JP Soars Featuring Anne Harris Drop New Album – Gypsy Blue Revue via Forty Below Records
Acclaimed blues guitarist and songwriter JP Soars releases Gypsy Blue Revue, featuring violinist and vocalist Anne Harris, via Forty Below Records. Listen / Order the album here. (https://fortybelow.ffm.to/gypsy-blue-revue)
FIERY GUITARIST
For more than two decades, Soars has built his reputation the way roots music was meant to be built . Onstage, night after night. A fiery guitarist, soulful vocalist, and inventive songwriter, he blends blues, rock & roll, Latin rhythms, country, and gypsy jazz, guided not by genre but by feel.
That philosophy comes into sharp focus on Gypsy Blue Revue, a collaboration with Chicago-based violinist, vocalist, and songwriter Anne Harris. The partnership began in 2019 after the two met on the festival circuit and solidified their connection at the Big Blues Bender in Las Vegas. What started as a one-off performance quickly evolved into a dynamic creative union rooted in Southern soul, roadhouse blues, and eclectic folk influences.
Recorded live at a rural Ohio studio with no click tracks snf minimal overdubs, the album captures the immediacy of their performances. “We approached it exactly like a show,” Soars explains. “All in one room, playing together. We just wanted it to sound like us.”
The album also features Soars’ longtime bandmates — drummer Chris Peet and bassist Cleveland Frederick — anchoring the sessions with a road-tested groove.
VIPER
The song “Viper” delivers a cautionary tale wrapped in gritty swagger, while “Jessie Mae” draws from a real-life encounter with Hill Country blues legend Jessie Mae Hemphill. Together with “Goin’ to South Carolina,” the songs showcase Soars’ storytelling range and stylistic reach.
Born in California, raised in Arkansas, and now based in South Florida, Soars’ path was cemented at age 18 after meeting B.B. King backstage — a defining moment that set him on a lifelong interest in blues and roots music. Since then, he has released six albums, won the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge and the Albert King Guitar Award, earned multiple Blues Music Award nominations, and landed releases in the Billboard Blues Top 10.
Anne Harris brings her own formidable background, having worked with Keb’ Mo’ and Taj Mahal and spending a decade collaborating with Otis Taylor. A classically trained violinist and accomplished songwriter, her work bridges pop, folk, country, and roots traditions, adding texture and emotional depth to the project.
Gypsy Blue Revue ultimately reflects a shared musical ethos — one that values feel over form and connection over category.
“This is a music lover’s record,” says Soars. “There’s everything from Caribbean grooves to country songs to Django Reinhardt influences. If music moves me, I don’t care about the genre — and I think our audiences love that diversity.”
TOUR DATES
6.04 Basil Switzerland Groove Now Blues Festival *
6.06 Miami FL Lagniappe House
6.07 Lake Worth FL The Bamboo room
6.13 Salt Lake City Utah Blues Festival +
6.20 Pompano Beach FL The Pompano Beach Brewery
6.21 Sarasota FL Sarasota by The Bay
6.25 Englewood FL Englewoods on Dearborn
6.26 Wellington FL The Village Music Cafe
6.28 Winter Park Colorado Blues From The Top *
7.03 Bradenton FL Cottonmouth Southern Soul Kitchen
7.04 Miami FL Lagniappe House
7.10 Gorda FL Celtic Ray Punta
7.12 Lake Worth Fl The Bamboo Room
7.15 Jensen Beach F Conchy Joes
7.17 Bécancour, Québec, Canada Au Son Du Moulin Blues and Gin Festival
7.18 Plattsburgh NY Plattsburgh Blues and Jazz Annual Blues, Lake and BBQ
7.22 Cocoa Beach FL Heidies Jazz Club
7.23 Englewood FL Englewoods
7.24 Lauderdale FL Blue Jean Blues Ft.
7.25 Jupiter FL Gaunnabanna’s
7.26 Delray Beach FL The Wine and Spirits Kitchen
7.31 Cafe Wellington FL The Village Music
- Southern Hospitality featuring Damon Fowler, Victor Wainright and JP Soars
- Gypsy Blue Revue – JP Soars & Anne Harris
CONTACT
Pati deVries / devious planet
Pati@deviousplanet.com
Photo by Laura Carbone
CONTACT
Pati deVries / devious planet
Pati@deviousplanet.com
