Making Cooking With Gas has been a labor of love, and now you can hear the music for the first time. The album is out! On this album — our seventh, and no. 1 on Roots Music Reports Classic Blues right now — you can expect to hear the usual danceable tunes, as well as ones that’ll hopefully make you laugh and think in a new way. But what makes this album different and new is that you’re going to hear more integration of the harp with the band, and especially the horn section, than ever before. To me, it sounds and feels like a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. So, keep an ear out for that. Can’t wait for you to hear what we’ve cooked up for you! Grab Cooking With Gas everywhere you listen to music, or get your hard copy at the link in my bio. To the blues! [📸: @emreportss]
Tonight the full band will be getting interviewed by @forthvalley.radio @totallyblues show host Geoff Campbell 📻💙 8-10pm We’ll be playing some of our original blues acoustic, playing some songs that inspire us and chatting about our new single/upcoming EP and festivals over the summer. #radio #radioshow #bluesradio #ibba #blues #modernblues #bluesmusic #bluesmusicians #bluesplayers #bluesband #interview #glasgowmusicians
Cooking with Gas finally drops in TWO days, and we’ve gotten some exciting reviews so far. “...Big Harp George has revealed himself to be one of the most imaginative chromatic harp players in the world since making his professional debut a decade ago.” – Marty Gunther, @bluesblastmagazine. “The pacing of the album through different musical styles, coupled with his songwriting make this a can’t miss effort, especially with this talented group of musicians backing.” – Jim Hynes, @rockbluesmuse. Thanks, Marty and Jim! Now for the rest of you blues lovers, get your speakers ready. Cooking With Gas will be out this Wednesday, May 15th on all music platforms, and you can grab your hard copy CD here: https://www.bigharpgeorge.com/shop-the-store. To the blues!
This Saturday night at Staves Brewery, Glebe 8.30 The Memphis Band! Can’t wait 🎶💙 📸 - David Glover. #sydneybluessociety #sydneylivemusic #originalmusic #bluesmusic #bluesbands #electricblues #bluesandroots #bluesplayers
CD’s are in! #blues #bluesrock #bluesrockmusic #bluesplayers #bluesguitar #rockmusic #keepingthebluesalive #bluesmusic #soulmusic #bluesfestival
Thrilled to be nominated by @livingbluesmag for “Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica),” along with some of my harp heroes of decades and some brilliant younger players. Congratulations to them and to all the nominees! Voting is open to the public through June 15th at livingblues.com. Go vote!
Looking forward to playing @edinburgh_jazz & blues fest on Saturday 13th July. We’ll be joined by our good friend and fantastic guitarist/songwriter Craig Ralston. Jonny will be joining him acoustic for a set and Craig will be joining Blue Milk for an electric set too ⚡️ Not to be missed -this one will be very special 💙🥛 Ticket link in bio 🎟️ #festival #festivals #bluesfestival #jazzfestival #bluesfestivals #edinburghjazzandbluesfestival #bluesband #bluesmusicians #bluesmusic #bluesmusicuk #blues #songersongwriter #songwriter #bluesplayers #glasgowmusicians
Remember back in early 2023 when the federal government announced it was mulling a possible ban on gas appliances? It instantly touched off a firestorm of criticism, with Texas Congressman Ronny Jackson vowing that if anyone came for his stove, they would have to “pry it from my cold dead hands.” To me, this was an apt metaphor for how overheated, and silly, our politics can be. Ironically, the phrase “cooking with gas ”– the title of my upcoming album and its lead song – originated in a gas industry advertising campaign from the late 1930s that tried to convince the American people that cooking with their product was the “classy” thing to do. The 2023 kerfuffle was what triggered me to write the song “Cooking with Gas” and, with recording sessions already on the calendar, we recorded it three weeks later. The phrase has also come to mean “hitting one’s stride” or doing something really well, so it seemed natural for the album title! [📸: @emreportss]
Hey Bay Area folks! Mark your calendar for Wed., 5/22 – we’ll be playing LIVE at Club Fox (@clubfox_rwc)!! That’s right! In just one month from now, I’ll be back performing on stage after a long hiatus. We’ll be doing songs from our newest album, Cooking with Gas, and performing some of your old favorites. Can’t wait to see you there! [📸: Kevin Jones]
Our new cover!! So excited to share this image with you – the cover of our upcoming album Cooking with Gas!! A huge thank you to our photographer, Emilia Rosales (@emreportss) and to our graphic designer, Anthony Paule (@anthony.paule) who brought this cover to life. You can preview the album now on @applemusic. And look for the album everywhere you listen to music on Wed., 5/15!
