Far from the Bar was recorded at Severn Sound Studio in Annapolis, Maryland, and boasts a value-packed 15 tracks, including a number of original songs penned by the band’s members, showcasing their songwriting abilities as one of the group’s many strengths. The core band for the recording sessions was comprised of Sugar Ray Norcia - vocals and harmonica; Charlie Baty – guitar; Anthony Geraci – piano; Michael Mudcat Ward – acoustic bass; and Neil Gouvin – drums.

One of the finest blues guitarists to emerge during the '80s, Ronnie Earl often straddled the line between blues and jazz, throwing in touches of soul and rock as well. His versatility made him one of the few blues guitarists capable of leading an almost entirely instrumental outfit, and his backing band the Broadcasters became one of the more respected working units in contemporary blues over the course of the '90s, following Earl's departure from Roomful of Blues. Ronnie Earl was born Ronald Horvath in Queens, New York, on March 10, 1953. He didn't start playing guitar until after he entered college at Boston University in the early '70s and became fascinated with the local blues scene…

Harp master Billy Branch has been a figure of the note on the Chicago blues scene since he was discovered by Willie Dixon in 1969, and after more than four decades, he's grown from a young buck bringing new blood to the blues scene to an elder statesman who stands tall for the music's traditions. Blues Shock arrives ten years after Billy Branch last released an album, but it sounds like he and his latest edition of the Sons of Blues are still in fighting shape, playing tight, straight-ahead blues with force, imagination and wit. Blues Shock shows there's plenty of fun and fresh ideas to be found in a form as time-tested as Chicago blues. It's a great set.