Almanac Music: House of Blues – Blues Harmonica

House of Blues – Blues Harmonica
Governor Hindmarsh Hotel (The Gov)

 

Mad March in Adelaide. A combination of the Fringe Festival, St Patrick’s Day and the easing of COVID restrictions meant a packed crowd at The Gov. Among the tables outside on the footpath, an Irish band complete with fiddle, flute, frame drum and concertina played jigs and folk songs. Green the predominant colour.
A long wait in the crush at the front bar. It takes time to pour a Guinness. To be sure.

 

In the concert room at the rear, a sold-out St Patrick’s Day bash featured Kelly’s Wayke together with Irish pipers and dancers.

 

The restaurant room of the hotel was packed for the fourth concert of the current House of Blues series. Blues music is alive and jumping. Following on from previous concerts featuring blues guitar, blues piano and blues women, the final session highlighted blues harmonica. And what a night it was. Three noted Adelaide harp maestros, Dave Blight, Bobby Blues and the idiosyncratic Snooks La Vie were backed by Dennis Kiripidis on bass guitar (upright and electric), drummer Nick Garcia and lead guitarist avec slide, Sav Pakatsoglou (aka JJ Fields).

 

The set list included familiar blues harp classics along with lesser known offerings from harp heroes such as Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Charlie Musselwhite, Slim Harpo and Jimmy Reed. And who knew that Bruce Willis played blues harp?

 

First up. Dave Blight. Dave played harmonica on Cold Chisel’s Khe Sanh. There is every likelihood you’ve heard it in the last day or so. It’s on constant rotation on the airwaves. His setlist on the night consisted of mainly Chicago blues played in a strong, rhythmic style. Including a powerhouse rendition of Robert Nighthawk’s Someday with an excellent guitar solo and vocal from Sav P.

 

One More Chance With You   (Little Walter)

 

 

 

Someday                                 (Robert Nighthawk)
One Way Out                          (Sonny Boy Williamson)
Last Night                                (Little Walter)
Stop Breakin’ Down Blues       (Robert Johnson)

 

Bobby Blues then provided an immediate contrast with French Kiss, his soulful chromatic harp evoking images of sitting on a river bank, lazily watching the river flow by. An eclectic mix followed including a delightful rumba rhythm by Charlie Musselwhite and a fishing song before heading back to Chicago courtesy of the classic Muddy Waters Got My Mojo Working.

 

French Kiss                              (Headhunters)
Tenth Avenue Tango               (Bruce Willis)
When It Rains It Pours            (Charlie Musselwhite)

 

 

Night Fishin’                            (Bobby Rush)
Got My Mojo Working            (Muddy Waters)

 

Snooks La Vie brought a more country feel on harmonica with his homage to Slim Harpo and Jimmy Reed as well as providing quirky, off beat patter between numbers.

 

Just Your Fool                          Little Walter
Rainin’ In My Heart                 Slim Harpo
Crazy Mixed Up World            Little Walter /James Harman (tribute)
Too Much                                Jimmy Reed

 

 

Five Long Years                       Buddy Guy, Junior Wells and Junior Mance

 

Then, with Snook’s exhortation, “You’ve Got To Boogie”, the band and the three harp players together provided a stirring finale with Magic Sam’s Lookin’ Good.

 

 

All in all, a brilliant evening.

 

And as we left, the faint sounds of Danny Boy in the distance. Real or imagined? More than likely emanating from the South Australian branch of the Guinness Appreciation Society at the Southwark Hotel, just up the road.

 

 

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