LSC
593 posts
Feb 11, 2014
9:30 PM
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Jerry Portnoy and Paul Oscher jamming Long Distance Call @ Railroad Barbeque, Manchaca TX.
Paul Oscher has a Tuesday night residency he created for himself shortly after moving to Manchaca, just outside Austin. James Cotton lives just down the road from him. I try and make it a regular Tuesday destination but today was awful. I was going to go anyway but then got a call from my wife that she left the lights on the El Camino and ran the battery flat.
On the way to rescue her some fool cuts me off big time at the entrance to the on ramp, looses control, does a full 720 in front of me, takes out a road sign before coming to a stop. I pull over and go to see if everybody is alright. The driver is alone, fine and he's drunk. He checks his vehicle for damage then drives away. I called the cops but by the time I went through 40 questions couldn't remember the whole plate number.
So I carry on with my road assistance mission, jump the El Camino and rescue the Mrs. When I finally get home I find a Facebook message that Jerry Portnoy is in the house at the Railroad. Now I am pissed. Jerry Portnoy is one of my all time favorite harp players, I mean right up there,a hero and by now it's too late to go down there. But wait. Another message. There's still music going on.
So I jump in the car and run down to Manchaca as fast as I can on the off chance. I pull into the dirt parking lot of this Texas roadside barbeque joint and can hear music. I open the screen door ready to fall off its hinges, step inside and there is Jerry, Paul, and a bass player. My friend says, "Paul just called him up."
So there I am listening to Paul Oscher and Jerry Portnoy jam on a Muddy Waters tune in a Texas roadside barbeque joint just down the road from James Cotton's house. I'm thinking it just don't get no better when this young guy steps up and goes to find a mic. Portnoy hands the mic to him and sits down. The new guy is Victor Puertas from Spain, according to Jerry one of the finest harp players in the world but I don't know that yet. What I hear is a guy who is just insanely good. A guy that Jerry Portnoy stepped aside for and he's trading call and response licks with Paul Oscher and it's killer. I mean, shut the door we are now in church, killer.
Paul Oscher knows all the tricks and is not to be outdone. So he's throwing out little jokes and challenges on the harp. He gets up and walks around the room, tossing away licks on harp and guitar, both wireless, and grinning his fool head off. Puertas, knowing he's just been taught a lesson, flashes a big smile and hands the mic back to Portnoy who's just sitting at one of the tables being cool. Portnoy and Oscher swap some more licks then finish it off.
I don't think the whole thing lasted much longer than 10-12 minutes but it's 12 minutes I will relive over and over in my mind till the day I die.
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LSC
Last Edited by LSC on Feb 11, 2014 10:52 PM
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SuperBee
1669 posts
Feb 12, 2014
2:42 AM
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That's big!
Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed hearing about it. Truly.
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Kingley
3459 posts
Feb 12, 2014
4:37 AM
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Sounds like a great time. I'd love to have seen Jerry, Paul and Victor playing together. Victor Puertas is a monster player, he just gets better and better every time I hear him.
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Chinaski
280 posts
Feb 12, 2014
9:28 AM
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Hey Steve ;)
Gotta visit Austin again soon - had a great time there, and cool to sit in with you guys.
Paul Oscher was hanging around at the Greg Izor gig, I didn't recognise him at first :)
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tmf714
2409 posts
Feb 12, 2014
9:35 AM
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tmf714
2410 posts
Feb 12, 2014
9:35 AM
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capnj
189 posts
Feb 12, 2014
9:02 PM
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Great story,have fond memories of Austin area back in the late seventies,what a music scene.Manchaca sounds awesome,roadhouse blues,like it should be.
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JTThirty
236 posts
Feb 13, 2014
6:21 AM
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Hey, you Austin guys post up about any Oscher gigs that you get advanced notice about. I'm not too far down the road and might can make it over.
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Ricky B
http://www.bushdogblues.blogspot.com
RIVER BOTTOM BLUES--crime novel for blues fans available at Amazon/B&N and my blog
THE DEVIL'S BLUES--ditto
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mr_so&so
780 posts
Feb 13, 2014
10:23 AM
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Paul Oscher is my hero: an old master/modern blues genius.
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Frank
3826 posts
Feb 14, 2014
3:29 PM
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Pauls a trip...A skinny white boy back in the Muddy days - morphs into a grizzly Adams type behemoth of a man, a spectacular blues musicians musician...and Jerry dear God, that feller is to be envied for what he accomplished with the humble harp - they both are definitely in the record books for harpin with Daddy Waters :)
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Frank
3827 posts
Feb 14, 2014
5:03 PM
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THE SUITCASE BROTHERS Pere Puertas voz, guitarra Victor Puertas armonica .
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