MARK HUMMEL
Harpbreaker

Mark Hummel - Harmonica (all cuts)
Charles Wheal - Guitar on tracks 1, 2, 3
Steve Wolf- Bass on tracks 1, 2, 3
Marty Dodson - Drums on tracks 1, 2, 3
Bob Welsh - Keys on tracks 1, 2
Mel Brown - track 3
Bill Flynn - Guitar on tracks 4, 11
Aaron Hammerman - Piano on tracks 4, 11
Dave Eagle - Washboard, percussion on tracks 4, 11
Wes Starr - Drums on tracks 5, 7
RW Grigsby - Bass on tracks 5, 7, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12
Charles Baty - Guitar on tracks 5, 7
Anson Funderburgh - Guitar on track 5
Charles Kid Anderson - Guitar on track 6
Sid Morris - Piano on track 6
June Core - Drums on track 6
Rusty Zinn - Guitar on tracks 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13
Chris Burns - Keys on tracks 8, 9, 10
Willy Panker - Drums on tracks 8, 9, 10
Lech Wierzynski - Trumpet on track 8
Johnny Bones - Sax on track 8

Produced by Mark Hummel
All engineering by: Kid Andersen (except 2, 3, 8, 9, 10 by Jim Day)
All mixes by: Kid, Hummel (Anson Funderburgh on 5)
Design: Douglas Mark
Front cover and inside band photos: Bob Hakins
Executive Producer: Andrew Galloway




Electro-Fi 3456
Audio Sample
379Kb

Harpoventilatin' (Live)
The Creeper Returns
Rotten Kid (Live)
Billy's Boogaloo
Walkin' With Mr. Lee
Cristo Redentor
Crazy Legs

 

Senor Blues
Ready, Steady, Stroll
Glide On
Chuckaluck
Evans Shuffle
See See Rider

 

When I took up the blues harmonica at 15 years old, I was hooked. It truly gave me purpose in life at a time when nothing else did. In High School I was a miserable student, hung out with a drug and booze addled crowd & skipped a lot of school. Harp gave me a motivation I’d never had! Once I’d found it, all I did was play-day and night. All things harmonica, all the time. I’d go to sleep at nights with Little Walter LPs playing with the arm up so it would play over and over.

One of my reasons for making an all instrumental CD of my harp playing goes back to that era. Back then I ONLY was interested in harmonica as opposed to voice. My favorites were Little Walter, Big Walter Horton, James Cotton, JR Wells, George Harmonica Smith, Sonny Boy “Rice Miller” Williamson, Charlie Musselwhite, Paul Butterfield, Sonny Terry, Magic Dick, Lee Oscar plus many more. I learned every harp instrumental I could of theirs.

When I joined bands in high school I figured out to be a valuable asset you also had to sing a couple, as it was a way to do the songs you wanted to do by fronting the band. I’ve always been known first and foremost as a harp player & then a vocalist but I do love both. The voice is the soul of blues, so it was certain singers that captured me with their voices.

This is not a strictly blues cd as I wanted to present a varied palette of instrumentals-jazz, acoustic, amplified, jumping, shuffling, swinging and mournful tunes. I also feature more third position harmonica then usual here. That is really the position I feel most free in, most myself in.

I wish I’d included a bit more chromatic but most of the songs I have are on the jazzier side – it will have to be a jazz album they will appear on! Many songs here are unissued songs off prior CDs-RetroActive, Hustle is Really On, plus a few new ones.

This CD is dedicated to my late mother Joann Hummel, who was my main supporter in music, driving me to the Ash Grove across town to hear Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry, James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite when I was 15. Also I want to dedicate Christo Redentor to both her (it was her favorite song) and longtime friend Charlie Musselwhite (for his inspired version of it) for being a friend & collaborator all these years.

In January this year one of my oldest friends and song-writing collaborators passed, Carroll Peery. Carroll was a major introduction into the music biz and African American culture, as he was a black man who represented so many of my idols. Carroll was originally the Chambers Brothers manager, friends with Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Barbara Dane and Lightning Hopkins and many more originators of this music, a venue owner, songwriter and scene maker in Berkeley. I’ll miss him much.

Lastly to the late great James Cotton – who I first saw and heard at Ash Grove all those years ago. Cotton’s performance in 1971 in front of a few of us on a Monday night set the bar for what I would make a career for 47 years. James would later play on seven Blowout tours with me (from 2001-2010) as I did the singing as he blew harp. Cotton’s tales off stage of the old days – Muddy, Walter, Sonny Boy, Wolf – were part of him, as he is now back hanging out with them in Blues Heaven!

 

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