******************************************************************."Gruenling is one of the few harp players today who brings more to the plate than standard blues changes.His playing is jazzy & complex and always exciting"
- BLUEBEAT MUSIC
"easily acknowledged as one of the modern masters. T'aint hype at all, kiddies---he's the real deal."
-MIDWEST RECORD
"Dennis Gruenling is among the most accomplished as well as interesting harmonica players around"
- IN A BLUE MOOD
"Gruenling shows why he is considered one of the top harp players on the planet."
- BMAN'S BLUES REPORT
"Possibly the best harmonica player on the scene todayin a world of whiney, redundant, cliché-ridden harmonica players, Gruenling stands head and shoulders above the rest with his uncanny chops and jaw-dropping technical virtuosity"
- DAILY FREEMAN
"His command of technique and sense of the groove are ideally suited to celebrating the man who took blues harmonica to the next level."
- JAZZ & BLUES REPORT
"Dennis Gruenling is one of the hottest young blues harmonica players on the scene today…Gruenling's unique horn-like tone is born from the influence of the classic jazz players, as was Walter's, yet Gruenling is no imitator. He's created a rich, exciting style all his own that has found him being named "Best Modern Blues Harmonica Player" by Real Blues Magazine for three years running"
- ROB'S BLUES
"Dennis Gruenling is an outstanding harp player… the instrumental "Hot Shot" serves as Gruenling's master thesis on playing the blues chromatic harp… early contender for the best Blues recording of 2008."
- CROSSROADS BLUES SOCIETY
"…Gruenling's horn-like tone and swooping riffs reflect the influence of Little Walter's style…there's no question Gruenling has the talent, the chops and the experience to do justice to the legendary harp virtuoso's songbook."
- KAREN HANSON/TODAY'S CHICAGO BLUES
PERFORMING:Dennis Gruenling has been laying down some of the best blues harmonica in the East Coast region for over 15 years now. Along the way, Gruenling has shared the stage with many top names in the blues world, such as Pinetop Perkins, Snooky Pryor, Homesick James, John Mayall, Mick Taylor, BB King, Little Sammy Davis, A.C. Reed, and Jimmy Dawkins, as well as contemporary masters such as Rod Piazza & The Mighty Flyers, Little Charlie & The Nightcats, Kim Wilson, Rusty Zinn, Charlie Musselwhite, Jason Ricci, Mark Hummel and Steve Guyger.Ever since his self-titled debut with his band Jump Time hit the streets in 1999, Dennis has been pulling in countless fans and numerous accolades from critics & musicians around the globe for his swinging, highly original harmonica sound, and top-notch band. Within the context of Jump Time, he pulls from mostly horn influences to get a new sound for the instrument, blending the vocal abilities of the trumpet and trombone with the swinging, fat-bodied sound of the tenor and baritone sax players of the 1940's & 50's era.In 2000, "Up All Night" was released. A non-Jump Time project, which owed much to his roots in stripped down Chicago-style blues, proving he could also play "traditional" blues harmonica with the best of them. This gained more recognition for his talents not only as a harp player, but also as a bandleader and songwriter. The year 2001 saw the second Jump Time release. Once again Dennis has pushed the boundaries further for blues harmonica.
IN recent years, Dennis has partnered with guitarist/vocalist Doug Deming (Kim Wilson, Lazy Lester, Gary Primich) to for what BLUES JUNCTION calls "ONE OF THE GREAT TANDEMS IN BLUES MUSIC TODAY"! Dennis & Doug have brand new releases with the VizzTone label now and tour regularly together with The jewel Tones!
TEACHING:Dennis has also been teaching blues harmonica for over 12 years now, and is in demand as a private instructor, or as part of numerous harmonica workshops, conventions and masterclasses, such as:Jon Gindick Harmonica Jam Camp (NJ, CA, GA, MO, FL, TX, OR, MA)David Barrett Harmonica Masterclass (NY, NJ, CA)Euro Blues Week (UK)Guitarrentage-Schorndorf (Germany)The Society for the Preservation & Advancement of the Harmonica Convention (SPAH - MI, MO, OH, CO, WI)Buckeye Harmonica Convention (OH)Joe Filisko's Blues Harmonica Class (The Old Town School of Folk Music - Chicago)Turtle Bay Music School (NY)RADIO:Four years ago, Dennis started hosting the Thursday afternoon edition of the afternoon blues program Across The Tracks on WFDU - Teaneck, NJ, which streams live online every Thursday from 1:00-3:45 PM EST at www.wfdu.fmDennis has also been published in Real Blues Magazine ("George 'Harmonica' Smith" 2001) and in the American Harmonica Newsletter ("George 'Harmonica' Smith - West Coast Legend" series and "Amplified Harmonica" series 1997-98).AWARDS:"Best Modern Blues Harmonica Player" - Real Blues Magazine (3 years in a row)"Best Blues Harmonica CD" - Real Blues Magazine (twice)"Outstanding Service Award" SPAH Convention"Top 10 CD" - Makin' Waves Awards (twice)"Best Male Artist"- Makin' Waves Awards
Dennis Gruenling also works with these other acts:
Dave GrossGina SiciliaDoug DemingFrank FotuskyDave Malachowski & the Woodstock All-Stars
