Jorge Garcia Had the Joint Jumping

Anyone who happened to stroll past the Blues Boulevard at 300 River Road in Greenville Wednesday night had to notice that the joint was jumping.

That’s because guitarist Jorge Garcia was wailing his heart out. With talent that transcends genre, Garcia moved fluidly from country western to soul and pop.

Here is a sample of his first set.

Wichita Lineman by Glen Campbell.

Danny’s Song.

A volunteer from the audience, Reuben Valentine, a flutist, tried vainly to downplay his talent by privately calling himself a hobbyist. It’s hard to believe that line when you’re playing with the likes of Jorge Garcia himself.

Garcia’s rendition of Stevie Wonder’s Always made dancers out of all in the audience.  The swaying and bobbing were rhythmically palpable. But there were no confirmed cases of seasickness.

Maybe the pervasive lightheadedness had an insidious cause.

The stand-in band made Garcia smile. You could hear the professional pride in his voice when he called out the names of the keyboardist, bassist, and drummer.

Garcia's passion for his electric guitar is audibly soulful in everything he plays, like his original compositions and his melodic solos and rhythmic works, which are also a blend of the old and the new. His sound is uniquely his.

Garcia’s trademark joy is imprinted on everything he plays. No wonder Garcia has performed with the great ones like Tony Bennett, Andrea Bocelli, and Othelo Molineaux.