Big Harp George
Cooking With Gas
Blue Mountain Records
Publicity: Blind Raccoon
By Peter “Blewzzman” Lauro © May 2024
With his Big Harp George Does Christmas sandwiched right between his fifth release – Cut My Spirit Loose, and his seventh – Cooking With Gas, this is George’s very impressive third release in barely thirteen months. Making it even more impressive is that we’re talking all original music here.
As with those other releases, Cooking With Gas was recorded in Greaseland Studios and the players include many of the usual suspects. Joining Big Harp George, a.k.a. George Bisharat, on lead vocals and chromatic harmonica are: Chris Burns, the disc’s producer, on keyboards; Derrick D’Mar Martin on drums and percussion; Kid Andersen on guitar and bass; Joe Kyle Jr and Jerry Jemmott on bass; June Core on drums; Aaron Lington and Doug Rowan on baritone sax; Ed Morrison on trumpet; Michael Peloquin on tenor sax, soprano sax and diatonic harmonica; Mike Rinta on trombone; and the Sons Of The Soul Revivers (James, Dwayne and Walter Morgan) on backing vocals.
Having about eighteen years restaurant experience, mostly as an owner, one of the earliest things I learned about dealing with ranting chefs is to stay away from them while they are screaming and waving dangerous kitchen tools. However, since this tantrum George is throwing on the title track – “Cooking With Gas” – is in his kitchen at home, it appears it’s his spouse, not his co-workers, who needs to be concerned that that spatula he’s holding may just become a cleaver.
When it comes to writing songs, a few of Big Harp George’s characteristics include humor, satire and a whole lot of sarcasm. On a swinger titled “Cellphone Hater 2.0”, all of those are quite evident. As his frustrations with his cellphone escalate, George becomes desperate enough to take a walk onto the Golden Gate Bridge….not to jump, but to toss the phone into the San Francisco Bay. Along with the song’s well sung lyrics; the fabulous sounds George is blownin’ on harp; and the dynamite foot tappin’ rhythm; this one is highlighted by the background antics of the ‘Greaseland Gang’. Equal to the high-quality production and amazing group of studio musicians that come with recording there, is the craziness this crew adds to a song with their probable ad-libbed background vocals/noises/sounds. They excel in making sounding horrible sound good, and putting smiles on your face while listening.
Although George gets credit for the composition, I know a few thousand people who might want to be considered as co-writers of “Wine Is My Friend”. Now don’t get him wrong, rum, gin and whiskey are his friends too, but none of them will treat him as nice as that red wine is gonna do. Speaking of red wine, it sounds to me like one of the background vocalists may have had a sip too many. Ya gotta love it!
With this one being an instrumental, George and the guys have put the parody process temporarily aside. “Maceosity”, written by saxophonist Michael Peloquin, is all about the music. The band indeed rose to the occasion as they paid tribute to the legendary funk, soul and jazz saxman – Maceo Parker. On it, Michael not only excels on the tenor and soprano saxophones, but he blows the heck out of a harmonica as well. Additionally, with Derrick, Jerry, and Doug absolutely on fire on the drums/percussion, bass, and baritone respectively, this one features the disc’s most powerful rhythm. Wow!
Another instrumental is titled “June’s Tune” and coincidentally (or not), it’s the only track on which June Core showcases his fabulous drum skills. Rhythm wise, his partners Joe Kyle (bass) and Chris Burns (organ) are showing off some of their own skills as well. Then there’s a matter of what that wild looking man on the disc’s cover is holding in his other hand. He may or may not know what to do with that spatula, but he sure as hell does know what to do with that chromatic harmonica.
Meanwhile, back at the zaniness, George has a story to tell us about his “DIY Mama”. Without going into too much detail, let me just say that it is not a spatula – or any other kitchen device; and it isn’t a harmonica – or any other musical instrument; that is George’s wife’s tool of choice. On the other hand, I’m pretty sure the sound it makes is indeed like music to her ears.
As George tells it: “I started tickling ivories at three years of age, and one year later I appeared on stage. I was like a little Mozart, flabbergasting everyone with my art”; “Took up chess at the tender age of nine, won my first tournament and everything was fine. The Queens Gambit was my favorite attack, I beat Bobby Fischer and never looked back”; “You might think all I had was a mighty big brain, I was a stud athlete of city-wide fame. I made Steph Curry look like a playground punk, solely with my signature tomahawk dunk”; “By rights I should have been famous, a damn legend in my own time. The only way that I can explain it, “The Older We Get” the better I was”. All that said, on this – possibly the disc’s best track – the older this band is getting the better they are sounding.
Other tracks on what has become a staple for Big Harp George – very entertaining and very well performed releases – are: “Doom Loop”; “Awkward Me”; “What The Missus Misses”; “Paradise Is Burning”; and another absolutely beautiful instrumental titled “When I First Held Valerie.”
Should like to find out more about Big Harp George, just go to – www.bigharpgeorge.com. Remember, wherever you go and whomever you speak with, please tell them their friend the Blewzzman sent you
“The Blues Is My Passion And Therapy—
Peter “Blewzzman” Lauro
Blues Editor @ www.Mary4Music.com
2011 “Keeping The Blues Alive” Award Recipient
