The harmonica player and blues vocalist Greg Izor, fond of the scenes of New Orleans (Louisiana) and Austin (Texas), now lives in Madrid and this weekend he faces a mini-tour through the three Basque provinces: Friday in San Sebastián, Sunday in Vitoria ( Don’t miss it !: today in the Urban Rock Concept room, 5 pm, € 10-12), and where we crossed it by skipping the pandemic perimeters, on Saturday in Bizkaia, in the Urduliz’s annual ‘Blues Gaua’, at the Kultur Etxea, whose auditorium sold out (although in extremis because due to the ban on travel between municipalities due to the virus, 17 buyers returned their tickets).
Greg Izor performed in a quartet, leading a reliable and genuine group of musicians from the capital scene: César Crespo on guitar (he embedded picks of all kinds, from Texans to Latinos) and in the rhythmic section Carlos Arsuaga on drums (what play his on timpani) and Christian Morana on bass. The four of them gave a 15-piece gig in 94 hot and authentic minutes with bursts of inspiration, moments of well-tied improvisation, and in general with the band letting go and the audience following..
–After a couple of prologue pills by the three native squires (a Texas school instrumental piece and Lazy Lester’s version of Luisian rock and roll ‘Sugar coated love’), he walked out on stage dressed in a cool honky shirt. Tonk el bueno by Greg Izor, born about 40 years ago in the eastern state of Vermont, but harbored in the southern melomanic cities of Austin and New Orleans (he told us that from here he assumed many influences: to play, to eat. ..), and the evening did not detract in any minute, although there was no bar and the audience was seated. Greg encouraged, “I’ve grown up playing for people dancing, and you can’t dance, but you can yell or express yourself however you want. This is not opera.
And the gig continued with a multitude of resources and a recurring influence (not imitation), that of Kim Wilson, the singer and harmonica of The Fabulous Thunderbirds of Austin, Texas. (where the very brother Jimmie Vaughan played, whose trail was once followed by good old César Crespo on the six strings). On Saturday in Urduliz there was sharp boogie via Junior Kimbrough / Hound Dog Taylor (‘Alabama’), some swing Gatemouth Brown (‘How long’, with chromatic harmonica, which in this song had more than enough notes in its solos), traces of Fats Domino (‘Maureen’; paradoxically Greg does not usually cover covers, which is unusual and commendable for a bluesman), a Texas-style country soul tune that demonstrated surprising vocal power on the fabulous Greg (‘From hello’, featuring his emotional touch a la Paul deLay, another white harmonica player), very sweet soul Kim Wilson with the audience clapping spontaneously (‘What’s it gonna take’), greasy funk (‘Bump your head’), slow blues a la Charlie Musselwhite ( ‘Bugs got my rice’), oiled walking blues (‘Paper in my hand’), more boogie woogie this time hooker and two surreal precision guitars, a well tempered hybrid of the Fabulous Thunderbirds and the Blasters, and a lot of good vibes. I said, do not miss it on Sunday in Vitoria.
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