Beth Kohnen Harmonica Blues

Artist Information

Biography

A blues lover's delight. Tasty, soulful roots style harmonica blues full of feeling and snap.

Beth Kohnen is located in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has recently returned from a three month European tour.

Beth offers two types of musical entertainment:

The ACOUSTIC SIDE:
This is a mellow, low volume "after-hours" style blues for intimate venues. Beth plays as an acoustic duo with an excellent guitarist. She has brought her duo to the Napa Music Festival, Armando's in Martinez, and multiple Farmers Markets in Montclair, Vallejo, Marin, El Cerrito, and Saratoga.


The ELECTRIC SIDE:
For large venues Beth brings a full five piece dance band. Her band has performed at Biscuits and Blues, Lou's Pier, The Ivy Room, The Warehouse in Oakland, and The Red White and Blues Wine Festival in Sonoma County.

Whether acoustic or electric, Beth has an exceptionally strong, deep harmonica style combined with warm easy vocals. From July through September 2011 she was on a three month tour and played music in Paris, Florence, Venice, Scotland, Dublin, and Portland, Maine.

In 2001 she released her first CD with Grammy winner Steve Freund.

In 2005 she released her second CD "Knee Action" with John Lee Hooker's last drummer, Willy Jordan.

In March 2011 she released her third CD, "Ease My Worried Mind", with guitarist Rusty Zinn, a W.C.Handy Nominee.

Rusty Zinn, Steve Freund, and Willy Jordan also join Beth on stage.


Here's a little story from Beth:
When my third CD came out I took it to Robert Watson, family friend and the last guitarist to play with James Brown. Robert listened to my CD and immediately hired me to play with his band for the opening of his new venue in Kelseyville California.

On the day of the performance I drove 50 miles to the venue in pouring rain expecting time to rehearse and get acquainted with the band. But the weather was so bad the other musicians arrived barely on time for the performance. So, no rehearsal. I sat and watched the musicians arrive and realized I had been hearing about most of these guys since I was a teenager. I have to admit I was a wee bit nervous. When I was called up to the stage to play I took a deep breath, said hello to the people, turned and nodded to the band, and counted off a fast jump blues tune. Off we went! A few minutes into the song I turned around again - the guys were all grinning. It was a great night!

Here is a review of my latest CD, "Ease My Worried Mind" from Belgian music critic Guy Van Eeesbeek :
-------------------------
April, 2011:
Dear Beth -
I listened to "Ease My Worried Mind" at least 20 times since I received it. IT IS JUST FABULOUS ! You must be the best interpreter of Big Walter's music around today side to Sugar Ray Norcia, but you went a step forward in inserting Walter's phrasing and tone in songs that had nothing to do with Big Walter.

I just love the CD, it is the one that hit the CD player most often since the day I got it, several tunes are outstanding, like "Trouble In Mind" no one I know of plays that tune with so much soul and "finesse", another favourite is "In The Mood", great harp, great sound and finally what I consider the best one is "Evil Ways", the harp is just played to perfection, that's how I would like to sound and one of the best harp piece I have heard in a long long while.

Congratulations for these recordings they put you among the great blues harp players today, with a tone that has few rivals indeed.

Guy
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Instrumentation

Beth Kohnen - Harmonica and Vocals
Rusty Zinn - guitar and vocals
Steve Freund - Guitar
Willy Jordan - Drums
Wendy DeWitt - keyboard
Chris Burns - keyboard

Discography

2001 "Hard Hearted Woman" ( Fantasy Records) featuring Beth Kohnen on harmonica and vocals, Steve Freund on guitar, Wendy DeWitt on piano, June Core on drums, and Randy Bermudez on bass.

2005 "Knee Action", featuring Beth Kohnen on harmonica and vocals, John Graham on guitar, the infamous Willy Jordan on drums, and Thomas Wallace on bass. All tracks on this CD are streaming on WWOZ.

2011 "Ease My Worried Mind" featuring Beth on harmonica and vocals with Rusty Zinn on guitar. Eleven out of 18 tracks are streaming on Jango. www.jango.com - just type in Beth Kohnen when you get there.

Links

• MySpace
• Facebook
• Jango streaming music
• You Tube - Beth and Rusty Zinn

Audio

• Jukin' - a tribute to Big Walter Horton
  Listen  
• Bright Lights Big City
  Listen  
• In the Mood
  Listen  
• Rainin' in my Heart
  Listen  
• Mister Jelly Roll Baker
  Listen  
• Sad Hours
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Evil Ways

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Beth Kohnen - white female [+ Show ]
  

  Beth Kohnen...white female ...putting out a "tone" which is totally out of context with what the cat...Beth Kohnen...white female ...putting out a "tone" which is totally out of context with what the categorizing world would expect. My brain immediately registered 100 when the notes hit my ears. As an old goof
  who has heard more than his share of old masters when they were STILL 98.6 and breathing, I personally feel that THIS KID GOT IT. I have no idea what kind of life she has led or what possible pain, agony, heartbreak, etc. she may have gone through, but some have it and some don't. I am sitting here listening to her stuff and it is just great.
  Smokey Joe harp-l forum 2001

• I'm in Awe!! Fabulous blues harp playing!! [+ Show ]
  

  I'm in awe !!! Fabulous blues harp playing....I have not heard anybody playing Big Walter's songs th...I'm in awe !!! Fabulous blues harp playing....I have not heard anybody playing Big Walter's songs that way since I can't remember when, maybe only Carey Bell had mastered Big Walter's style as well as you do. You not only play the notes but you have got that deep tone and most important you manage to put feel to what you play, one can hear the same "dramatic, sad accents" that were a trademark of Big Walter's playing since his younger days. I heartfully thank you for keeping that style of blues harp alive and so well."
  (Received from Guy Vanesbeek, Belgium, April 2005)
  

Setlist

Our typical performance contains 4 hours of swing tunes, fast jump boogies, old Louisiana wails, boogaloos, rhumbas, and slow grinds.



A few songs we do. There are many many more.
Dust my Broom - a classic
Scratch my Back -
West Wind
Chicken shack
Key to the Highway - a golden oldie
Skip It -
Teena Neena Nu -
Honeydripper -
Messin around With the Blues
Put the Kettle On -
Evil Ways -
Honest I Do -
In the Mood -
Tell me Daddy -
Got Love -
Hard Hearted Woman -
Sad Hours -
Trouble in Mind -
Big Walter's Boogie -
John Henry -
My Baby My Baby
Walkin by myself
Jelly Roll Baker
Rainin in my heart
Jukin
He aint Nowhere -
Rambler's Blues -
Can't hold Out Much Longer -
Easy (Since I lost my Baby)
Worried Life
La Cucaracha
Draw in your lip
Getting outa town
See See rider -
You Baby-
Last night -
Bright Lights - Big City

Basic Requirements

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