Excited to share that as of today, you can preview our 7th album, Cooking with Gas, on @applemusic! You’ll start to get the look, feel, and, most importantly, the sound of the new album. Just head on over to Apple Music and search for “Big Harp George,” and Cooking with Gas will appear as a pre-release. Click on the album and you’ll be able to preview it easily. Plus, we’re only ONE MONTH away from the release date! Can’t wait for all of you to hear the entire album on 5/15! To the blues! [📸: @emreportss]
Todd Mason #bassplayer #bassplayers #livemusic #uprightbass #blues #bluesplayers #thesoulsearchers
Thank you @yippeekiayblues for featuring my song Without You. It’s an honor to be on great show full of great artists 🙏 #radio #blues #bluesplayers #bluesmusicofinstagram #bluesrock #bluesguitarplayers
“Meet Me at the Fence,” the last song on my 2020 album, Living in the City, is my tribute to young Palestinians, especially in Gaza, seeking freedom, dignity, and return to their homeland. In 2018, young Palestinians in the Gaza Strip — 70% of whom are descendants of refugees from Israel’s mass expulsions of Palestinians in 1947-49 — organized what they called the “Great March of Return.” The event began on Land Day, held each year on March 30th, when all Palestinians commemorate protests against Israel’s violent seizures of their lands throughout their historic homeland. On that day in 2018, young protesters approached the fence that Israel had erected around the entire Gaza Strip, as if to return to their ancestral homes and villages on the other side. Israeli snipers, hiding behind earth berms and at no serious risk of injury, met the unarmed Palestinian youths with lethal force. By the time the protests tapered off nearly a year later, Israeli troops had killed hundreds and wounded and maimed thousands of young Palestinians. “Meet Me at the Fence” is sung from the perspective of a young Palestinian woman loosely modeled after Razan al-Najjar, a 20-year old medic killed by Israeli sniper fire at the fence in May 2018. She’s depicted here on a West Bank barrier in Bethlehem by Palestinian artist Taghi Al Din. Razan, may your memory live forever! [Graffiti artist: Taghi Al Din. Title: “Razan.” Date: between June 1, 2018 and August 9, 2018. For use in the public domain under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.]
#breenleboeuf #blues #bluesplayers #bluesmusic #bluesmusicians
Every now and then, it pays to go back and listen to the founders and masters of the genre. You could certainly start at an earlier point, but for me the real heyday of the blues was the ‘50s and ‘60s, with stars like B.B. (pictured here), Otis Rush, Otis Spann, Magic Sam, Muddy, Cotton, the Walters, and others – you pick ‘em, we all have our favorites. That’s what I’ve been doing recently. I’m not and never will be one of them, and my object isn’t to be like them. But reminding myself of where this music comes from, and of the passion that drove it, has a way of re-centering and humbling me. They were so shockingly good, and set standards for the ages. I don’t know exactly how this will come out in my music. I’m not looking for songs to cover, or licks to steal. It’s a more abstract connection to a spirit or ethos that I’m feeling, and that I hope I can honor in my own way. [Photo attribution: “B.B. King Live with ‘Lucille’ im Audimax der Uni Hamburg, November 1971” November 1971. Heinrich Klaffs. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.]
