Excerpts from Jon Pepper's review of the 10th Anniversary Harmonica Blowdown, House of Blues, March 23, 1996, appearing in the May 1996 issue of Southland Blues:
"... while the show was very good, it held few surprises for local harp fans. The good news is that James Harman and Rod Piazza show no sign of slowing up, delivering only the finest harp playing and bands around. In fact, we are lucky in Southern California to have two such talents that reside here in the winter months."
"The surprise was show opener 'Iron Man' Mike Curtis who is a one man band, working with a harp rack, electric guitar, and a rhythm machine. This is an interesting concept, but the question is does it hold up an entire set, and with Curtis' eclectic mix, it does."
"Flat Top Tom and his Jumpcats, with featured swing dancers were one of the crowd favorites and played one of the best sets this reporter has ever seen them play."
