Mark Hummel - Feel Like Rockin' (1994)

Mark Hummel's masterful blend of Chicago, West Coast and Piedmont blues, jump and some good old rock 'n' roll with a New Orleans bent puts him in a context with peers like the Mighty Flyers, William Clarke, Little Charlie & the Nightcats (whose harp virtuoso front man Rick Estrin produced this project), Gary Smith or James Harman, not to mention Chicago transplants and mentors to the West Coast harp scene George Smith and Charlie Musselwhite. His economy, pithiness, and control not only render histrionics superfluous, but embody some of the best values of the West Coast and Chicago blues of previous generations. Acoustic duets on this set with Brownie McGhee and Charles Brown underscore the circles in which Mark Hummel moves and belongs. A 1989 pairing with then-protégé Sue Foley and a survey of other recent Hummel band graduates who participated in these sessions like guitarist Rusty Zinn (currently with Kim Wilson), drummer Jim Bott (Mighty Flyers) and bassist Ronnie James (Little Charlie) show that Mark is already helping to make sure the torch stays aflame. --Dick Shurman, from his liner notes, 1994