Saturday. Or, “Straturday”, er, freakin “Straturday” in Tarzana. And, a little bit of “Drown in My Own Tears” as made famous by the immortal Ray Charles AND in my opinion the equally immortal Jeff Beck who did a version with Lulu. Remember her? Written by Henry Glover. You gotta know that. So, that’s all I got. Hope you like it. Until next time, #straturday, #straturday🎸 , #straturdays , #strat, #guitar, #guitarplayer, #guitarplayers, #guitarplayersofinstagram , #guitarplayersunite , #riffwarsmusic, #guitarist , #bluesplayer , #bluesplayers, #bluesguitar, #bluesguitarist, #bluesguitarplayers, #ernieball, #ernieballstrings, #emg, #emgpickups, #fenderprojunior, #tokaiguitars, #denmarkstreet, #denmarkstreetlondon, #regentsounds, #macaris, #sixtysixtysounds , #rudysmusic, #normansrareguitars, #jeffbeck
In many ways, this past year was very rich and rewarding. We kicked off 2023 by recording 8 songs in January. Then in March we released our 5th album, Cut My Spirit Loose, to a very nice reception from critics, DJs, and listeners alike. In May we came back into the studio to lay down another batch of songs. Over the first half of the year, we recorded something like 17 new numbers in total, 16 of them my originals, and one an original from our sax player, Michael Peloquin. Over the summer I learned that @bluesblastmagazine had nominated me for “Harmonica Player of the Year,” and in September I had the privilege of performing at the award ceremony backed by the excellent @ericdemmersax Band. The award went to the ultra-deserving, OG @charliemusselwhiteofficial. In October we released our 6th album, Big Harp George Does Christmas, which, this week, hit no. 1 on the Roots Music Report’s Christmas album chart! And just last weekend we did a photo shoot for the 7th album, name yet to be revealed, set to be released on May 15, 2024. After all this focus on recording, I’m now training my sights on booking live performances for 2024 and beyond, with some really exciting possibilities in the works. Stay tuned for updates!
With wars raging in Gaza, Ukraine, and Sudan, it is very hard to feel celebratory this year. Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Gaza, and other Christian communities in the region have been canceled. Never has peace felt more essential, nor a complete repudiation of war, which benefits a few arm merchants and no one else. Our planet is in grave jeopardy and many of our brothers and sisters here in the U.S. struggle to buy food, rent, and utilities – yet our Congress votes to fund a military budget of $886 billion? All I want for Christmas is new leadership, one with a vision of peace, justice, and equality. We simply cannot go on like this. [Photo: @emreportss]
Great to be back at @box_glasgow last week with the band 💙🥛 Always a good vibe in that joint. 🎶 We’ll be playing in the city over the weekend as a band, as a duo and Jonny will be playing solo too 🎸 #happyfriday #liveblues #upbeatblues #dirtyslideguitar #slideguitar #slideguitarblues #slideguitarbluesrock #bluesrock #bluesrockguitar #bluesrockband #bluesplayers #bluesmusicians #glasgowmusicians
Something new I’ve been doing recently on harp is playing parts with my horn section. I’m sure other harp players have done so in the past (Curtis Salgado, for example, once told me about playing horn parts on the chromatic), but I’m not hearing it much today. Possibly because there aren’t that many bands featuring both horn and harps. You can hear this approach in several of the songs on my brand new album Big Harp George Does Christmas. In “War on Christmas,” you’ll hear me and the horns playing “soli” (which is what you call a solo played by multiple instruments) in the middle of the song. Then on “It’s New Year’s Eve,” you’ll hear us playing the head (the melody that comes at the beginning of the song then comes back at the end). Lately we’ve been taking this even further, playing more intricate arrangements that feature more complex interplay among the instruments. And, I’m not always taking the lead voice, instead playing harmony on some songs while another instrument takes the lead. I really get a big kick out of it – just one more way to shake things up and keep it interesting both for us as musicians and, hopefully, you as listeners!
