MEDIA QUOTES REGARDING THE MUSIC OF

PATRICK HAZELL

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"Hazell's tunes simultaneously evoke the boogie piano masters such as Henry Gray and the harp magnitude of Little Walter-- meaty licks and great singing."---------BLUES REVUE, JUNE 1998

"The music echoes that Muddy Waters band sound, evoking Otis Spann and James Cotton at the same time.... This CD (BLUE BLOOD -- BRR26CD) is gonna be a staple for me, the kind I go back to for settling down purposes, get back to square one 'cause that's where the music is, right down on square one, sure roots, sure delivery, no artificial flavoring here."----------EL DORMIDO, KANSAS CITY BLUES NEWS, MAY 1999
"....(Hazell) sings the Blues really dirty - so dirty that you get the strangest feelings. If you ever tried to play the harmonica, that seemingly harmless child's instrument, and now listen to Pat's Blues harp you will get the impression of having arrived on another planet. Blues fans who have listened to all sorts of players, from Sammy Lewis, Little Walter Jacobs and James Cotton (The Sun Studio era) to Junior Wells, Sugar Blue and Kim Wilson, will recognize from this CD, that Pat Hazell belongs to the big ones. His voice is as black as a night in the deep south of the United States of America."---------- DAGMAR FULLE, FRANKFURT, GERMANY, OCT. 1995.(From Review of CD: GANGSTER'S OF LOVE)
"I mean anybody can do their best B.B.King-Albert King-Stevie Ray, but how many white hoagies you ever heard sound just like Joe Hill Lewis, fer Chrissakes?!?"                -----------CUB KODA, GOLDMINE, OCT. 1995
Review by Graham Clarke, BLUES BYTES Internet Magazine October 2003,                

Patrick Hazell, the Godfather of Iowa Blues, bills himself as “The One Man Band” and his music as “Midwestern Blues, Boogie, and Cornbelt Zydeco.” Intrigued? You should be. This is not what you would ordinarily think of when you imagine a one-man band. He is the real deal, with well-composed songs and a relentless boogie beat...along with some of the best harmonica you’ll hear on disc. In addition, he is an excellent keyboardist and his raspy vocals complement the music very well. It’s exhilarating to listen to and I have to imagine it’s even more exciting to see him in person. .....----Graham Clarke--- 

