Free Blues Night: HowellDevine’s Mississippi Delta Slide | Oakland

Check out great jazz for free in the lounge of Yoshi’s Oakland in Jack London Square. This time they bring you Joshua Howell and Pete Devine, plus Safa Shokrai.

Joshua Howell started playing harmonica when he was 14, and by 17, he was sitting in and cutting heads with blues bands in Oakland, CA. During this period, he took up guitar, intently focused on learning the slide guitar styles of the Mississippi greats such as Fred McDowell, Bukka White, Robert Johnson and RL Burnside. When he crossed paths with drummer and percussionist Pete Devine, they recognized their similar influences and musical sensibilities. Their common approach effortlessly generated a powerhouse combo of inspired and unaffected blues.

Pete Devine, originally from Maine, started playing drums when he was six years old. Since his move to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1989, he gained a national audience while playing with bands such as Bo Grumpus and Devine’s Jug Band. From one of the founding members of Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers to a 20-year stint with the Mal Sharpe’s Jazz Band, Pete’s musical range is extensive. His ongoing recording career spanning the last 20 years has yielded over 32 records, including a recent recording with Maria Muldaur’s Garden of Joy Jug Band, an album that was nominated for a Grammy Award this past year.

Safa Shokrai is a bassist and composer. He also plays with local favorites Tin Cup Serenade and sometimes Gaucho, as well as international touring act, Rupa & The April Fishes. In his spare time he composes for Squillo Studios and studies primates.

Links: Event details

Cost: FREE
Categories: *Top Pick*, East Bay, Live Music Submitted by Rena Ragimova