Jason Ricci

Jason Ricci stands among a small circle of emerging talents reshaping the blues through his work as a harmonica player, bandleader, and singer/songwriter. While his original material avoids conventional blues subjects, his instrumental approach reflects deep familiarity with and admiration for earlier masters of the instrument such as Little Walter Jacobs, Sonny Boy Williamson, and George "Harmonica" Smith.

After relocating from his hometown of Portland, ME to Memphis in 1995, Ricci’s command of the harmonica advanced rapidly through frequent guest appearances and mentorship on the city’s active club circuit. Before turning 22 he captured first place in the Sonny Boy Blues Society contest and appeared at the King Biscuit Blues Festival. Early in the following decade Ricci and his group New Blood entered the blues circuit, maintaining an intense performance calendar of roughly 300 dates annually for most of the next seven years. During this period they earned widespread critical praise and issued several distinctive recordings that deliberately depart from conventional blues forms. An openly gay performer, Ricci projects an approachable, engaging stage demeanor and signals his individuality through a distinctive punk-rock-goth wardrobe. Even longtime traditionalists in the crowd are typically won over by the high-energy presentation Ricci and his band deliver.

Ricci launched his discography with the self-released Blood on the Road, which The San Jose Mercury News ranked among its Top Ten albums of 2007. In 2008 he and New Blood joined the roster of California-based Eclecto Groove Records and issued Rocket Number 9, produced by Grammy Award-winning John Porter. The collection draws heavily on personal experience, addressing Ricci’s struggles with substance issues and non-mainstream lifestyle across tracks that blend modern blues, funk, rock, and Eastern elements. The album climbed to number four on the Billboard blues chart and remained there for several months. Ricci’s harmonica also appears on releases by Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm, Motor City Josh, and Walter Trout.

In 2009 Ricci & New Blood returned with Done with the Devil on the same Eclecto Groove imprint. The set highlights his songwriting yet incorporates two stylistically wide-ranging covers—one by the punk rock band the Misfits and another by avant-garde jazz pioneer Sun Ra. Ricci received the Blues Music Foundation’s Best Harmonica Player honor in 2010, though a bout of pneumonia required hospitalization that year. Once recovered he resumed touring, moving units directly through performances across the United States, Canada, and Europe.