Big Day Under a Clear Blues Sky

A choice sampling of the many flavors of the blues was served up Sunday at the fourth annual Big Time Blues Festival at Gemmrig Park, where the serene, wooded setting, family-friendly atmosphere, tasty soul food and interesting arts-and-crafts concessions combined with a top-notch bill of eclectic performers to make this one heck of a fine way to spend a summer afternoon.

For the thousands of folks of all ages and backgrounds gathered at the park, it was one of the year’s premier Southern California blues events.

The festival got underway at 11 a.m. with Ladies Sing the Blues, followed by Flattop Tom & his Jumpcats. Then came Harmonica Fats and Bernie Pearl, who proffered a fine set of traditional acoustic blues. Pearl’s guitar was a tasty, unobtrusive accompaniment to the simple but effective harp blowing and gruff, down-home vocalizing of Fats, who bears an amusing resemblance to Eddie Murphy’s Nutty Professor.

The Louisiana-born-and-bred Fats, 69 years of age and 320 pounds, remained seated for most of the set but got up to shake his ample girth around the stage during a closing instrumental, much to the crowd’s delight.

Next up was Orange County’s favorite blues son, James Harman, and his band.

Opening with traditional acoustic material and working up to the kind of jumpin’ heat that has become his trademark, Harman was in his usual fine voice, and, as always, his swooping harp work got the audience dancing up a frenzy. Harman would do well to cut back on the annoying braggadocio between tunes, however. His talents speak for themselves without needing a rundown of his tour itinerary. He might also cool the forced shuck-and-jive dialect, which becomes downright embarrassing at times.

Respected veteran John Paul Hammond is another guy who we don’t really believe needs to “g’win get some religion, join de Baptist choich,” as he sings in Son House’s “Preaching Blues,” but Hammond’s absolute mastery of country blues styles on acoustic, 12-string and bottleneck guitars makes one forgive the minstrelsy.

Hammond did more than justice to his idol Robert Johnson’s “Phonograph Blues” and “Come On In My Kitchen,” in between flashing right- and left-hand techniques and some wild harp blowing that had him swinging like a one-man Count Basie Orchestra.

Hammond remains arguably the finest living practitioner of the Mississippi Delta blues, even if he is the product of a wealthy, New York City upbringing.

Long John Hunter, embarking on his first West Coast tour, received the day’s most enthusiastic reception as fans pressed to the stage en masse to get their first look at a man who at age 65 has the hottest debut album playing on blues radio.

Hunter’s deceptively youthful-sounding voice and Albert Collins/Earl Hooker-inspired fretwork were a joy to experience live. His energy and infectious enthusiasm for performing, unequaled by most men half his years, was apparent as he attacked most of the material from his “Border Town Legend” album as well as such chestnuts as “Mustang Sally,” “Grits Ain’t Groceries” and even a bizarre instrumental take on “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.”

Last up was Magic Sam protege Magic Slim, whose beefy, vicious guitar tones recall the sound of Freddie King more than his late mentor. He’s a fine singer and musician, but Slim was ill-advised to let his band work for 30 minutes before he finally sauntered onto the stage. He lost about half the crowd in this early going, plus was shown up by the jazzy guitar work of his ostensible sideman, Jake Dawson.

All in all, this was an impressive showcase and a superbly executed festival, well worth the price paid in sunburn and heartburn. The festival is also to be commended for its support of a worthy cause--the Big Joe Turner Fund, which aids blues musicians in ill health or down on their luck.