'Here' and there
Mark Hummel and the Blues Survivors rock Langhamv
By John Sollenberger 03/18/2010
OVER THE PAST DECADE, A NEWER GENERATION OF BLUES HARMONICA PLAYERS HAS TAKEN THE STAGE AS STALWARTS OF THE form pass on. You can catch an example of that Saturday night at the Langham, Huntington Hotel & Spa in Pasadena as Mark Hummel and the Blues Survivors take the stage.
The Northern California-based harmonica master and his band are indicative of a new wave of West Coast blues players, who take the classic, raw Chicago blues style and make it new with elements of jump blues and rock added to the mix.
Early in his life, the Connecticut-born and LA-raised Hummel soaked up the classic sounds of heavyweights like Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson and James Cotton. In 1972, he settled in Berkeley, where he made a name for himself playing with local masters, including Mississippi Johnny Waters, Cool Papa and Boogie Jake. Then, in 1980, he took the helm of the Blues Survivors.
Since then, the band has released a string of albums while keeping up a busy, road-warrior touring schedule across the US, Canada and Europe. Hummel’s played at such prestigious gatherings as the Chicago Blues Festival, the King Biscuit Blues Festival and the Monterey Jazz Festival. The group’s latest disc is “Still Here and Gone” on Electro-Fi Records.
Music starts at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Langham, Huntington Hotel & Spa, 1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave., Pasadena. Call (626) 568-3900.
Call (626) 395-4652.
DIGG | del.icio.us | REDDIT