Don Sugarcane Harris - Cup Full of Dreams

All Music Guide

Blues violinist Sugarcane Harris is on fire during this 1973 studio session for BASF, which features many of his regular collaborators of the period. Harris, who wrote all of the material heard on the date, mixes elements of jazz, country, and rock into his brand of blues. He is brilliant in the midtempo blues "Runnin' Away," though none of the solos that follow measure up to the leader's. "Hattie's Bathtub" is a catchy blues waltz. But it is the extended composition "Cup Full of Dreams" that showcases Harris' lyricism on his instrument. One amusing aspect of the LP is the obvious presence of guitarist Harvey Mandel, who evidently could not be named for contractual reasons, though his photo is barely disguised with an oldfashioned black bar over his eyes. Just a few years after this record was released, poor health put an end to the violinist's career. Sadly, this record is long out of print and somewhat hard to find.

- Ken Dryden, All Music Guide