All you independent musicians out there know how hard it can be to keep the wheels turning in these small business enterprises we run, all the while trying our best to make good music. And as I’ve acknowledged in the past, when someone comes along and voluntarily lends a hand, and makes our lives just a little bit easier – well, that’s something to be celebrated, appreciated, and recognized. So here I’m celebrating, appreciating, and recognizing Carles Gatell of Blues21, who just posted this review about my just-released album, Big Harp George Does Christmas: “As always, Bisharat offers us doses of the best jump blues stripped of artifice, packed with moments of electrifying rhythm, contaminating groove and a harmonica that sounds better than ever.” He also made and incorporated the incredible graphics that you see here. This takes work! And Carles, who I have never met face-to-face in my life, does this not just for me, but for all of the blues releases that he features on his page. He puts in this effort, I presume, because he loves the music and understands that we all need help in getting the word out. Check out the full review here: https://www.blues21.com/big-harp-george-big-harp-george-does. Carles brother, thank you so much for all you do for us as musicians and for the blues community in general. I bon Nadal a tu!
This song from our March 2023 album, Cut My Spirit Loose, celebrates the legacy of Modoc leader Kintpuash, or “Captain Jack” as he was known to white settlers. Kintpuash was a man of peace, but faced with impossible circumstances, led the resistance against his tribe’s displacement and paid with his life. His descendants were banished, and today form the Modoc Nation of Oklahoma. The band felt this song deeply, and as we begin American Indian Heritage Month, we offer it as a reminder of the suffering, pain, and injustice associated with settler colonialism. [Photo attribution: Captain Jack, Photographic portraits of Modoc Indians of the Modoc War, PC 006, courtesy, California Historical Society. Date: 1873. Author: Louis Herman Heller. For use in the public domain.]
To all you Jekylls and Hydes, ghosts and goblins, angels and demons – Happy Halloween!! Tomorrow is November 1st…so that’s basically Christmas, right? Grab your candy and go listen to the new holiday album, Big Harp George Does Christmas! Tap the link in my bio to order your CD or digital album. Have a spooky day! [📸: @emreportss]
Original matte harmonica by Harmo #harmonicablues #bluesjamsession #bluesismybusiness #harmonicas #harmonicamaster #harmonicalessons #bluesmusicians #bluesmusicofinstagram #bluesplayers #bluesmusician
So exciting to see the reviews of my new XMas album, Big Harp George Does Christmas, starting to roll in! A special shoutout to Jim White of Blues Roadhouse and to Bill Wilson of Reflections in Blues for your kind and thoughtful words. From Jim: “[Big Harp George Does Christmas] is music that’s lyrically sharp and clever, with lots of Big (chromatic) Harp, but still very Christmassy – in an irreverent Big Harp George kind of way. It makes you think that if Mad Magazine ever released a Christmas album, this would be it.” Check out the full review here: https://bluesroadhouse.com/2023/10/24/roadhouse-album-review-big-harp-george-is-naughty-and-nice-on-big-harp-george-does-christmas-yes-its-that-time-again/. And here’s what Bill had to say: “If I were to compare [George’s] work to anyone, it would be Paul deLay…This is an album that could, and will, be played throughout the year, offering so much more than the normal snowmen, candy canes and Christmas cheer.” Read the rest of it here: https://chickenwilson2.blogspot.com/p/october-2023-reviews.html. Thank you so much, Jim and Bill! I’m thrilled that you loved the album!