"(HAZELL'S) rhythmic drive is superlative while his sound and style is highly reminiscent of Memphis one-man bands like Doctor Ross or Joe Hill Louis. His raspy harp and vocals.....are fortified with strong material, an unrelenting beat and sensational ambience as he ekes out a piece of blues turf that hasn't been occupied in a very long time....In the current white boy blues community where seemingly every street corner has five people on it with shades, pleated pants and heat-up Stratocasters in hand, Patrick Hazell stands out as something very unique and cool.-----------CUB KODA, GOLDMINE, APRIL 26, 1996
"I do not know how in the heck (Hazell) gets all that sound and only him! He plays piano, organ, bass drum, and some of the best sounding harmonica I've ever heard in a rack. It's well worth it to help this guy out!"--------------STEVE "BIG DADDY BLUZ HARP" HARVELL; AMERICAN HARMONICA NEWSLETTER, DEC. 1995
"This dude plays his Damned Ass off people, I know of no other way of putting it and for this reason I give him a (5) HARP Salute before I go any further. Patrick plays piano with a harmonica in a neck holder, but his harp is super-duperly amplified and it talks pure trash, I mean street walking -shit talking stuff."-----------  Steve"Big Daddy BluzHarp"Harvell
  "BluzHarp's" Recommended Bluz Recordings  Oct.1998
".....Patrick is a convincing vocalist, and a very effective pianist with an atmospheric feel. His harp work, heavily amped with a raw, roadhouse mood cuts through the keyboard textures and give the music it's raw 50s feel.... Being able to effectively duplicate the old Chicago feel isn't simply a matter of recreating the environment. It also consists of performances by musicians who have played for decades, and who can get that relaxed, yet edgy feel that only the most experienced can achieve....That (Hazell) plays most of the instruments is an interesting novelty, but would be irrelevant if the music didn't work. In this case, Hazell just happens to be the right man for the jobs."--------AL HANDA, DELTA SNAKE DAILY BLUES
"His (Blue Blood) CD really sounds as if it comes from the fifties, yet he sounds so refreshing and new! ....He proved like the old masters that you do not need a wall of sound to make an impression, it takes only personal, deep emotional statements that reach blues lovers universally!"------VASJA IVANOVSKI, FM91 BLUES, SKOPJE, MACEDONIA, EUROPE
"You can almost see the stogie in the mouth of this pianist, harmonicist and vocalist....in the style of Champion Jack Dupree or Fats Waller."--------BLUES ACCESS, Spring 1998
"PATRICK HAZELL strips things down to the fifties and gives you timelessly classic sounding songs.....I'm used to hearing larger numbers of people put out blues and it doesn't come off. Then this (BLUE BLOOD CD) drops into my lap and I'm mesmerized from beginning to end. Less is more comes to mind. One man band also comes forth. Patrick wrote, performed and produced the entire CD. Pick it up if you like the blues. Pick it up if you like music."-----------STEVAN ROBINSON,JR., MUZI.COM MAGAZINE,  DES MOINES, IA, JAN.1998
When you consider that Hazell plays the harp in a rack while playing the keyboard, using foot pedals for percussion, and interspersed all this with distinctive vocals, Hazell is a pretty incredible musician/juggler, artist/entertainer.---TONI RADLER, EASY REEDING, HOHNER HARMONICA MAGAZINE, Spring'98
Patrick Hazell, a virtual one man show...What a talent--a mix of traditional blues, blended with some sprinklings of Cajun and an obvious passion for the music. My next thought was, "Where has this guy been? He's fantastic!"....it will be worth the effort to contact Pat and get a list of what he has available. Your ears will thank you well!----CHARLIE WOLF, MUSIC CITY BLUES BLUESLETTER, APRIL'97, NASHVILLE, TN
If you're not familiar with Patrick Hazell, you should be. Patrick's got a unique sound--raw and powerful--that's been packing Midwest clubs and dance halls for years. Rightfully so.----MARTY KOOL, BLUES BEAT, TUCSON BLUES SOCIETY, AUG'97, TUCSON, ARIZONA
"I'm...calling Patrick Hazell 'eastern Iowa's major mojo bonedaddy' until somebody stops me, because this guy not only lit, but has kept afire, the rockin' blues torch in this section of the Prairie....if someone told you that a band was playing that had one of the best blues harpists, one of the best blues key-boardists and one of the most soulful, distinctive voices in the state, wouldn't you go...catch..(this) astonishing one-man blues band?"---JIM MUSSER, ICON MAGAZINE, IOWA CITY, IA, MAY 1,'97
Hazell is a blues powerhouse and consistently delivers up the good stuff..... America's premier one-man band is...on the move,...in the groove. Keyboards, harmonica, drum, and vocals....this one musician sounds as good and full as a four-piece band.--MIKE RICHARDSON, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY BLUES NEWS, DAVENPORT, IA, NOV. 1997
Grand Old Man of eastern Iowa blues/rock, 51-year-old Patrick Hazell retains the youthful vitality, crowd-pleasing showmanship and almost messianic commitment to the blues that he first brought to the area music scene over 30 years ago. And despite having built a considerable reputation as a bandleader and front-man in "traditional" band settings, Hazell has been extending and underscoring his own legend by touring the US and Europe with his eye-popping, inimitable "solo" act since 1983.........

.....Belying the connotations of the one-man-band, Patrick Hazell's sound is remarkably full, straight-forward and varied. Still firmly rooted in the blues and jazz, Hazell blends new music with old, as well as originals with covers (with and without vocals) that range from impressionistic piano interludes to pretty ballads, from down-and-out gutbucket blues to rafter-shaking, full-tilt boogies. His voice is distinctive, genuine and as strong as ever. And when the pedal goes to the metal on this machine, the stomping feet, the flailing arms, the incredible, surging energy of this blues master conjures up nothing so much as a hell-bent Wizard of Oz caught behind the curtain. It is truly a sight to see.   

---JIM MUSSER, ICON MAGAZINE, IOWA CITY, IA. DEC.5,1996

Over the years Patrick Hazell has continued to make...28 recordings in wide-ranging genres. From straight-ahead Blues, jazz, down home country folk, instrumental, to experimental over-the edge stuff. And a lot of points in between. One of the hardest things to do is to categorize Hazell's work because it so often slips from one style to the next.

---MIKE RICHARDSON, BLUES NEWS, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY BLUES SOCIETY, DAVENPORT, IA, NOV. 1998.

