QUIQUE GOMEZ is COOKING UP THE BLUES

Blues Matters caught up with Quique Gomez, a multi-talented musician and harmonica virtuoso whose deep-rooted passion for the blues has taken him around the world. Known for his soulful performances and ability to fuse traditional blues with a modern twist, Quique has built a reputation as one of the most captivating artists in the genre.

 Colin Campbell  Bárbara Sánchez Palomero

His journey from the heart of Spain to the global blues scene is a testament to his dedication, creativity, and respect for the music’s rich history. Here we discuss his musical journey, his move from Spain to Chicago in his quest to fulfil his achievements on this journey. Also talked about his newest release Cookin’ In Greaseland with Little Charlie Baty. It went something like this.

Tell us about your musical journey

I started playing harmonica when I was 17 or 18 years old when I was studying at university. I’m a computer science engineer to trade but started playing music. I was doing more than 100 shows per year with my own band, and I started to sing, this felt like a different option in my life to do, as I was a Bar Manager as well at the time. But the bar changed my mind a lot; I learned to do different stuff by myself, and it worked very well. So even though I got tired of working in a bar, I quit, and that’s when I went to Chicago. Basically. I moved to Chicago when I was27. I was looking for the old guys that I have the recordings at home. Like, I mean, I knew that most of them had passed away. But when I started looking seriously; I found great people like Bob Stroger and Eddie C. Campbell they became close friends and John Primer, I spent a lot of time with them, I love the traditional Chicago blues style and wanted to learn more.

What influenced you to become a harmonica player?

I had a friend in the high school that was playing guitar, and he had a little harmonica. So, I took the harmonica, his harmonica for a while, and I broke it, so I had to buy him another one that I kept for myself, too. It was cool because this one was my own one and nobody played it before. I play guitar a little bit too, but preferred playing harmonica. My first real band that was called Juan Bourbon Juan Scotch Juan Beer. It was a kind of a kind of joke, that’s the band I started with my friends from the high school days, a Spanish take on the blues genre. I started to book things around Spain with the band, we became well-known fast. They were professional players like me at that time. The band split up after two recordings and like nine years playing together.

Do you come from a musical family?

Not at all, my mother wanted me to stick in with my studies! Younger, I listened to grunge bands like Pearl Jam and Sound Garden but also other 90s bands like Blur and Oasis. I also listened to the Rolling Stones, Ramones, Billy Joel, and Bruce Springsteen from my brothers record collection! I tried listening to where Led Zeppelin got their influences and followed that root. Once you get to the root you can look from there to the top of the tree and see everything and decide, what you like more. I was listening also jazz at the beginning because my brother was playing a lot of jazz recordings, then I started knowing more about Frank Sinatra, whose vocal style influenced mine! I was a crooner in a big band when I was twenty! Unfortunately, the blues scene in Spain is not so good that’s why I moved to America.

Coming To America

I went to see James Wheeler one day at Rosas Lounge and he was doing a jam session with Melvin Smith, a Louisville bass player who played with Koko Taylor. He invited onstage for a jam session; I made the full set! James told me, you stay there the whole set with me. I started to do the jam session every Thursday with them. But the nice thing that was that Melvin told me, look, tomorrow we are playing here with the rebels. And I didn’t get to see Lowry yet and I was looking for him to. So, I went there. Lurrie Bell called me for a song or two, as a special guest, when they left the stage, this guy came to me and asked, are you from Spain? I looked at him and it was Eddie C. Campbell. He took me to our table, and we start talking. The next year, he came to Europe to play with my band. We had a tour together in Spain, we went to Lithuania, and we became very good friends. I met a lot of blues guys that I consider family now.

Collaborating with Little Charlie Baty

Quique Gomez reflects on his journey through the U.S. blues scene, saying, “After nine years in a row, going to Chicago and starting to play a little bit more under my own name,” he began performing in various states, including Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, and Texas. He recalls a pivotal recording session in Austin with Johnny Bergen, where they recorded Two Hombres. After a California tour, Gomez connected with musicians like Kid Anderson, booking “a 25-day tour in one month in California.” A standout moment came when guitarist Charlie Baty joined him for a couple of shows. “We got together very well; he was very surprised about my playing and my singing.” Baty even made a Facebook post praising Gomez, describing him as an “incredible” discovery. Even Rick Estrin commented how much Charlie loved playing with Quique, very high praise indeed!

