Bob Corritore is a transplanted Chicagoan, now living in Arizona, where all the tracks of this collection were cut. Corritore began hitting the blues-club scene in Chicago, sitting in on harp. He formed Blues Over Blues Records, and issued albums by a couple of mainstream blues harpists, Little Willie Anderson (a chauffeur-clone wannabe for Little Walter) and Big Leon Brooks. Since 1981 Corritore has been gigging in Arizona, hosting a weekly blues radio show, and booking national acts into local clubs.
This album has tunes cut between 1987-98 with a variety of players, the common denominator is Corritore's harp on each track, as well as a core back-up band from the local scene. Guest artists include pianist Henry Gray (Howling Wolf), he chops out a rocking "Everybody's Fishing" and two others, R L Burnside who burns on his mainstay number "Going Down South", and Little Ed with his uncle's number "Hip Shaking". Other notable names include Robert Jr Lockwood, on the jazz-based instrumental "Naptown Blues", Bo Diddley on a non-tremolo guitar 1997 cut, "Little Girl", and Jimmy Rogers with "Out On The Road". The closing number features R&B shouter Nappy Brown doing a slow/deep eight minute musing on "Drifting Blues".
Other tracks are filled out with vocals from the drummer, and a few guitar players. The main thrust here is the classic Chicago Blues sound, definitely on the funky side of the alley. There are several classic titles like John Lee Williamson's "Hear That Rumbling", Eddie Boyd's "Five Long Years" and Jimmy Oden's "I've Had My Fun"--all get solid treatments. Throughout the set Corritore adds right-in-the-pocket harp, varying from acoustic to chromatic. He has a touch of Walter Horton's deep-chest tone, and plays with drive and taste, serving the song rather than showing off. You want some good hard-core Chicago sound? This one is recommended.
This review is copyright © 1999 by Tony Glover, and Blues On Stage, all rights reserved.