Ilya Portnov - III (2019)

Blowing through the diatonic harmonica, Russian born and bred Ilya Portnov musically visits various American juke joints with a sweat team of Kid Anderson/g-b, Chris Burns/p-key, June Core/dr Endre Tarczy/b and Ben Andrews/g-vi. The result is a foot stomping blues fest, with Portnov wailing with a humming Hammond for “Sly Dog” and a pounding “Sphere Dance” as well as a nifty and lyrical waltz during a gracious “Slippers and Boots.” The team supplies a happy Mercy Beat on a 60’s “Corta Jaca” with a South Side of Chicago take of a boogaloo-ing “Tilt-a-Whirl” and a deep “81 degrees F.” Portnov gets funky with the keyboards on “Up In The Sky” and does a nice New Orleans swing for the easy “Crawfish Stomp.” Portnov’s harp breathes easy. ~George W. Harris