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When I first started playing harmonica in southern Brazil, there were barely any accessible references for blues musicians. At that time, the band Blues Etílicos was practically the only „blues university“ we had in the country. Greg Wilson was the lead vocalist, and I listened to them constantly, trying to absorb everything I could — especially the harmonica of my friend, mentor and musical reference, Flávio Guimarães.
Getting the chance to play live with Greg, turn that experience into a recording, and now release it on vinyl, is not only a tremendous honor, but also a posthumous tribute to a true icon of Brazilian music. A friend, a teacher, and a human being of remarkable generosity. The album “Acoustic” was born completely spontaneously — almost by accident.
The producer Carlos Branco was organising an acoustic concert for Greg Wilson in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and had the idea of adding harmonica to the performance. He invited me
(Alex Rossi). Because it was an acoustic setting, I prepared in advance by studying songs Greg used to play in acoustic versions with Blues Etílicos. On the day of the show a Sunday, Greg arrived around noon. We sat down, put together a setlist, ran a quick soundcheck and went straight to the stage. What was supposed to be just a one-off concert ended up becoming a record. The sound technician, on his own initiative, recorded the entire performance in stereo and later handed me the material.
I was amazed by the raw and honest sound quality. I brought the recordings to a studio that did a subtle mastering on the audio. The result was so compelling that we decided to release it as an official album. In 2009, it came out under the U.S. blues label TopCat Records. Now, years later, the album finds new life on vinyl, with a special reissue by Second Records, celebrating the intimate, sincere and spontaneous sound of that unique day.
I truly hope that listeners and lovers of honest, heartfelt music will enjoy this album — which is, above all, an act of gratitude, remembrance, and celebration of the greatness of Greg Wilson.
Alex Rossi
Tracklist:
| A | Shame Shame (Evans Gene Weldon/BMI) | 03:31 |
| A | It‘s My Soul (Ronny Earl & S. Gomes/BMI) | 04:11 |
| A | If I Had Possession (Robert Johnson/Public Domain) | 03:08 |
| A | How Sweet It Is (Holland Dozie Holland/BMI) | 04:10 |
| A | Key To The Highway (Broonzy William Lee Conley/BMI) | 03:00 |
| A | Let It Rain (Greg Wilson/ASCAP) | 04:26 |
| B | Higher Ground (Gabriel Charles ASCAP/BMI) | 03:50 |
| B | Need Your Love So Bad (John Mertis Jr./BMI) | 05:23 |
| B | Mountain Range (Greg Wilson/ASCAP) | 05:07 |
| B | One Way Out (Williamson Sonny Boy/ARC Music Corp/BMI) | 03:48 |
| B | Roll Gipsy Roll (Collins Rossington Vanzant/BMI) | 03:22 |
Release date: tba
SECOND RECORDS is a label of I-DI GmbH
