Big Harp George Cooking with Gas
Big Harp George
Cooking with Gas
Blues Mountain Records
George Bisharat a.k.a. Big Harp George is a San Francisco singer, songwriter and harmonica player. He favors the chromatic harp which gives his music a Jazz like sound. Formerly George was a criminal defense attorney and award winning professor at the University of California. Early harp influences include Paul Butterfield, Sonny Boy Williamson II, and William Clarke, but George got the idea of playing the Chromatic in multiple positions from Paul deLay.
George didn’t want to record until he had something new to say and released his album debut “Chromaticism” in 2014. The following year George received a Blues Music Award nomination in the category of “Best New Artist – Debut”. Follow-up albums include 2016’s “Wash My Horse in Champagne”; 2018’s “Uptown Cool”; 2020’s “Living In The City”; and 2023’s “Cut My Spirit Loose”. George has received additional nominations from Blues Blast Magazine and multiple nominations from the Independent Blues Music Awards. The latter includes Best Traditional Blues Band, Best Male Artist, and Best Traditional Blues CD.
This newest recording was waxed at Greaseland Studios in San Jose, CA. George plays harmonica and also takes all of the vocals. He opens with the funky title track. Throughout the recording producer Chris Burns plays all the keyboards; and Kid Andersen all the guitar; the horn arrangements are from trombonist Mike Rinta while the saxophone solos are distributed between Doug Rowan, Aaron Lington, and Michael Peloquin. The background vocals are from the Sons Of The Soul Revivers; James, Dwayne and Walter Morgan.The rhythm section consists of bassists Joe Kyle Jr. and Jerry Jemmott; and drummers Derrick D’Mar Martin, and June Core.
George bemoans lost privacy on “Cellphone Hater 2.0”; while “Doom Loop” is salsa flavored film noir with Ed Morrison on trumpet. “Wine Is My Friend” is a song with a doo-wop influence; Maceosity, the only song not written by George, is from Michael Peloquin who plays saxes with a calypso beat behind Burns on piano.
Other highlights include some outstanding vocals from George on “Awkward Me”; “What The Missus Misses” with harmony from the Sons of The Soul Revivers; a cha-cha on DIY Mama; “Parade is Burning” once again with harmony from the Revivers; “The Older We Get” sounding like Rick Estrin and The Nightcats; and two instrumentals, “June’s Tune” with Kid Andersen on Stand-up bass; and the sentimental “When I First Met Valerie” with piano from Chris Burns.
This much anticipated new album “Cooking With Gas” will be released on May 15th.
Richard Ludmerer
Contributing Editor/Making A Scene
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