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Rod on November 18th and 19th at Romanos!
Reservations are required.
Call Jill at 951-681-2400 for reservations.
Cost: $12
Don't
make the mistake of thinking of Rod Piazza as one of the "young
turks" of the blues, or part of the "new generation"
of blues greats. At this point in his career, Piazza has been
recording longer than his mentor George "Harmonica"
Smith did, or Sonny Boy Williamson (either of them!), or Big
Walter Horton. He's been making records for more years than
Little Walter was alive. Piazza is a tried-and-true, dyed-in-the-wool
blues veteran with credentials that are second to none.
From his first recordings as a leader in 1967
fronting The Dirty Blues Band, through his multiple W.C. Handy
award winning releases with his current band The Mighty Flyers,
to his countless appearances both live and on record with
legendary blues figures, Piazza has set a standard for harmonica
virtuosity that has established him as one of the most influential
living blues harp players. He's consistently surrounded himself
with players who bring out the best he has to offer, and epitomize
the very best in blues: fresh, swinging, tasteful, exciting
and creative. The core of his band has been together for over
two decades, and developed the kind of musical telepathy that
simply cannot exist without years of experience on the bandstand
and in the studio. The Mighty Flyers are a well-oiled machine,
with Piazza in the driver's seat.
Born in 1947, Piazza's infatuation with blues
began at a time when many of the masters were still in their
prime years, and in the mid 1960s when the first blues revival
was picking up steam, he was in the thick of it. By the 1970s,
he'd already released five albums, and was one of the leading
lights of the West Coast Blues scene. In the early '70s he
joined forces with Otis Spann disciple Honey Alexander (now
his wife) on piano, and when they formed the Mighty Flyers
over two decades ago, his career really hit its stride. Since
then Piazza and the Mighty Flyers have won or been nominated
for just about every award that can be bestowed upon a blues
band, played literally thousands of gigs around the world,
recorded over a dozen highly acclaimed releases, and along
the way virtually created a new style of blues - a combination
of low-down Chicago grit, suave West Coast swing and jazz,
and the rhythmic drive of the best early R&B and rock
& roll. Quite simply, Rod Piazza and The Mighty Flyers
are one of the best, most experienced, and most distinctive
bands in blues today.
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