In retrospect, it's funny how our lives can change in an instant, in ways we least expect or anticipate.

Little did David Rotundo suspect he'd find his life's calling the night he went to see harmonica legend James Cotton perform at Toronto's venerable El Mocambo nightclub. Nor would he have guessed, in his wildest dreams, that he'd one day follow in James' footsteps, winning awards and acclaim as one of the instrument's finest practitioners.

"I'll never forget that night," says Rotundo. "That was more or less the reason I decided to play harp, then and there. The very next day I bought a harmonica. I hadn't planned on it - I didn't really know about the harmonica at all until then. But I saw him perform that night and he blew me away. I just wanted to try to play some of the notes that he played."

Rotundo did have some exposure to blues before that fateful evening. "I'd started really getting into blues, but I didn't really single out any instrument. It's kind of strange, because I already had a Muddy Waters album, and a Sonny Boy Williamson album, and I really loved both of them. But then when I saw James Cotton, I just said 'Okay, I've got to play harmonica'."

But blues weren't exactly dominating the airwaves in the early nineties, at least not in Toronto where Rotundo grew up. Turns out he discovered them in what's become the time-honoured way.

"I was into classic rock, and I sort of got tired of it all," he recalls, "and I started reading some of the artists' bios, their background information, and whether it was the English rockers or the Americans, it seemed they were always talking about how much they were influenced by the blues. So I went back and I just dug up some of the names they'd mentioned, and it just took over."

But the deeper he dug, it seemed, the more frustrated Rotundo became in his attempts to immerse himself in the blues. This led to a pilgrimage of sorts to the music's hotspots.

"I was trying to catch as much blues as I could in Toronto, but as we know it's not an overabundant well to draw from," he laughs. "So I traveled through the States for several months, and just went to all the blues epicenters, all the major blues cities, and just caught live blues every night of the week. This was in 1995 - it was amazing, just an incredible experience for me."

Where musical influences are concerned, Rotundo faces the same dilemma as his contemporaries; as someone performing original music (and making his living doing so), he nonetheless finds himself attracted primarily to music recorded long ago.

"I'm interested in contemporary stuff," he admits, "but I find myself gravitating more towards older stuff, the period between, say, about 1945 to the mid-fifties."

Within that time period, Rotundo cites the usual suspects - "T-Bone Walker, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, the Muddy Waters band - all the Muddy Waters guys, like Otis Spann, Willie Dixon…"

Still, he by no means limits his listening to historical figures; of the current crop of players, he mentions "James Harman, Little Charlie & The Nightcats, Sugar Ray Norcia… I like Luther Allison's son, Bernard Allison. It's terrible that William Clarke passed away, as did Lester Butler."

Closer to home, Rotundo's quick to mention "Jack - Jack de Keyzer. He's a great singer, great songwriter, and a great guitar player." It's no surprise the name should come up as Rotundo is often listed as a member of de Keyzer's band, although Rotundo's readily admits he doesn’t play as frequently as he once did due to their conflicting schedules.

To say Rotundo is pleased with the fact that de Keyzer was willing and able to contribute to his new CD is an understatement. The Juno Award-winning guitarist took time out from his busy schedule to lay down a track for the project. Rotundo says he has always enjoyed working with de Keyzer and will continue to take advantage of every opportunity.

"I always learn things whenever I play with Jack," Rotundo claims, "even just by hanging around with him; he's got so much talent, has played with so many different people, and he's got a good grasp on the business. He’s helped me so much and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it."

Whether art or science, there's a very special relationship between guitarists and harmonica players, requiring a deep understanding and an intuitive sympathy. Rotundo has nothing but praise for de Keyzer in that regard. "When I play with Jack, I guess because he's so used to working as a trio, where he's both rhythm guitarist and soloist, he leaves a lot of room, he really knows how to back up a harp player."

Rotundo's "own thing" that's keeping him busy these days includes not only a busy touring schedule fronting both his own Blue Canadians and as a frequent duo partner for a variety of artists, but the impending release of his sophomore CD. Rotundo's debut, the all-original Blowin' For Broke, met with unanimous critical acclaim when it was released in 2001.

Returning this time around are guitarist Peter Schmidt (on whose own forthcoming release Rotundo guests) and bassist Shane Scott, who recorded both outings at his own Bassline Studios. Frequent collaborator Julian Fauth again handles piano chores, while Greg Cooper debuts on drums for this project.

"One major addition this time out is Enrico Crivallero," explains Rotundo, "a guitarist who's worked with Lester Butler and James Harman. He's really something else."

Crivallero looms large in Rotundo's future plans. "We're going to try to set up some stuff in Europe, and Enrico's based out of Italy," he says. (David's already conquered Russia via a wildly successful tour with the aforementioned Mr. Fauth).

Rotundo is also juggling commitments on this side of the Atlantic. "I've got a busy festival season coming up," he says. "We're doing the main stage at the Ottawa Blues Festival, and we'll be at the Harvest Festival in Fredericton. I hope to spread the word around in my own area first and then hopefully head over to Europe, either in the fall [2003] or next spring."

While the festival season in Canada is relatively short, Rotundo has noticed, "over in Europe, it's happening all the time. Enrico's touring over there right now with Finis Tasby."

Despite a somewhat less-than-robust live music scene in Canada, Rotundo's as musically active as he cares to be.

"I don't find it that bad," he says. "I see a lot of possibilities, actually, but you have to stay busy doing other things as well. I do a lot of duo work with Julian; we have a regular Sunday-night gig, and a regular Tuesday-night gig, and I do a regular Thursday night elsewhere. But you have to dig, you have to work at it, and sometimes you have to cut fat, but the opportunities are there."

To date, Rotundo sees no need for outside management, preferring to represent himself. "I'll see what happens, but for now it's another way to gain understanding and to keep tabs on things."

Rotundo's long-term goals may be a little vague, but they're nonetheless admirable; "Just to be able to keep the blues alive," he says, adding with a laugh, "Maybe after my 20th album I'll start to get an understanding of it all!"

He doesn't have too many worries about the current or future state of the blues. "I think it's a good scene. There seems to be some sort of grave concern that it's not happening, that it's going to die out. You always hear these types of things. But if you're doing it truthfully, from the soul - like Willie Dixon said, it's all about the truth - and if you're doing it sincerely, how can it possibly go away? If you love it, why would you stop doing it? The only people I could see stopping are those who simply aren't passionate about it to begin with."

Although he himself has only been playing for about ten years now ("I only started fronting a band about four years ago now, though"), Rotundo sees the blues as a lifelong commitment. There's a refreshing modesty when he claims, "I've got a lot to learn and a long way to go yet!"

When Rotundo's not performing, his favourite pastime is reading. "Usually philosophical novels," he says, "some kind of mind work, tossing ideas around. I love Dostoyevsky and the beat generation novelists, writers like Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac."

And what of the effect of the Internet on today's musician? "I'm not a big computer user," says David, "but I think on the whole it's a positive thing. I'm amazed at the number of people who go to my site, from all over the world, and later tell me they've caught a clip and bought a CD. It's a very powerful tool, even just for gigs - I've had people show up and they'll say 'We didn't know what to do tonight, we went to your site, and here we are'."

For those at all concerned about the music's future, David Rotundo's devotion to his craft and his dedication to the blues are very good news indeed. Firmly schooled in the genre's history, determined to carry tradition on into the future, he may be just what the blues needs right now.

Play on, David, play on!

Copyright CanadianBlues.ca 2003. Interview conducted by Baron Bedesky.Photos Andie Maranda