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THE HOLLY HARRIS PARTY
Blues On Saturday



DJ Holly Harris has been spinning blues in the Boston area for 20 years, earning a reputation as one of the genre’s top radio personalities. So it’s no surprise that this past Saturday’s celebration for Harris at Johnny D’s in Somerville drew the local blues community together far more effectively than a mediocre PBS TV series ever could. The joint was packed with fans and players. And the music ran rich and varied thanks to the blend of artists who jumped on stage to perform.

After a lengthy opening set by the Gerry Beaudoin–Jay Geils Quartet, which captured the spirit of swinging guitar jazz from the ’30s and ’40s, blazing through numbers like "Flying Home," the evening became the musical equivalent of a tag-team match as musicians traded time on stage. Smooth-voiced singer and harpman Sugar Ray Norcia took the microphone backed by a group of local stalwarts that included guitarist Rick Russell (who was in top form and contributed a marvelous, probing turn on slide), keyboardist Bruce Bears, drummer Marty Richards, and bassist Michael "Mudcat" Ward. Guitarist Jose Alvarez, a newcomer from San Antonio, joined the group for much of the night, showing the influence of his mentor Ronnie Earl in a series of biting solos that made the most of his clever deployment of dynamics and shivery Stratocaster tone.

Earl came up for a pair of tunes, sending an instant jolt through the room with the intensity of his picking and his hard-focused tone. The solos he traded with Alvarez constituted a literal passing of the torch. Norcia gave Earl his first high-profile gig almost three decades ago, and now Alvarez — who was introduced to local blues fans this night — will be working with the Rhode Island–based bandleader.

Next, Darrell Nulisch led the backing group through a series of soulful numbers as the near-sellout crowd — which included such notables as Muddy Waters/Eric Clapton harmonica player Jerry Portnoy, Racky Thomas, Tone-Cool Records founder and harpman Richard "Rosy" Rosenblatt, Marion Leighton and John Cain from Rounder Records, and WMFO’s Morgan Huke — cheered. And not for the Yankees/Marlins game on the bar’s big TVs, which was largely ignored.

Toni Lynn Washington sang a surprising up-tempo shuffle rendition of "Why Don’t You Do Right," using her soft vocal tone; that was followed by fellow vocalist Shirley Lewis, who brought the night to a stomping, rocking head.

When Harris climbed on stage to thank the crowd, it was with the humility and graciousness that has made her so popular. The fact that she had helped build the careers of everyone who took the stage went unsaid. And the fact that the event was organized by local blues advocate and DJ Jim Carty, who was her first intern when she started her Blues on Sunday show on WBOS 92.9 FM a decade ago, attested to the strength of the friendships she’s made during her tenure on radio.

BY TED DROZDOWSKI

Issue Date: October 24 - 30, 2003
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