Big Harp George

No Shortcuts

Blues Mountain Records

George Bisharat, a.k.a. Big Harp George, is a San Francisco singer, songwriter, and harmonica player. He favors the chromatic harp, which gives his music a jazz-like sound. Formerly George was a criminal defense attorney and award-winning professor at the University of California. Early harp influences include Paul Butterfield, Sonny Boy Williamson II, and William Clarke, but George got the idea of playing the chromatic in multiple positions from Paul deLay.

George didn’t want to record until he had something new to say, and released his debut album Chromaticism in 2014. The following year, George received a Blues Music Award nomination in the category of Best New Artist Debut. Follow-up albums include 2016’s Wash My Horse in Champagne; 2018’s Uptown Cool; 2020’s Living in the City; 2023’s Cut My Spirit Loose; 2023’s Big Harp George Does Christmas; and 2024’s Cooking with Gas.

“Come Out Swinging” is the first of four instrumentals, urging his chromatic into sax-like runs. He is accompanied by guitarist Kid Andersen; saxophonists Aaron Lington and Doug Rowan; keyboardist Chris Burns; bassist Joe Kyle; and trombonist Mike Rinta, who also provides the horn arrangements. The album was recorded and engineered by Kid Andersen at Greaseland Studios in San Jose, California.

On “Supplement Life,” a whimsical, blues-tinged guide to store-bought health, George is joined by Marcel Smith, as they sing, “Mushroom powder gonna do wonders for you.” “Yes Dear!,” again with Marcel joining George, is a musical romp offering marital advice with a bite, as they chime, “Here’s another pearl I swear is true, you hate that nagging but it’s best for you.”

“Sun Drifting” is an elegant slow-blues instrumental that speaks through its chromatic soul. On “Ain’t My Circus,” with vocalist Marcel Smith joining backing vocalists the Morgan Brothers (James and Dwayne), George juggles sideshow music with political metaphor, sparked with a stinging guitar solo, as he chants, “Carnival barker strutting in his booth. Spouting lies through a megaphone, red, white and blue.”

“I Will Find You,” with Basma Edrees on violin and vocal and Andersen on bass, finds George shifting the tone with a dirge-like Mideastern intro to its soaring promise, as he moans, “They came from lands of cross and crown. Where prayers were hushed and books burned down. My kin pled for mercy across the sea, and I swore to send a hand to free.”

On “Bury My Head,” with Charlie Bisharat on violin, Derrick D’Mar Martin on percussion, and Marcel and the Morgan Brothers on backing vocals, George hides the frustration of frantic daily life behind a jaunty melody as he cries out, “Can you back off for God’s sake, I need to take a break, I’m gonna bury my head in the sand.”

“Struck Out Again,” with Michael Peloquin on tenor sax, Kid on late-night guitar, and Alexander Pettersen on drums, features George expressing his frustration with a mournful harp solo, as he groans, “Well I drain me one last double. Slide off my barstool to face the rain…knowing that I struck out again.”

“Be Adorable” sparkles with Dixieland jazz and advice on love, featuring Mike Olmos on trumpet and Lisa Andersen’s sweet background vocal, as George wails, “If you want to be adored be adorable, just ain’t no shortcuts to love.”

“Do You Remember” features George in a gorgeous, wistful duet with Lisa Andersen, as they howl, “Living today means having to pay, with everything you once held dear.” “Last Trip to Itaipu” is a lovely Latin-flavored instrumental dedicated to George’s late friend Roberto Kant de Lima, who introduced him to Brazil and its incredibly inspiring music traditions.

On the jazzy “What’s Wrong with Dying?,” with Marcel and the Morgan Brothers, George belts out the philosophical question, as he asks, “Don’t have to be stupid, don’t throw life away, but what’s the use of staying if you can’t play?” “Mista Boins!” is the final instrumental, a bouncy jaunt featuring the chromatic dueling with rolling organ by Chris Burns.

George wraps up this impressive outing with three elegantly lyrical songs. “Rusty Spoon” is dedicated to political prisoners worldwide, especially Palestinians. Its epic poetry evokes country gospel, featuring his cousin, LA-based Grammy winner and violinist Charlie Bisharat, as George bursts, “You can chain the body, cage the mind, breath of freedom the soul will find, every wall’s just misery spoken, ain’t no lock can’t be broken.”

On “Death Battle of the Republic,” an anthemic bluesy shuffle and contemporary counterpoint to its inspiration, the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” George serves up a political metaphor as he shouts, “Ain’t no glory here, no truth marching on, just a death rattle dressed up as a song.”

On the closer, “One Day,” the song pits a gorgeous gentle melody against its not-so-gentle observation, as George croons, “Pray to your gods while bombing babies, never once touched by a sense of shame, one day, you will be judged” — George is, after all, a criminal defense attorney.

Big Harp George has a lot to say on his powerful No Shortcuts, and he says it eloquently, with considerable Big Harp style and courage. His majestic chromatic adds its own rich flavors, and his provocative lyrical content stimulates the imagination. Come for the music, stay for its message.

Richard Ludmerer

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