In The Pocket: A Taste Of Blues Harmonica

Performer: Various Artists
Engineer: Chris Andersen; Chris Bauer; Chris Rival; Chris Shepard; Dan McKinney; Michael Bitterman; Frank Moscowitz; Jim Begley; Harry Gale; Grace Falconer; Jay Newland; John Platania; Jon Wyman; Michael Bishop; Michael C. Ross; Pete Carlson; Steve Drown; Tony Daigle; Bobby Arnold
Producer: Joe Harley; Mike Vernon; Randy Labbe; Ronnie Earl; John Snyder; Adrian Mills (Compilation)
Distributor: Fontana Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Corey Harris (vocals, guitar, National guitar); Steve James (vocals, guitar, mandolin); Guy David, Charlie Musselwhite (vocals, guitar, harmonica); Dave Van Ronk, Graham Parker, Joe Louis Walker, John Primer, Kenny Neal, Paul Rishell, Robert Lockwood, Jr. (vocals, guitar); Doug Wainoris (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, dobro); Kim Wilson, Raful Neal, Annie Raines, Snooky Pryor, Junior Wells (vocals, harmonica); Eddie Shaw (vocals, saxophone); Willie "Big Eyes" Smith (vocals, drums); Christine Ohlman, Colleen Sexton, Darrell Nulisch, Hubert Sumlin, Kelly Willis (vocals); Kid Bangham (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Marty Stuart (guitar, mandolin); G.E. Smith, Gregg Hoover, Larry McCray, Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson, Rico McFarland, Robben Ford, Ronnie Earl, Calvin "Fuzz" Jones (guitar); Tab Benoit (acoustic guitar); Sonny Landreth (slide guitar); T-Bone Wolk (banjo, mandolin); Jerry Portnoy, Lazy Lester, Matthew Skoller, Sugar Ray Norcia, Billy Branch, Carey Bell (harmonica); Dan McKinney, Ken Saydak (piano, organ); David Maxwell, Jon Cleary, Anthony Geraci (piano); Peter Re (organ); Mudcat Ward (acoustic bass, upright bass); Rod Carey (acoustic bass, electric bass); Bob Sunda (acoustic bass); Mark Murphy , Mark Rubin (upright bass); Per Hanson (drums, percussion); Dave Ferrara, Levon Helm, Michael Jerome, Steve McCray, Herman V. Ernest III (drums); Mike Vernon (percussion). Recording information: Bearsville Studio, Woodstock, NY (12/16/1994-06/??/2001); Big Sound, Portland, ME (12/16/1994-06/??/2001); Dockside Stuidos, Maurice, LA (12/16/1994-06/??/2001); RaxTrax Recording Company, Chicago, IL (12/16/1994-06/??/2001); RPM Studios, New York, NY (12/16/1994-06/??/2001); Soundtrack Stuidos, New York, NY (12/16/1994-06/??/2001); The Studio, Portland, ME (12/16/1994-06/??/2001). Unknown Contributor Roles: Chris Thomas King; Norris Johnson; Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown; Deborah Coleman; Derek Trucks; Eddie Kirkland; Gregg Allman; Irma Thomas; Keith Brown; John Ellison; John Mooney ; Reggie McBride; Susan Tedeschi; Taj Mahal; Tony Braunagel; Lucky Peterson; Koko Taylor; Peter Wolf ; Robert Palmer; Buddy Guy; Carl Carlton ; Carl Weathersby; Eric Gales. It's nearly impossible to think of any traditional blues band without one of their members blowing on a harmonica. This collection of great mouth organ players begins with Ronnie Earl performing "Mighty Fine Boogie," a song living up to its name. James Cotton's harmonica begins to take a more prominent role as the song progresses, but it's only near the end that he begins to shine. Cotton also duels with Billy Branch during a rendition of Tommy Dorsey's "T.D.'s Boogie Woogie." "Knocking at Your Door" has a slower tempo to it, allowing for Matthew Skoller to showcase his talents. It works particularly well against John Primer's guitar solo. One of the stronger performances is Annie Raines during "Rock Me Baby," a track where she does a lot by simply doing less harmonica work. It resembles an early Rolling Stones cover of "Little Red Rooster" in some parts. One of the timeless qualities of any blues harmonica is the emotion it tends to emit despite its lack of size or amplification. "I'm a Steady Rollin' Man" demonstrates this perfectly as Carey Bell does a fine performance over Robert Lockwood Jr.'s vocals. Equally interesting is Kenny Neal performing "Bring It on Home," using his harmonica to accentuate the song while his guitar maintains a steady rhythm. Junior Wells has a style all of his own during the jazz and swing feeling during "The Goat." Taken from his Come on in This House album, it possesses one of the catchier and more infectious beats on the album. The last third of the album features more extended blues numbers, including Raful Neal's rendition of "Starlight Diamond." It's a song that has a deliberate and leisurely pace to it, but tends to drag near its ending. The earthy and gut-wrenching feeling coming from Snooky Pryor's voice and mouth organ during "Pony Blues" is hair-raising at some points, which is another shining moment. Ending the compilation is an "all star" assortment contributing to "Harp to Harp." Featuring James Cotton, Sugar Ray Norcia, Billy Branch, and Charlie Musselwhite, it is a proper finish despite having a rather lengthy and bland beginning to it. ~ Jason MacNeil

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