Carlos del Junco and the Blues Mongrels

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Saturday, March 13th, 2010
7:30 PM

Carlos del Junco is hands down one of finest blues/jazz harmonica players on the planet. One listen and it’s obvious he’s in a class with such greats as Toots Theilmans, Paul Butterfield and Howard Levy, formerly of Bela Fleck’s Flecktones.

Born in Havana Cuba, del Junco (loosely translated "of the reeds") immigrated to Canada as a young child, discovered the harmonica and the rest, as they say, is history. Now a true virtuoso in every sense of the word, del Junco holds not one but two Gold Medals from the Hohner World Harmonica Championship in Trossingen, Germany, as well as multiple national awards.

For erudite “harp” blowers: del Junco plays a ten hole diatonic harmonica, and has developed the unique ability to play chromatically by using an "overblow" technique taught to him by jazz virtuoso Howard Levy which is more expressive and communicative than the mechanized tone produced by the chromatic harmonica. Carlos is one of the few pioneers of this overblow method.

Simply put for the rest of us, Carlos del Junco plays the harmonica like nobody else. In his hands it can weep or scream, wail or purr. Simultaneously sophisticated and raw, technically adept and highly emotional, his playing blurs the boundaries between blues and jazz (hence the name for his band “The Blues Mongrels”). The emphasis is on blues, but they are not afraid to merrily traipse off in other directions delivering a seamless fusion of New Orleans second line grooves, swing, Latin, hip-hop or ska melodies, to swampy roots rock.

The Blues Mongrels are: bassist Henry Heillig (founded the nine piece Latin band Manteca, musical director for both the Genie and Gemini Awards, toured with pianist Joe Sealy), guitarist Eric St. Laurent, and Mark Mariash on drums. Get ready to trash all you thought you knew about the harmonica. Carlos and his Blues Mongrels deliver a no-holds-barred display of fun and melodic virtuosity.

http://www.carlosdeljunco.com/