Album Review of
City Country City

Written by Duane Verh
October 2, 2021 - 6:55pm EDT
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That familiar jazz standby, the B-3 organ trio lineup, might not be the first place one would expect a blues harp, but harmonica master Jason Ricci makes for an interesting and ultimately successful fit, both grounding the format in solid blues turf and taking ear-pleasing advantage of the freedom it provides.  Alongside NOLA-based partners organist Joe Krown and drummer Doug Belote, Mr. Ricci serves up beyond-the-borders pyrotechnics on originals including “Down ‘n Dirty” and “It Starts with Me” and covers of Joe Sample’s “My Mama Told Me” and Grant Green’s “Upshot” and steers back towards the blues with takes on “Drifting Blues” and “Just A Playboy”.  Good, good stuff.