Page 54 - BiTS_06_JUNE_2023

Harmonica Blues’ by The Carver Boys keeps the perkiness but again harks back to an earlier
era. This may not be everyone’s idea of ‘harmonica blues’ but it is an interesting round up of
harmonica playing from earlier in the 20th century and an indication of where later blues
harmonica styles developed from.

Graham Harrison

Bruce Katz Band—Connections—Dancing Rooster ASIN :
B0BWV9NHXN

This new album by former Allman Bros. associate keyboard
player Bruce Katz was recorded at the Capricorn Studios in
Macon Georgia and also features Shaun Oakley (son of Berry
Oakley) on bass on three tracks and joining the band are Aaron
Lieberman (vocals, guitar) and Liviu Pop (drums). The
instrumental ‘Right Here Right Now’ starts us off in fine form with
Bruce’s piano sounding great, ‘Night Time Stroll’ is a 50s-style
R&R ballad with Bruce on both piano and Hammond organ and
‘Where’s My Wallet’ is a funky instrumental featuring organ and
guitar. ‘Morning on Basin Street’ is a New Orleans-sounding instrumental with Bruce again on
both piano and organ.

‘Down Below’ is a heavy blues with Lieberman’s guitar and vocals and ‘The Dream’, ‘All About
That’, ‘Gary’s Jam’ and ‘What I Feel’ are more instrumentals. For me there are too many
instrumentals here, a pity because Mr. Lieberman is a good singer – and while they all feature
Bruce’s excellent keyboard skills and fine backup work by the band I would have preferred to
have some more songs with vocals.

Graham Harrison

Tom 'Harpo' Walker—Bruised Heart Blues—Big Rock
Records

Tom “Harpo” Walker is the British, singer-songwriter, har-
monica player and band leader of Sydney band, Django
Blackheart, whose debut album “Blues, Roots & Other Fruits”,
simultaneously hit #2 in both the UK and Australian blues (&
roots) airplay charts in 2022 and was one of the most played
blues albums of the year.

“Bruised Heart Blues” is a delightful, ‘solo’ effort, that is the band
is not Django Blackheart but a grouping of friends and colleagues
with guitar fromAussie blues chart-topper Dean Haitani, Chris
Turner (Buffalo, Rose Tattoo) and Sydney Blues Society youth award-winner, Ewan Lund (Chloe
Kay & The Crusade, Harry Brus’ Ton Of Funk, Mitch Anderson Band). Some of this stuff is
stunningly good.

For me though, the two outstanding elements on the album are tracks on which Tom is joined
by British Blues Awards winner, Dani Wilde. The first of these is ‘Ride On’, a track clearly
influenced by Tom’s love of Howling Wolf, an influence rapidly detected by Dani, who delivers,
with gusto, some lupine howls and shouts—that enhance the sound remarkably— as well as
adding some vocal magic. Dani’s second contribution is to ‘Start Again’. With some outstanding