by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
Jason Ricci dazzled his audience with his blistering set at Mojos Kitchen last Saturday night. He takes the harmonica to places it has never been, playing the harp more like a saxophone. He solos with intelligently conceived improvisations, while his smoking band grinds out a variety of tight grooves. Everywhere Jason performs he changes the way audiences perceive a harp player. He has taken the instrument out of the limitations of the blues genre and into an unlimited realm of his supercharged virtuosity. Unquestionably, Jason is in a class by himself as the best harmonica player on the planet. Jason is to harmonica as John Coltrane was to the saxophone.
Like his diverse soloing style, Jason’s music is eclectic, including rock, blues, jazz and pop. He features many original songs that showcase his improvisational skills and wide spectrum of sounds. He refuses to be pigeonholed into one genre. For eons, the harmonica has been identified with blues. But Jason transcends that worn-out stereotype. As I listened to Jason play, I heard sounds coming from his harmonica that defy the harp’s intrinsic capability. And, he uses no electronic augmentation. It’s all technique.
At Jason’s Mojo’s show, his band kicked butt with guitarist Shawn Starski cutting loose with some mind-blowing solos. Jason is generous to his band members, allowing plenty of space to showcase their respective chops. Jason’s voice is gritty and powerful, cutting through the mix with ballsy authority. The Mojo’s audience was spellbound by Jason’s incredible mastery of the harmonica and his rock-star persona.
Since 1995, Jason has been slugging away on the blues circuit. At 21 years old he started to win important contests, placing first in the Blues Society contest in Helena, Ark. He went on to perform on tour and made a big splash at the King Biscuit Blues Festival. He then filled in for Annie Raines and performed at The Black Diamond with Susan Tedeschi. That same year Jason recorded his debut album produced by Billy Gibson with ex-Earl Hooker drummer Bobby Little. By the end of the year, many blues devotees and record moguls were buzzing about Jason’s highly innovative harmonica technique making him a true virtuoso of the instrument.
By 1996, Jason had launched his full-blown career as a blues frontman, wowing the crowds with his gritty vocals and his further-out harmonica solos. Jason has continued to stay on the road with various band incarnations playing a grueling 300 dates a year. From 2003-2006 Jason became part of an elite cadre of famous artists that include the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, James Brown, Fred Wesley, Chris Potter and many others.
During that crucial period, Jason won the coveted Muddy Waters Award for the best new artist and signed with UTR Management. Now 34, Jason is working with Miki Nord who pushed the careers of Susan Tedeschi, Johnny Lang, Tommy Castro, Luther Allison and other major dudes.
In a recent unpublished interview (that gig was cancelled) I asked Jason why he wasn’t signed with blues labels like Blind Pig or Alligator. His answer was surprisingly candid.
“I turned them all down. I wasn’t willing to give up as much as they wanted. Yes, some say I’m being too picky, but I’m the one out on the road struggling for recognition. I just want a fair deal that I can live with. Things have been going well. My band has been great and we get along. But some of the venues book a blues band thinking we are just filler for their food and drink. Then when we play festivals people go nuts over our music. So it balances out.
“Of course, being independent has its advantages, however I’m hoping I can pull off the deal I’m working on now, so I can have record company support. In regard to the W.C. Handy Awards (now called The Blues Awards) the blues community has their favorites and it’s hard to break through their narrow perceptions of what blues is today. There is a whole new generation of blues artists fusing different styles into a new sound, that includes the old school tradition with the hot new fusions,” Jason said.
If you missed Jason Ricci’s killer Mojo’s performance, he will be featured at the George’s Music Springing the Blues Festival, April 4-6, 2008. Jason performs on Saturday, April 5 from 2:15 to 3:15 pm. Meanwhile, Jason is out there on the road blowing minds and winning fanatical fans.
Article Published in the 2-14-08 Issue of EU Jacksonville
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