Once Upon the Blues
Larry Garner
by Evan Gillespie

Larry Garner grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, but he's no simple Delta blues practitioner. He was raised with the best swamp blues in the world, but he's not an imitator. The music he plays is all his own.

Some of the nicest touches on Garner's latest, Once Upon the Blues, are not exactly traditional, but they work flawlessly. The Hammond B3 used on "Where the Blues Turn Black" makes the song into a gently nostalgic pop/R&B number. When Garner stays closer to traditional blues, like on "A Real Gambling Woman," he pulls off just the right combination of polish and grit. He comes off like B.B. King with a better voice and a deft feel for a slow groove. Garner's guitar playing is clean without being antiseptic, and Seiji Yuguchi's harmonica is nice, too.

You can catch Garner live next Tuesday at the Hot Spot Tavern in Fort Wayne.

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