Big Harp George - Wash My Horse In Champagne (2016)

This release is the latest from San Francisco's Big Harp George, the first recorded blues artist to make the chromatic harmonica a full time instrument. It follows his Blues Music Award and Blues Blast Magazine award nominated debut album "Chromaticism," of which critic Thomas Joseph Cullen III commented: "I haven't been this impressed by a harmonica player's national debut since William Clarke's 1990 tour de force 'Blowin' Like Hell.'" Wash My Horse in Champagne offers George's take on 21st century West Coast blues in thirteen stunning original songs. The lyrics derive from his own life and personal experiences, including those gained living and traveling abroad in Brazil, the Middle East, and elsewhere. Musically, George builds on the legacies of George Smith, William Clarke, Paul DeLay, and extends the West Coast tradition of incorporating influences from jazz. BHG says: "While I feature the “big harp:” the chromatic harmonica minimally exploited in blues, I am a musician first for whom the harp is a means to an end. To me the song is central, and I will do what is required, to my ear, to serve the song. I vary my chromatic attack by playing amplified and acoustically, and by employing first, second, and third “positions” (harp talk for different key relationships between harp and song). But I don’t hesitate to pick up the ten-hole diatonic - or put the harp down altogether - when the music calls for it." Big Harp George's newest release is yet another indication of a 21st century Bay Area blues renaissance, of which blues and jazz audiences would be wise to take note.

TRACKLIST

1. Home Stretch (4:14)
2. Road Kill (2:43)
3. Wash My Horse In Champagne (5:20)
4. Cool Mistake (3:57)
5. My Bright Future (5:35)
6. I Ain't The Judge Of You (4:28)
7. I Wasn't Ready (4:59)
8. If Only (3:00)
9. Light From Darkness (4:07)
10. Mojo Waltz (4:35)
11. What's Big (3:24)
12. Size Matters (3:58)
13. Justice In My Time (4:11)