Saying that Carlos del Junco plays the harmonica is like saying Jimi Hendrix played guitar.
He blows the blues harp through a prism, and suddenly it seems he's holding every colour in the musical rainbow.
Simultaneously sophisticated and raw, his playing blurs the boundaries between blues and jazz, hence the name, The Blues Mongrels, for his band. The emphasis is on blues, but they are not afraid to wander off in other musical directions delivering a seamless fusion of New Orleans second line grooves, swing, Latin, hip-hop or ska melodies, to swampy roots rock.
Del Junco and the Blues Mongrels, Saturday, March 30 8 p.m. in the Harrison Memorial Hall. Tickets are $22 at 604-796-3664, online at www.harrisonfestival.com at the Ranger Station Art Gallery in Harrison, or Agassiz Shoppers Drug Mart.