Cookin’ In Greaseland

I was talking with Charlie for one month, about music, and the possibility of putting an album together. We crafted a few tracks, with Gomez writing some originals, while Kid Andersen made his magic in the Greaseland Studio. During the recording sessions, the experience was particularly enjoyable. Special guests like Robert Wells and Jim Pugh also added to this fantastic album. Playing alongside one of my favourite guitarists, Charlie, was a dream come true. I really like the recording too, for me, it’s hard to say this because it’s my own recording, but I really like the sound. It’s a little bit sad because when we were going to release the album and the death of Charlie it was pretty sad and very hard. But I’m incredibly happy with Gulf Coast Records that they released this. I’ve really wanted people to listen to this. It’s the last recording of Little Charlie Baty and he was on the top of his career at that time.

Track Talk

Bloodshot Eyes:

I never thought that I was going to sing that kind of song when I was younger, because these are sophisticated. My love for jazz and rhythm and blues eventually led me to embrace songs I never imagined would suit a harmonica player. I stopped thinking that there was a problem. This song became a favourite, it’s a very funny song, Charlie Baty loved it too.

Thirstiest Man In Town:

This is one of my songs. I wanted to put some blues in there, even though the blues is all around the recording. The concept of blues extends beyond traditional forms. When we talk about blues, it doesn’t have to be a 12-bar blues or a blues of three chords. The blues is in the music. Charlie Parker and Oscar Peterson embody the essence of blues. Including blues in his project was also a tribute to my time in Chicago.

Jack You’re Dead:

This is a Louis Jordan song. Charlie chose this one, but we added a Spanish language twist to this at the end another fun tune.

Remembering Babs:

My tribute to Be Bop a style of music I love. Especially Babs Gonzalez, I loved his phrasing, and his musical approach so wrote this song it’s a jazzy blues number.

Spaniard In The Backyard:

Another original tune. When I stayed at Greaseland I couldn’t afford California prices and stayed in Kid’s backyard, I had to go into the main house to use the bathroom, it’s based on my experiences at that time. It’s a kind of Charlie Parker take.

What Does The blues mean for you?

The biggest movements in the world happened because something bad was happening. The blues is an example, an answer from the Black community to the segregation issues. Despite the hardships and suffering, including witnessing racial violence, the people I met, like the 94-yearold musician Bob Stroger, remain happy people with an incredible energy. Stroger’s personal stories revealed deep struggles, such as not being allowed into stores because he was Black and living in the outskirts of town, but the resilience and positivity of those involved are still emphasised. the blues is an immensely powerful music, born from a society that was extremely hard at the time. It isn’t just about music, but also the language, connecting artists like Charlie Parker to the blues tradition. They feel fortunate to have lived during that period because they believe it’s hard to imagine that something good is going to happen. In today’s music, where it seems unlikely, we’ll see another Charlie Parker, or Blind Blake because society has changed, making it hard for the new generation to discover the roots of the blues, especially when modern music is not referring to the blues at all. Without exposure to instruments like the guitar, it becomes difficult for people to connect with blues legends such as Lonnie Johnson or Mississippi John Hurt

Future plans?

Looking to make a new recording with Duke Robillard in the future at some point. Also, I have a tour with Johnny Bergen in in Europe in February. In March I have a tour with John Primer in Europe. In the meantime, I’m doing everything with my quartet. I’m playing in festivals, I’m doing whatever I, I can do, keep busy! The more you play, the better you play, if I don’t play one day, I don’t know what I would do. I don’t practice at home but prefer to play with and for people. I don’t get focused only on one thing, I play multiple instruments like the mandolin and perform in various styles. I sing with a big band, performing Frank Sinatra songs and blues like Joe Williams. My ongoing pursuit is to learn more and more while also trying to afford a living, which is not easy nowadays!