Jason Ricci & New Blood at "Harmonica sur Cher" Festival, Saint-Aignan, France, May 24-27, 2006 (Warning: unabashedly rave review.) By Dave Fertig, http://elmtreeblues.org/

Jason Ricci & New Blood blew âem away at this year's "Harmonica sur Cher," a wonderful, volunteer-run four-day festival held each May in Saint-Aignan, an ancient little town along the river Cher in France's Loire Valley.

Even before Jason & Shawn & Todd & Maki took the stage Saturday night as the final act, the buzz for them was strong. By then everyone in Saint-Aignan had, for days, listened to virtuoso players of diatonic and chromatic harmonica in myriad styles with various other instruments. The prior night a hundred or so people heard JR&NB play an abbreviated set (more than an hour long) in a packed little tavern (Café du Commerce?) across the street.

By Saturday evening the crowd's anticipation was palpable. From the start of the set the normally stoic french music fans were moving, even dancing, in response to the music, many with mouths agape and eyes wide. And not just for technical virtuosity, but for beauty, and not just for the harmonica, but for the completely enveloping sonic tapestry woven by these musicians.

Sure, Jason played fast and furious, he also played slow and caressingly, as did the band. Shawn's guitar was an equally fluid, articulate and emotionally vibrant counterpoint to Jason's simply unlimited harp, and Todd's bass and Maki's drums gave a lyrical, solid and uplifting rhythmic foundation to the whole set.

On stage Jason comfortably goofed around; the welcoming audience felt welcomed into JR&NB's swirling world, in which Jason morphed from jaw-dropping lightning man to gentle balladeer ("Sonja" and the first part of "Driftin'"), from political polemicist ("Can't Close our Eyes") to fussy, cig-smoking strutting front-man to classic mellow and yearning bluesman, from a polished top-performer in control of the stage to an uncontrolled wildman releasing his exposed feral soul, at times surprising even himself.

I too was bowled-over, even having heard JR&NB's prior recordings. Name one other player who blows harp with the energy, technical brilliance, stylistic breadth and emotionally informed substance that Jason Ricci brings. If there's better I ain't heard it.

If you want to know more or less how JR&NB sounded, listen to the board-recording here: http://www.archive.org/details/jrnb2006-05-27.flac16 And go to Jason's site http://www.jasonricci.net/ to buy the CDs and see his touring schedule.

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Hi, I've just seen this new concert and I was at Harmonica sur Cher too, it was so amazing, it was my first real concert of blues and harmonica, and how a great concert it was!!! I think I'll not forget this and I hope to see Jason again in concert and talk with him because he sounds like very sympathetic and cool. Please keep on playing and come again in France if you want beacause I've understood that it was not easy for you to come at St Aignan but I hope it won't stop you to do this again :-) Good bye

Surely the best concert we ever seen !!!
How many people have been under the shock after that concert ? I think, every one.
I never seen a so emotional concert. It's the first time that every one is stick to its chair, bewitch by the intensity and the charism of Mister Super Jason Ricci. We expected one hour of harmonica music !!! The concert started at 10.45 pm and stopped at 1.30 a.m. More than two hours. But no-one moved, completely fascinate by the Man. It wasn't any more a concert of harmonica but a real kind of spirit communion between a man who gaved all its soul and an audience able to understand every emotion from him. We all could seen who were Jason like he's an open book. All the joy and all the suffering, all the sweetness and all the violence, and his humour too.

I should talk you about the musician. Yes, Jason, Shawn, Todd and Maki are strong, strong, strong musicians and they give us a concert worthy of heaven or hell, I don't know exactly. I would be okay to give one year of my life against a second possibility to be back at the 2006-05-27 !
Their sound was loud, strong (but not painful or agressive for ears) and beautiful, listen at the second track ! I think now, we should have made a tape with microphones on the room to obtain a faithfull result. Here, pick on the soundboard we haven't exactly the same sound, we've heard on that crazy night (guitar, bass and drum were louder, the applause were hysterical .
And now, in the middle of France, in a small quiet town, life have changed. Jason have gave us a little part of himself. We never forgot him and hope to see him back as soon as possible.

Thanks you Jason, Shawn, Todd and Maki for that so good time we've spent with you. Come back as you like.
Well, I'm in agony to write in english. I hope it's a little bit understandable.
I wish the best to Jason.

Now, it's time to listen at the music.
Lets' Rock

Christophe Minier
festival Harmonicas sur Cher
www.harmonicasurcher.com