Mark Hummel
LOW DOWN TO UPTOWN
Tone Cool - 1169
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On his second disc for Tone Cool Records Mark Hummel has again displayed his broad base of influences without compromising his integrity at all. He has learned and taken licks from the masters of the Harmonica, such as George "Harmonica" Smith, Little Walter, and both the Sonny Boys, and he has made these licks his own and also turned them to his own purposes. He keeps the strict form that is inherent in the blues and at the same time made it sound fresh by combining the sounds of those that influenced him, with his own twists on their own phrases. This is best shown on the tunes here that he either wrote or co-wrote, which is 8 of the 12 tunes included on the disc. He evidently feels confident enough in his singing that he does 3 tunes in which he shares the vocals with Brenda Boykin and they all add a delicious tension to the disc. She is known for her work with the Johnny Nocturne Band. One that demands particular notice is the Billy Holiday, C. R. Lewis penned NOW OR NEVER, that shows a range into the jazz spectrum that I hadn't seen before. They take this tune and turn it into their own version of male female tension. Again on the last track he takes the Duke Ellington standard IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD, picks up his chromatic harp and keeps the jazzy flavor but makes it a decidedly Mark Hummel played blues tune. He has an excellent core band that plays with him on most of the disc, including Junior Watson on guitar and June Core on drums, and he augments their work with the addition of some excellent players. These he uses to enhance and augment some of his tunes. Most notable are the fantastic piano stylings of David Maxwell on 2
tracks and Charles Brown on another, as well as the aforementioned Brenda Boykin helping on vocals. This disc shows his broad range of influences without sounding scattered. It is a solid effort that makes me wish for more.
Songs, times, writers
1. I'M HOOKED - 5:25 - M. Hummel, R. Estrin
2. OOH LA LA - 5:01 - M. Hummel
3. T'AIN'T WHAT YOU SAY - 4:16 - R. M. McCoy, F. Mendelsohn, C. Singleton
4. PO' MAN'S SHOE SHINE - 5:25 - M. Hummel
5. EASE MY MIND - 3:57 - M. Hummel, C. Peery
6. LET IT HAPPEN - 4:04 - M. Hummel, C. Peery
7. KEEP A'TALKIN' - 3:24 - R. Toombs
8. LUCKY KIND OF FELLA - 3:06 - M. Hummel, R. Estrin
9. UNDERHANDED WOMAN - 4:08 - M. Hummel, R. Estrin
10. WEST COAST FLOOD - 6:03 - M. Hummel
11. NOW OR NEVER - 4:15 - C. R. Lewis, B. HOLIDAY
12. IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD - 4:13 - D. Ellington, M. Irving, M. Kurtz