[Harp-L] Yet Another Ricci Report



Harp-L's favored son, Jason Ricci, played a phenomenal set to a small crowd in a beautiful old theatre in downtown Birmingham this afternoon.  The concert took place at the Carver Theatre, home of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame (which includes a nice little museum in the same building).  The jazz stage is in a small theatre complete with balcony section and orchestra pit, a totally different venue than this band's typical bar scene.  The theatre doesn't allow smoking on stage, which annoyed Jason quite a bit since he likes to light up during Shawn's guitar solos.  Personally, I think Jason sang and played better for not smoking...at the very least, it wasn't a detriment to his performance (nor was the entire band's lack of sleep after last night's gig in Valdosta, GA, several hundred miles away).  There were only twenty people or so in the audience, most of them probably regulars at the jazz concerts who didn't know what to expect from Jason and New Blood.  Everyone was digging it though, especially on "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", "Turkish Coffee", and by far the best version of "Amazing Grace" I've heard these guys produce.

After roughly two hours from New Blood, the band hosted a brief jazz jam with Shawn on guitar, Slim on bass, and local musicians filling in everything else.  We had very talented people on piano, saxophone, congas and bongos, and a very young fellow sounding tight on drums.  I nervously picked up Jason's wireless mic (with his permission, of course!) and played along with "Struttin' Sally", then took a seat to listen to the rest of the ensemble, who were all far better than me.  It was a memorable experience, playing for one of my idols, especially with a little back-and-forth between the saxophone and my harp.

If any other Harp-Lers are in Alabama, look for Jason and the band to hit Huntsville for two nights next month, followed by a gig in Mobile.  I hope to catch at least one of those shows, most likely the latter.

Jonathan Metts



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