DON "SUGAR CANE" HARRIS
" Cup Full of Dreams "
Promising Music

Violinist "Sugar Cane" Harris is fired up during this 1973 studio session for MPS (now available for the first time on CD.) Harris's career started as the guitar playing half of the 1950s rock duo Don & Dewey. He's also toured and/or recorded with John Lee Hooker, Frank Zappa, Johnny Otis, Harvey Mandel, John Mayall, and the short lived Pure Food & Drug Act. Drug abuse fueled his battles with pulmonary disease, and, at 61 years old, he was found dead in his Los Angeles home in 1999. Guitarist Harvey Mandel, Dewey Terry, Larry Taylor, Paul Lagos, Randy Resnick, Victor Conte Jr., and Richard Aplan on sax aids the five instrumental tunes.

"Runnin' Away" finds Harris's opening notes furious and intense, and Lagos' drumming is neatly aligned with Taylor. "Hattie's Bathtub" is gorgeous and wild; Harris's playing is dynamic, Mandel's sharp with his guitar solo with guitar tapping, closing with Harris and Mandel frantically riffing off each other's solos. "Bad Feet" bubbles with creativity - Lagos' drumming percolates with Conte's bass, Harris drives hard, and Mandel's guitar offers scrumptious fills and leads. The title track (14:21,) starts with a beautiful introduction, slowly begins to broil, then lifts off into the stratosphere. The finale "Generation Of Vipers" is a funky jam that features unique rhythm playing from Harris's violin and Mandel's dissonance sounding much like he did on his groundbreaking "Shangrenade" recording. - Bob Putignano

Bob Putignano a senior contributing editor at BluesWax. He is also the heart of Sounds of Blues at www.SoundsofBlue.com. Bob maybe contacted at: bob8003@yahoo.com

Bob Putignano: www.SoundsofBlue.com