For Immediate Release Contact: Becki Gervin, 408.961.

5814
September 15, 2010 bgervin@montalvoarts.org

James Cotton “Superharp” Kicks Off the Fall/Winter

Carriage House Concert Season October 16
Blues legend and Grammy Award Winner brings his
musical stylings to Montalvo

"Among the greats of all time... He blazes on harp with brilliant virtuosity." –
Rolling Stone

"James Cotton is an inimitable blues legend. His wailing harmonica blows

them away. His improvisations on the blues are full of fun and good humor.
The blues don't get much better!" – The San Francisco Examiner

“We’re talking about the blues, loud and fast and getting down dirty, we’re
talking about James Cotton, a singer, stomper, and harp-player
extraordinaire.” – New York Daily News

SARATOGA, Calif. – Montalvo’s Carriage House Theatre will be transformed

into a bona fide blues club when James Cotton “Superharp” performs on
October 16. The blues great, who celebrated his 66th year as a musician in
2010, will perform at Montalvo in support of his new album, Giant, which is
set to be released on September 28 by Alligator Records. The show starts at
8 p.m. Tickets are on sale now through the Montalvo Box Office and
Ticketmaster.com.

Cotton, who started his career as a musician at the age of nine, has recorded
28 solo albums, including two highly-regarded releases for Alligator in the
1980s and the famed Harp Attack! with Junior Wells, Carey Bell and Billy
Branch in 1990. He has shared the stage with an impressive roster of
performers during his career, including B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Johnny
Winter, the Allman Brothers, Santana, Bonnie Raitt, Led Zeppelin, Janis
Joplin, Sam and Dave, and The Grateful Dead among many others.

Recorded by Stuart Sullivan at Wire Recording in Austin, Texas, Giant

features 12 tracks, including four new Cotton originals and co-writes,
alongside songs made famous by Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Ivory Joe Hunter
and others. Throughout his career, Cotton has always had great bands, and
the players on Giant are no exception. With guitarists/vocalists Slam Allen
and Tom Holland, bassist Noel Neal (Ronnie James Weber on one song) and
drummer Kenny Neal, Jr., Giant is not just a reminder of Cotton's legendary
status, it is a remarkably vibrant and hard-hitting album made by one of the
true blues masters.

This performance is the first in Montalvo’s Fall/Winter Carriage House concert

series. The series includes a wide genre of performances, including pop/rock,
world, jazz, a piano masters series and more. A full list of events is available
on Montalvo’s website. www.montalvoarts.org.

Ticket Information
Tickets are $42/$37 for the general public; $38/$33 for Montalvo members.
Tickets are available through the Box Office, open Monday through Friday, 10
a.m. – 4 p.m. and through Ticketmaster.com
About Montalvo Arts Center
Montalvo Arts Center is a nonprofit organization that fosters community
engagement through the creation and presentation of multidisciplinary art.
By uniting the broadest possible audiences with a global community of
artists, Montalvo expands the role of arts and culture as an essential
community resource. Montalvo’s programming includes: an annual theme-
based arts program; music and performance; education and public
programs; new media and visual arts; and the Sally and Don Lucas Artists
Residency. Located in the Saratoga foothills in the midst of Silicon Valley,
Montalvo Arts Center occupies a Mediterranean-style villa on 175 stunning
acres, which Senator James Phelan left to the people of California for the
encouragement of promising students in the areas of art, music, literature
and architecture. In January 2005, the organization changed its name from
"Villa Montalvo" to "Montalvo Arts Center" to better communicate its mission
to increasing local, national and international audiences. Montalvo celebrates
its centennial in 2012. For more information about Montalvo Arts Center, call
408.961.5800 or visit www.montalvoarts.org.

About the Sally & Don Lucas Artists Residency Program

The Lucas Artists Residency Program offers selected artists private housing, a
professional staff that is supportive of the creative process, and an
environment conducive to both individual practice, community engagement,
and the energetic exchange of ideas among international and culturally
diverse Fellows.