Jimmy 'Duck' Holmes at 2010 Pocono Blues Festival

2010-0723 Pocono Blues Day 1-145, originally uploaded by NoVARon.

I must confess a certain disappointment to listening to one of Jimmy 'Duck' Holmes CDs when he was being presented as carrying on the Bentonia, Mississippi blues tradition best known throw the brilliant music of Skip James. James was one of those singular musician and by presenting Holmes as a member of the James' school is a disservice to him as he inevitably suffers in comparison. Yet, I found his set of simply,played from the heart solo blues at the Pocono Festival quite enjoyable. Some tunes that became part of the blues repertoire and one fellow attendee seemed to suggest a Hill Country influence, but in this day of mass media and the internet, the persistence of localized traditions seems long gone. But just like I enjoyed Eddie Cusic's blues before, Holmes was a fine traditional bluesman who I just may have to check out his most recent CD.