MITCH KASHMAR "LIVE AT LABATT" Source: Blues Revue Date: 01/2009 Writer: Michael Cote

Harmonica ace and vocalist Mitch Kashmar has been kicking around the blues scene since the early Eighties, when he fronted the Pontiax, a Southern California fixture. Kashmar has gained acclaim as a solo artist in the new millennium, earning Blues Music Award nominations and touring with funk-rock band War.

This 10-track, 66-minute disc was recorded at the 2007 Labatt Blues Festival in Edmonton, Alberta, showcasing Kashmar and his band’s instrumental prowess as they tear into blues and jazz numbers. From the former category comes the swinging original opener, “I Got No Reason.” Kashmar’s harmonica kicks off the song, but after the first vocal section he turns the spotlight on guitarist John Marx, demonstrating the tight rapport the two share. Kashmar recasts “Evil Woman Blues,” a song he says he learned from Bessie Smith’s version, as “Evil Man Blues,” a funky workout that emphasizes Jimmy Calire’s piano prowess and underscores the disc’s great production. You can hear each instrument clearly as well as the spaces between them.

Kashmar comes from the West Coast school, evidenced not only on “Lollipop Mama” (which he dedicates to the late William Clarke), but also on “Song for My Father,” an extended instrumental that allows the players to show off their jazz chops. The original “Wake Up and Worry” could become the theme song for 2009, as Kashmar bemoans running up credit card debt. “It doesn’t take a mathematician to see that I owe more than I can pay,” Kashmar sings. These days, too many of us can relate to those feelings.