West Coast harmonica player MITCH KASHMAR (1960/Santa Barbara, CA - ) is one of the California disciples who soaked up the sound and the soul of Chicago and Mississippi and Cali-customized it. His theory is the California harp scene started with Arkansas native George "Harmonica" Smith, who settled in L.A. soon after leaving Muddy Waters' band. "Rod [Piazza] got some of it and Kim Wilson got some," Kashmar says of Smith's fat, rounded tones, which often sounded more like an entire horn section than a man with a harmonica.