MARTIN LANG
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Martin Lang “Bad Man” is New Classic Blues Harp
Album by Chicago Blues Harp Ace: CD Release 11/20/20 on Random Chance Records
October 16, 2020, Chicago, IL — Chicago Blues harp player Martin Lang is laying down harp and picking up vocals on the new Bad Man album on Random Chance Records (NYC) to be released on November 20, 2020 in CD format (digitally released on 10/16/20). Known for tone and tradition from three decades of performing with stalwart Blues veterans including Tail Dragger, Willie Buck; and playing with Pinetop Perkins, Dave Myers and more, Lang offers his third album under his own name.
On Bad Man, veteran playing and new energy of Frank Krakowski (guitar), Billy Flynn (guitar, mandolin), Illinois Slim (bass), Gerry Hundt (organ), David Waldman (piano) and Dean Hass (drums), support Lang on twelve songs ranging from vocal numbers to instrumentals, with new originals and interpretations of deep cuts.
Original song “Reefer Head Man”:
“Martin? He got the weight. The tone. That’s what brings out that heavy blues feeling to it. He blow under your singin’, with the tone, and he helping you, and you don’t have to work so hard. He’s heavy, man.” – Legendary bluesman James Yancy Jones, aka “Tail Dragger”
“Gritty, gorgeous, gut-wrenching, and sometimes downright fun, the album is a manifestation of the love of music.” – On Axis Music, Chicago
“It made me laugh, and cry.” – Don Deering, ardent fan
Lang’s previous releases, Ain’t No Notion (2017) and Chicago Blues Harp Sessions (2015) featured guest vocalists including Tail Dragger, whom Lang has played harp behind for decades, plus Oscar Wilson, Willie Buck and more. This time Lang added vocals on tracks including: title track “Bad Man” by Hayes Ware and “He Don’t Love You” by Dusty Brown. Original tracks include “Reefer Head Man” (co-written by longtime bandmate Jimmy Upstairs) and “I Worry My Mind”. Executive Producer is Richard Congress, founder of Random Chance Records, with a team including Producer Dick Shurman; with Mastering by Freddie Breitberg and Audio Engineering by John Abbey at King Size Sound Labs in Chicago. The album is peppered with instrumentals including “Juicy Lucy” and “Mood Indica” and “Booker’s Boogie” (title based on a T-shirt guitarist Frank Krakowski was wearing at the session).
“This is the backbone of Chicago’s most experienced blues players,” he explains, praising his band, “and I’ve known all these guys so long it’s like I’m not the boss, it’s a family,” says Lang.
Lang builds community around the blues harp. He has hosted several Martin Lang Blues Harp Clinics, which give players a chance to learn Chicago Blues Harp and play with live musicians, drawing students from across the Midwest. Lang’s credits include performing at festivals and touring in the U.S., Europe, Finland and more, as well as regular appearances at The Chicago Blues Fest.
About Martin Lang
Martin Lang is an American blues harp player, vocalist and songwriter, known for traditional Chicago Blues harp in the style of Little Walter, Leon Brooks and Slim Willis. He has released three albums under his name on New York-based Random Chance Records, and has played harp in Chicago for nearly three decades. Focused on tone and “weight”, an elusive characteristic of electric blues harp, Lang has learned from those close to the original art form. From backing legendary Bluesmen including Tail Dragger, plus Willie Buck and Oscar Wilson, and playing with Pinetop Perkins, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Sam Lay, Willie Smith and Dave Myers while touring the U.S. and Europe, Lang’s no-nonsense approach is steeped in the power of Blues. Formerly a French horn player, he landed in Chicago from the East Coast, coming to study law and philosophy. Enamored by the fading world of the Chicago Blues, Lang secured the groove and the love of music from players known and unknown, forging his own strong thread in the fabric of Chicago Blues. As a session player on Chicago’s venerated Delmark Records and independent works, Lang has contributed to albums in a broad range of styles. Versatile but forever loyal to the groove, Martin’s playing continues to evolve as his spirit leads him from sideman to artist, leading deeper into the Blues. Recent releases include Bad Man (2020), Ain’t No Notion (2017), Chicago Blues Harp Sessions (2015). Lang has appeared on WGN Radio, at festivals including Chicago Blues Fest and Mississippi Saxophone Fest, and is a Chicago Hall of Fame Master Blues Artist. Creating his own clinics and workshops, he offers musicians interested in blues harp one of the most powerful learning experiences, drawing on both his skills and stories to bring the Blues to
INFO : WEB SITE ARTIST : https://www.martinlangbluesharp.com/
Comments