A giant among giants of blues harmonica
Harmonica player and singer Mark Hummel (born 1955 in New Haven, Connecticut) is considered one of the greatest harmonica players of all time. Hummel visits the Bilbao Blues Festival with his magnificent band, consisting of Anson Funderburgh (guitar), Bob Hall (piano), Ted Bukowski (bass) and Wes Starr (drums). All of them have recorded and shared the stage with legends of the genre, making this band a true blues ‘all-star’ ensemble.
In 1976, Hummel, who grew up in Los Angeles and embraced the stylistic guidelines of West Coast Blues from an early age, founded the band ‘Blues Survivors’, with which he continues to perform.
His impressive career is based on collaborations with musicians such as Charles Brown, Charlie Musselwhite, Lowell Fulson, Billy Boy Arnold, Carey Bell, Lazy Lester, Brownie McGhee, Eddie Taylor, Luther Tucker and Jimmy Rogers. The Chicago Sun Times said of him: ‘Hummel plays the harmonica with a thick, full sound that made Little Walter sound almost like a saxophonist rather than a harmonica player.’ His personal sound, his sense of swing and his reverential respect for the tradition of the genre will win over the audience at the Bilbao Blues Festival.
