 |
| Mark "Pazman" Pasman |
Maybe Pazman should call this one a “Super-duper-session.”
Musician Mark “Pazman” Pasman, whose Supersessions have been popular in the Detroit area for years, has assembled an impressive all-star lineup for his Rockin’ Blues NYE 2011 bash at Callahan’s Music Hall.
Musicians scheduled to perform include guitarists Johnnie Bassett, Bobby Murray (longtime guitarist for Etta James), and “Big Al” Grebovic of the Broken Arrow Blues Band.
“There’s a guitar army right there, plus my (Gibson) 335,” Pazman said. “That’s a lot of guitar. It’s going to be an amazing evening with the depth and breadth of talent.
“It’s always a blast to play with any of these cats on their own -- combine them and it will be Detroit blues ‘guitarmageddon.’”
Pazman is especially pleased that Detroit’s “Gentleman of the Blues” is on the bill.
“We all look at Johnnie Bassett as the professor,” said Pazman, who has hosted his "Motor City Blues Project" show on WCSX (94.7 FM) on Sunday evenings for 22 years. “Playing with him is like going to class. I never do a show with him without learning something really important.
“Most people in Detroit, outside the blues-interested folks, have no idea (what a talented performer he is). If he were based in Chicago or New York, perhaps, he would be a major, major talent. He’s an international name. Over in Europe, he headlines festivals in front of 20,000 people.
“I try to work with Johnnie whenever I can. If you hear him play, it’s like seeing B.B. King or Buddy Guy. He has that kind of gravitas, talent and swing.”
Also featured at the show will be Pazman’s former bandmate Paul Randolph, a singer-bassist who has been performing with German nu-jazz collective Jazzanova; singer-harpist Jimmy “Pickles” Nicholls, who has played with Pazman for about 15 years after they met when Pickles won an on-air harmonica contest; Mark LoDuca on keyboards; and drummer Skeeto Valdez (The Brothers Groove).
“Skeeto may be one of the best drummers in the world and I don’t say that lightly,” Pazman said. “He is phenomenal.”
As the new year starts, memories of 2010 remain strong. The show will be dedicated to Steve Schwartz, guitarist with The Alligators, who passed away at age 56 last week.
"You should have seen the room full of blubbering blues musicians at his funeral," Pazman said. "He really was a loved guy.
“David Krammer, singer with The Alligators, said, ‘Man, I knew people liked the band and liked Steve, but I got three or four thousand e-mails or postings on Facebook and my phone has been ringing off the hook. I’m blown away.
“I said to him, ‘Steve was a real mensch, a real great person, and it shows the power of music.’"
Tickets to the Rockin’ Blues NYE show are $30-$35. Callahan’s is at 2105 South Blvd. in Auburn Hills. For more information, call (248) 858-9508.
To win a pair of free tickets to Rockin’ Blues NYE, e-mail the answer to the following trivia question to: joe.ballor@dailytribune.com. Be sure to put JB Blues in the subject line. 21-over please. The winner will be randomly selected from correct responses and will be notified on Friday, Dec. 24.
Question: Before he formed his Supersession band, Pazman was in a popular blues group named after a type of salamander. What is the name of the group?
No comments:
Post a Comment