In the great circle of amazing Toronto musicians, Carlos del Junco sits at the top of the heap when it comes to harmonica playing. I have been fortunate to catch him in many jam sessions over the years but have never seen a full performance from him. Well Hugh’s Room Live made room for him to bring in his band and enthrall die hard blues and jazz fans to his unique presentation.

He opened the night with a Kevin Breit piece called, “Yul Brenner”. I found out that evening that he and Kevin have worked together several times over the years. It is no surprise that a top harmonica player would work with one of the most original guitar player Toronto has ever seen. Well, this song had all the ingredients of a great western blues tune without any spaghetti in sight.

Carlos cleared the path and dedicated some of his original material to pay homage to T-Bone Walker songs. He must have mentioned him at least three times during his performance. He even added a song called “A Fool’s Alibi”, which is generously borrowed from T-Bone Walker’s- T-Bone Shuffle, (if Thelonius Monk had co-written the melody).

You can’t have a blues set without doing something from the man who made the Crossroads famous. Carlos blew hard and really rocked the Hell out of this another original homage to Robert Johnson. This piece was called, “Heaven’s where you’ll dwell”.

I loved his microphone set up. One was used for his vocals and the other one was for his harp. Carlos definitely has a powerful ear for sound. He seemed to struggle a little bit during the first set by asking for minute corrections in his monitor.

I even learned a thing or two with this show. The band went into an amazing version of the most covered blues song. His version of “Got my Mojo Working”, was definitely a highlight of the night, by Muddy Waters, but I didn’t know the song was actually first recorded by Anne Cole in 1956. Muddy Waters would record it a year later and change some of the lyrics.

The band that Carlos worked with was, Henry Hellig on Bass who brought his happy vibes with him. On Drums we had Sean O’Grady who kept everything tight and on time. Although he was having a good time his focus was truly like a sheepdog keeping the flock together. On Guitar, Eric St-Laurent really took on each song and solo with vigor. He really knew how to balance the sound, intensity and shared his skill with Carlos perfectly. Neither one stole the spotlight. They shined equally as they traded each song back and forth.

The second half of the show had quite a cornucopia of different sounds and musical spirits dancing about. It started with a tribute to Thelonius Monk that felt like a happy drunken stroll downtown between bars. The first opening riff from Thelonious Monk’s “Well you needn’t” was what inspired the jazzy Rhumba original called, “Well you need to”.

Carlos mentioned since he did a song from the original member of the 27 club, he will do another one from another famous cat. For those of you who do not know what the 27 club is, it is famous musicians who passed away at the age of 27. Robert Johnson was the founding member only to be followed by others like Janis Joplin, Kirk Cobain, and Amy Winehouse.  That is when we sat back open up and let our little wing fly as high as we wanted. Jimi Hendrix, wherever you are you must be smiling at this rendition.

Possibly the most enjoyable part of the show was when Carlos began to talk about his childhood cartoon memories. We all have those cartoons that meant so much to us. Well Carlos got to introduce an old next-door neighbor who he grew up with. She was sitting in the second row. Carlos proceeded to play what felt like an old cartoon song. This was one of those crazy songs that were mashed up with a bit of Ska, a bit of Polka and a sprinkling of Italian wedding music on top. You could not stop smiling at the quirkiness of this song.

He returned with a Little Walters song called “Blues with a Feeling”. After a long smoky opening this tune turned into a chunky little monster. Another blues piece turned into a soft shoe shuffle.

We did get a harp solo from Carlos that really spanned the boundaries of traditional harmonica. At one point he turned his instrument in a set of bagpipes and then slid into a classical piece of music. His musical repertoire really is quite expansive. This is just another reason to see this guy live.

When I saw him in jam sessions his technical prowess is what woke me up and made me realize how some musicians can really reconstruct sound in new and exciting ways.

The evening finished of lightly and heartfelt with another beautiful tune by Kevin Breit called, “Don’t worry your pretty little head”.

This is Carlos del Junco and his band:

Hugh’s Room Live is one of the finest spots to see quality music, showcasing Toronto’s best talent and inviting musician from all around the globe to come and create an intimate spirit in their new and permanent home. When you come to see a show there you realize when you walk in you are welcome and have a special place to have an incredible experience.

P.S. If you want to see Kevin Breit Perform, he will be at the Beacon Room tomorrow night- Wed Dec 11.

Venue

The Beacon Room1648 Queen St West
Toronto, On M6R1B2 Canada + Google Map