@edinburgh_jazz & Blues Festival this Friday supporting the amazing @errol.linton 💙 🎟️ Ticket link in bio #blues #bluesmusic #bluesmusicians #bluesband #bluesmusic #bluesmusicians #bluesplayers #bluesrock #dirtyblues #band #liveblues #livebluesmusic #tickets
This album unfolded a little bit differently than all my other releases. In fact, I never really started out with the intention of recording a Christmas album. Frankly, it would have been daft to do so, considering audiences’ expectations of standards and an extremely limited listening window each year! Starting with my first album, I’ve always recorded in January. That’s because, after the New Year, it’s probably the deadest month of the year for music performance, and even the greatest musicians are often idle and happy to have work. My creative juices really get flowing as a recording date approaches and often keep going during and after our sessions. And because we were typically recording right after the holidays, in 2018 I got inspiration to write “Where’ll I Be for Christmas?” – and we recorded it. Two other song ideas popped to mind as we recorded in 2020. Then another 3 in 2022. And so on alongside each regular album project. Finally we were within striking range of a full album, and so we said: “Let’s go for it!” And added another 5 songs this past May for a total of 11 originals. Kinda strange to be recording Christmas tunes in May, but hey, it worked! [📸: @emreportss]
We’re at @edinburgh_jazz & blues festival this Friday 27th - supporting @errol.linton 🎟️ Tickets on Edinburgh jazz & blues festival website. Our harmonica player, Leo is especially excited to be playing this one. Errol Linton is a great song writer and an absolute blues harmonica virtuoso 💙 #blues #bluesmusicians #bluesmusic #bluesman #bluesharmonica #bluesharmonicaplayer #bluesplayers #bluesplayer #bluesinbritain #bluesbands #bluesrock #bluesguitar #bluesguitarist #bluesuk
Our new single is out today! 💙🥛 “Take Me There” Give it a listen on our Spotify - let us know what you think - link in our bio. The song is about the things we turn to when times are hard and we need an escape from the realities of life. Thanks to @veniceofthenorthstudio for recording 🎚️🎛️ #newsingle #newsinglealert #newsong #newblues #newbluesmusic #newrelease #modernblues #modernbluesband #bluesplayers #bluesinbritain #blues #bluerock #newtune #newmusic #bluesrockband #newbluessingle #bluesmusicians
Polar is such a unique harmonica to play...just try it out and tell us what do you think #harmonicas #chromaticharmonica #bluesharp #bluesharmonica #bluesmusician #bluesjam #bluespower #bluessolo #bluesrockmusic #bluessinger #bluesmusicians #bluesjamming #bluesjamsession #rockmusiclover #musicinstrumentstore #bluesplayer #bluesplayers #bluesislife #bluesismyreligion #bluesismybusiness
THIS FRIDAY, 10/20, my 6th album, Big Harp George Does Christmas, will be released and available for all to hear! There’s still time to preorder the album on @applemusic. You can also purchase a CD or digital download on our website on the release date. Tap the link in my bio to visit the BHG online store. Can’t wait to hear what you think of the new music! To the blues! [📸: @emreportss]
Here it is!!! The cover of the new album, Big Harp George Does Christmas!! This was a particularly fun collaboration of visual artists. Emilia Rosales took this photo, as well as the others in our XMas shoot, and Anthony Paule designed something extra special and festive. We wanted to convey the joy that the holidays really do bring, as well as poke fun at all of the absurdities and commercialism that feel extra potent this time of year. Hope we succeeded in doing that. Plus Betsie Brown of @blindraccoon9 has been an absolute delight to work with again on all things release and media. Now you just have to hear the music! Pre-order your digital copy today on @applemusic at the link in my bio or buy your CD or digital copy NEXT FRIDAY, 10/20! To the blues! [Cover photo by @emreportss. Cover art and design by @anthony.paule]
