Tuesday July 20th
Little Charlie & The Nightcats
with
Dennis Gruenling & Jump Time
$25 General Admission
$40 Reserved Seating
doors@ 7:30 PM
Show @ 8 PM
One of the hardest-working barroom blues bands on the West Coast, Little Charlie & the Nightcats started out in the mid-'70s, began recording around a decade later, and just kept on going strong. The two constants over the Nightcats' long history were co-founders Little Charlie Baty (guitar) and Rick Estrin (harmonica, lead vocals). Baty's biting licks were the perfect complement to Estrin's devil-may-care swagger and wryly humorous, storytelling lyrics, and that combo was enough to maintain a decades-long career as a popular live act all across the blues circuit. The band's music relies chiefly on electric urban blues of the Chicago variety, but mixes in bits of many other compatible styles, including early rock & roll, soul, surf, swing, jump blues, and Western swing.
Ever since Jump Time started performing in the NJ/NY area in1998, songwriter/arranger/harp player Dennis Gruenling, has developed a fat, swinging, horn-like sound, and a reputation for pioneering a new role for the harmonica that has been grabbing attention from critics all around the globe. Playing diatonic and chromatic harmonicas, you can hear his blues, swing and traditional jazz influences, which come together to form a sound that is leading a new direction for the instrument. Each member of Jump Time is respected in their own field, and Dennis is not afraid to let them all shine during the course of any Jump Time performance . . . and truly leading the band during each show to new musical heights.
