Big Harp George – Cooking with Gas
Blues Mountain Records BMR CD07
12 songs – 48 minutes
Serving up a breath of fresh air in a world dominated by harp players cut out of the Little Walter-Sonny Boy Willamson template, Big Harp George has revealed himself to be one of the most imaginative chromatic harp players in the world since making his professional debut a decade ago. And as the title suggests he simply cooks with gas on his latest CD, delivering dazzlingly tasty runs on the reeds and songs that are infused with clever, sometimes humorous, sometimes timely lyrics, too.
A latecomer to the blues, Dr. George Bisharat was a public defender, criminal defense attorney, award-winning professor at the University of California-San Francisco’s Hastings College of the Law and an expert commentator of the legal affairs and politics of the Middle East before shifting to music fulltime a few years ago while winning recognition in the Blues Blast Music Awards and Blues Music Awards throughout.
As usual, this all-original effort was recorded at Kid Andersen’s Greaseland Studios in San Jose, Calif., and features a lineup that includes several of the biggest names in the Bay Area scene. Andersen delivers fluid guitar lines throughout and handles bass on one track with Chris Burns on keys, Derrick “D’Mar” Martin and June Core on drums and Joe Kyle Jr. and Jerry Jemmott on bass.
Featuring horns throughout, Mike Rinta delivers trombone with Michael Peloquin and Doug Rowan laying down sax, augmented by Aaron Lington (baritone sax) and Ed Morrison (trumpet) for one cut each. And the Sons of the Soul Revivers – James, Dwayne and Walter Morgan – provide backing vocals, too.
The disc turns the heat on high with the percussive “Cooking with Gas” to open, Delivered with Latin flair and propelled by a repetitive chorus line, it recounts the necessity of blowing out his kitchen wall and use a crane to have his new stove installed and then having have friends tell him that using it is akin to firing a gun because of the dangers the device presents. George’s harp skills come the fore from the opening of “Cellphone Hater,” a humorous, mid-tempo shuffle that bemoans the necessity to having to be tied to the devise everywhere he goes. The mid-tune break will make you smile – as does his assertion that he thinks often of tossing the phone off of the Golden Gate Bridge.
The minor-key, salsa-flavored “Doom Loop” follows with George watching on helplessly as a friend keeps making blunders on a repeat cycle while the humor returns for “Wine Is My Friend,” a slow shuffle with a ‘50s or early ‘60s feel. The propulsive instrumental, “Maceosity,” is up next as George and the horns pay tribute to Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley and the other talents who helped James Brown fashion R&B. Then he turns back the clock with “Awkward Me,” a swing number that would have fit into the setlist of a band in the ‘30s as it describes someone’s problems in building relationships.
“What the Missus Misses” opens with a driving, regimented beat then keeps the swing going as George complains about communication problems with his lady before showing off his harp mastery on the instrumental, “June’s Tune,” which was named after his drummer. Mid-tune solos from several principals shouldn’t be missed. It flows into “DIY Mama,” a rhumba about a woman who refuses help no matter what the situation.
Then things take a serious turn with “Paradise Is Burning,” a simmering slow blues delivered in the first person that addresses the continuing bloodshed and tragedy in the Middle East without ever mentioning Palestine, Israel or Gaza by name. The song also mentions harp player Lazy Lester looking down from heaven and ask him to find out why all of this is transpiring. “The Older We Get” changes the mood from the jump as it bemoans not being famous at an advanced age before the sentimental instrumental ballad, “When I First Held Valerie,” is chockful of unspoken love for his daughter.
Big Harp George has carved out his own special corner in the blues, and he serves up a treasure here. Don’t miss it!
