Mark Hummel Allstars — “Road Dog”– Rockinitus
The Mississippi saxophone — the blues harmonica — is a marvelously expressive instrument for digging deep into the blues.
One of its most talented practitioners on the contemporary blues scene is Mark Hummel, who brings the essence of traditional blues styles to his latest album, “Road Dog,” featuring the Mark Hummel Allstars.
The stars on this sparkling session of 14 songs include guitar wizards Anson Funderburgh and Junior Watson, drummer Wes Starr, Elvin Bishop sideman and Fabulous Thunderbird members Bob Welsh on piano, and Kedar Roy on bass.
The band is completed by RW Grisby on bass on three tracks. On eight of the tracks, Bob Welsh is on piano, while Brett Brandstatt and Chris Burns each play on one. Eric Spaulding is the featured saxman player on four tracks, . Other guitarists include Little Charlie Baty, Rusty Zinn, and Randy Rattray. Hummel’s razor-sharp harp and tough vocals drive all the tracks home.
Hummel says that “The Anson/Junior combo made perfect sense as a continuation of a unique pairing. Kid Andersen’s Greaseland Studio was the site of all of these recordings since 2008, with spectacular results.”
There are six Hummel originals here, with eight covers from the deep well of the blues lexicon. There are recordings from 2024, with three previously unissued tracks from the 2015 sessions for Golden State Lone Star, with a pair of previously unreleased gems.
This album was engineered by the criminally talented Andersen and recorded at his Greaseland Studios, except for “Gypsy in My Soul” and “Gadjo’s Swing,” recorded at Jim Day Studios in Pacifica, Calif.
The great blues standard “Black Nights” kicks the door open with piano from Welsh, fiery guitar from Funderburgh and Watson and Hummel’s soaring harp lines. The sturdy shuffle “Jugglin’” is a Hummel original, followed by Hummel’s “Real Good Woman,” with a flashy harp intro. Hummel rocks into “I Got to Find My Baby” written by Peter Joe Clayton in 1941 and recorded by B. B. King, Little Walter and Chuck Berry, among others, fueled by a terrific harp solo.
Hummel’s sly vocal turn sparks “Why Did It Happen,” written by Willie Mabon and released in 1962. Spaulding’s sax drives it all along. Hummel’s own “Road Dog” churns along with his ode to the road featuring a fierce solo from Watson: “When a road dog starts to barkin’, he packs his bag and out he goes, / When he leaves this town, you know he might be back no more.”
Hummel reincarnates Little Walter’s “You Better Watch Yourself” from 1954 with his own harmonica fireworks, then leans into the slow-driving R&B of Johnny Otis’ 1951 “Rockin’ Blues.” from Johnny Otis in 1950. “Say You Will” is another fine, stinging blues original from Hummel. Van Morrison’s “Gypsy in My Soul” gets a bite of Latin flavor, then Hummel’s “You Are Right” shuffles into view.
Hummel’s harp pierces the heart of “She’s My Baby,” written by Alex “Rice” Miller, who became Sonny Boy Williamson II. Hummel then captures the essence of Jimmy Reed’s “When You’re Doin Alright” with its trademark high-pitched harp and Little Charllie Baty on guitar. The closer is Hummel’s gypsy-flavored instrumental “Gadjo’s Swing.”
Mark Hummel and friends have dug deep into the blues on the excellent “Road Dog,” absorbing their influences and creating an outstanding session based on their traditional blues heritage. It stands on its own as simply great music from the blues highway.
Tracklist:
01 – Black Nights
02 – Jugglin’
03 – Real Good Woman
04 – I Got To Find My Baby
05 – Why Did It Happen
06 – Road Dog
07 – You Better Watch Yourself
08 – Rockin’ Blues
09 – Say You Will
10 – Gypsy In My Soul
11 – You are Right
12 – She’s My Baby
13 – When You’re Doing Alright
14 – Gadjo’s Swing