Preorders for my 6th album, Big Harp George Does Christmas, start today!! Buy your digital copy on @applemusic, gain immediate access to track 9, called “The Three Kings,” and the rest of the album will download automatically to your library on release day! Rather wait for a hard copy? No problem! CDs and digital albums will be available on the BHG web store on Friday, 10/20 – the official release date. Can’t wait for you to hear it! Tap the link in my bio to preorder the album on Apple Music. [📸: @emreportss]
I admit to being a cynic when it comes to holidays. To me, most of them, especially Christmas, are so thoroughly commercialized that it’s hard to find their original meaning underneath all the hype. But you know what? I’m also not one to let a few lousy corporations stop me from having fun. So maybe the best response to the whole holiday mess is a good laugh – put to great music! That’s the spirit animating my upcoming XMas album, Big Harp George Does Christmas. We threw in a couple of cheerful instrumentals, but otherwise the lyrics are mostly tongue in cheek (I’m still me, after all). Music-wise, however, it’s all business. We put as much thought and effort into the arrangements and musicianship as we do with all of our other albums. The objective was to get you to move your feet, chuckle a little bit, and be tempted to listen to these tunes year round. Can’t wait to see if we succeeded! Pre-orders with an early download of the song “Thee Three Kings” start on @applemusic this Friday, October 6th! Stay tuned! [📸: @emreportss]
And the title of BHG’s 6th album and 1st ever Christmas album is… Big Harp George Does Christmas! It’ll be available on Fri., 10/20, in hard copy on the BHG website and in digital form anywhere you listen to music. You can pre-order the album on iTunes October 6, and will receive “Thee Three Kings” as an advance track. Can’t wait for you to hear it! [📸: @emreportss]
TODAY’S the day!! It’s the @bluesblastmagazine award ceremony, where I’m up for Harmonica Player of the Year, in Peoria, IL. Wish me luck!
Harmonicaland online store with so many harmonicas to offer Harmo custom harmonicas are so unique #harmonicas #bluesharp #bluesharmonica #bluesmusician #bluesjam #bluespower # bluessolo # bluesrockmusic #bluessinger #bluesjamming # bluesmusician #bluesjamsession #rockmusiclover #musicinstrumentstore #bluesplayer #bluesplayers #bluesislife #bluesismyreligion #bluesismybusiness
Harmo custom harmonicas are so unique #harmonicas #bluesharp #bluesharmonica #bluesmusician #bluesjam #bluespower # bluessolo # bluesrockmusic #bluessinger #bluesjamming # bluesmusician #bluesjamsession #rockmusiclover #musicinstrumentstore #bluesplayer #bluesplayers #bluesislife #bluesismyreligion #bluesismybusiness
Looking forward to our jaunt up to @callanderjazzandbluesfestival on 1st Oct 🚌 The full band will be playing 2pm at The Crown 💙🥛 Jonny and Leo will be playing acoustic-harmonica blues from 8.30pm at Riverside. Hope to see ya there! 💙 #festival #festivals #bluesfestival #jazzfestival #bluesinbritain #bluesband #bluesbands #bluesmusic #bluesmusicians #bluesplayers #glasgowmusicians
Sleek design harmonicas Please visit us for more information at www.harmo.com #bluesband #bluessinger #jamming #bluesmusiclife #bluesplayers #bluesmusicians #bluesismybusiness #bluesjam #harmonicamusic #bluesjamsession #harmonicabeatbox #bluesmusicofinstagram #blues #bluesismyreligion #bluesharp
Debuting at #1 on Billboard Blues charts Coco Montoya's latest album, "Writing On The Wall," on @alligatorrecs is a tour-de-force of memorable, hook-filled songs, sung with passion + fueled by equally memorable top-shelf musicianship! Give a listen online; in person Oct 13.
New single “Take Me There,” out 20th October! 💙 Pre-save link in bio 🎧 Last single on the “Hard Way To Fall,” album. Follow us on Spotify for all our new releases 🕺🏻 Thanks to @veniceofthenorthstudio for recording @grisel_illustrations for the artwork 🖼️ #newsingle #newsinglecomingsoon #newsinglealert #newsinglerelease #newsinglealert🚨 #newsong #newrelease #newrecording #bluesband #bluesrock #bluesrockguitar #bluesplayers