James Harman Band – “Sparks Flying: Live In 1992 – JSP Records JS3023 

Yes, this is the second James Harman Band CD I have recommended since June 2^nd of this year, but when the quality of the musicianship, songwriting, and sound quality is as exemplary as what is found here, it makes presenting this collection for recommendation, as they say, a “no brainer”.

As I’ve previously indicated, now that I’m further down-the-line in my blues scholarship, I have a much greater appreciation for Harman’s blues music visions, let alone his abundant harmonica skills, his considerable singing capabilities, and his ability to frame his world views into blues songs of the highest order.  Harman stood second to none.

Harman’s proficiencies as a bandleader were realized through his various outfit’s legendary frenzied shows and his ability to attract top-tier talent into his bands; these factors represented his stature as a blues figure of high regard.

This inspired outing was recorded live in August, 1992 at the 2^nd Annual South Blues Festival Tamines in Belgium.  By the time of these recordings, this incarnation of the James Harman Band had a number of years under their belt, and it is obvious by the tight, cohesive nature of their set of blues. For this performance, they were opening the show for Eddie C. Campbell, but Harman and his blues gang didn’t hold back one iota.

In addition to Harman, Joel Foy was band’s guitarist, Jeff Turmes provided both bass and slide guitar efforts, and Estin Cook handled percussion duties.  What becomes abundantly clear as one listens to this CD is that the individual high levels of talent effortlessly combine into an even higher plane of combined talent, something no always easily achieved in the performing arts.

In no way does this CD suggest that Harman and the band were feeling their way through this show, playing songs as dictated by the crowd’s energy level, or at Harman’s whims.  I get the distinct impression that Harman charted this set’s course, and stuck with it to amazing results.  The set just flows that well. 

Harman’s vocals were their usual tasteful, witty, insightful, world-weary, and confident best, as he relays his life’s tales, laying them naked for all to consider.  His harmonica work was masterfully drafted, as it always was, and is simply awe-inspiring and dense in quality and meaning.

Foy mesmerizes on guitar, and obviously had Harman’s complete respect, and was supplied with ample time to stretch-out, granting all in the audience a primer in proper phrasing, tone, and volume control.  His solos are unbeatable examples of how to both build tension and release fury.

Turmes’ bass foundations laid the bedrock upon which this set rested, and his turn as a bottleneck guitar artist must have stunned the crowd.  I know it did me.

Cook kept the whole of the proceedings in-check, and was the ideal cadence maker for this band for this show; he tied it all together tightly.

I remember Harman bringing different incarnations of his marvelous bands to my hometown area over the years, including shows at Mishawaka, IN’s Center Street Blues Café, LaPorte, IN’s Buck’s Workingman’s Pub, and South Bend, IN’s Corby’s Irish Pub (by the way, a great story surrounds his performance here that will be told at a later date).  If I am not incorrect, this band was the one Harman brought to Corby’s Irish Pub as it was around the same time period. 

And even with his band’s variations over the years, Harman’s blues music was always uniformly outstanding.  Why?  Harman.  Harman was a bluesman who gloried in his importance of being a bluesman’s bluesman, a blues artist others who were in-the-know endorsed, respected, and studied.  Harman was a genuine force in advancing bluesmen, authoring blues songs of affect and texture, and always performing to an elevated degree.  Harman was a blues pro’s pro.

As they say, “His kind will not pass our way again.”  But it is a gift that we have this recording from The James Harman Band to retell us all that in the end it’s the eminence of the blues that matters.  Harman does not displease here; he never did.  This James Harman Band party (because that’s really what this is, a blues party) belongs in your blues collection.

As Harman was known to say, “Thank you, baby, thank you!”  No, thank you James.  You ran deep, hoss!