".....Hazell's blues and boogie-woogie strip away time to the days of a backroads juke joint. One can see the girls with their hair up high, two-stepping and laughing with the good ol' boys, doing their best to squeeze some fun into a week's worth of hard work. Hazell's music is the music of America's heartland."---TIM JANES, HEARTLAND JOURNAL, CHICAGO, IL.
HAZELL.....one of the Midwest's finest and most creative harp players.---HY-TONE MUSIC NEWS, MINNEAPOLIS, MN
"PATRICK HAZELL is my favorite harp player because of his talent, hard work, and ability to take the harmonica to a new plateau."---DAVID BERNTSON, BLUE NOTES, TULSA BLUES CLUB, TULSA, OK
"PATRICK HAZELL'S 1988 release, LIVE, is a must for every true blues fan. This guy is great. This tape has some of the best blues harp I've ever heard."

---RANDY VANHOSEN, MUSE NEWS, DES MOINES, IA

Iowa may not have the reputation enjoyed by Chicago or Memphis, but it is home to at least one top harp player, PATRICK HAZELL...Did I say harp player? This guy also plays piano, organ and drums as well as singing--all at the same time! A veteran of the Iowa music scene, HAZELL formerly led an outfit called the Mother Blues Band, but these days, with his harp in a rack, a stack of keyboards and a foot-operated bass drum, he is the band.---PAT MISSIN, HULL, ENGLAND, HARMONICA WORLD
"The three-layer keyboard shook forcefully under HAZELL'S hands; the walls of the festival tent bellowed under his voice; and his blues harmonica was like a hurricane! This first-class musician from the USA pulled all the registers of rhythm and blues and the fans went along completely."----VALENTINE GERSTBERGER, DILL-ZEITUNG, DILLENBERG, GERMANY
"PAT HAZELL...sang and played himself fast into the hearts of the listeners."----GRENZ-ECHO, EUPEN, BELGIUM
"THE GODFATHER OF SOLO.....HAZELL'S blues-based, improvisational music encompasses many styles, and his repertoire is actually dictated by that evening's particular audience. It's a tailored show that never sounds the same twice. Even individual songs are played differently from night to night."----DARLENE LEPON, MUSE NEWS, DES MOINES, IOWA
"(HAZELL)....A legend in Iowa music."----BART HAYNES, DES MOINES REGISTER, DES MOINES, IOWA
PATRICK HAZELL is every bit as important to the local Blues scene as BB King is to the International Bluesphere...He has also inspired a good many artists and the Blues Society.--BLUES NEWS, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY BLUES SOCIETY, DAVENPORT,IA
"The performance by Washington's one-man jazz band, PATRICK HAZELL, had the RAGBRAI bicycle riders talking to themselves. Adjectives like 'awesome,''outstanding,' and 'super' came to most riders' mouths as a fitting description for HAZELL'S performance, and it was obvious he stole the show."---BROOKE TAYLOR, WASHINGTON EVENING JOURNAL, WASHINGTON, IA
HAZELL'S inner drive keeps the art alive.----BRIAN McTAVISH, KANSAS CITY STAR, KANSAS CITY, MO.
One of the best blues artists in the Midwest.----ILLINOIS CENTRAL BLUES CLUB NEWS, SPRINGFIELD, ILL
Twenty years on the road, more than 150 gigs a year in every imaginable kind of setting, has given HAZELL a sixth sense on how to feel out an audience...No two shows are alike.----RICK ZOLLO, CEDAR RAPIDS GAZETTE, CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA
"HAZELL'S impressionistic interludes are especially moving....when he's not singing or playing the harmonica, he's smiling. His whole body enjoys the making of the music. Maybe that's part of what attracts his loyal fans....To close your eyes is to hear the energy of a least five musicians. To open them is to see the physical talents of one: PATRICK HAZELL....Still you wonder how he can separate his mind into distinct components to direct what his hands do."----SANDRA GUE, LA CROSSE TRIBUNE, LA CROSSE, WI.
"...HAZELL'S music mixes standards and originals that incorporate elements of Chicago and Delta blues, R&B, Boogie, Stride, and that itchy, nervous Cajun two-step music Zydeco... PATRICK HAZELL is a true paragon of the Midwestern music scene....."----JIM MUSSER, THE DAILY IOWA, UNIV. OF IOWA, IOWA CITY, IA