A great, great show takes place Thursday at the Mistick Arts Cinemas in Old Mistick Village — by which I do not mean a film.

Rather, as part of their Concert Series, blues giants James Montgomery and James Cotton perform. Lest ye be unaware, these are two of the absolute finest blues harp players ever. (The show's at 8:30 p.m. For info, call (860) 536-4227.

That’s cool enough, but it was also a blast to speak on the phone for a while with Montgomery, a former college English major, who is without question one of the most eloquent blues spokespersons I’ve ever enountered.

There wasn’t room in our print edition to cover everything Montgomery said, so I thought I’d throw out a few more of his quotes.

On the healing power of the blues:

"For me you don’t have to (be physically playing). If I’m down I just put on some slow Muddy Waters or a Delbert McClinton and it’s just healing. When I was going through my my divorce, I made a tape of slow blues. It’s like reading Greek tragedy, Aristotle or Euripedes — it’s absolutely cathartic.

 "If you can get beyond your ego and the feeling of 'look what happened to me,' and become one with the vibration or sadness of the music, it becomes a bigger sadness and a realization that it’s a very universal experience."

On the causation of the blues:

"Most blues are caused by ego-driven problems. Through the simplicity and repetition of the music, it puts you in touch with your soul. You get in touch with that essence through the blues and it takes you … you lose yourself for a while and therefore you’re not feeling the pain. That’s why the blues can be celebratory, too. Because the blues, after all, are the source of jump and swing and good time music."

On his relationship with James Cotton:

"It’s gotten to the point now where we affectionately call each other 'son' and 'dad.' I met him at the Chessmate in Detroit and asked him, 'Can you show me how you do this?' In retrospect, he had so much patience with me. I pretty much modeled my whole stage show and how to lead a band on his legacy: the tempos, the structuring of the sets … You know, most blues guys pass through life underappreciated. It was cool that John Lee Hooker, for example, and Muddy Waters understood they were respected and had influence on young people.

"Cotton is going through that stage right now. There’s a tribute to him coming up at Lincoln Center, with Boz Scaggs and Buddy Miller and others, and it’s just so great to see him getting this recognition. He’s a wonderful musician and a wonderful person."

On what folks can expect at Olde Mistick performance:

"When we do shows with Cotton, it’s stories and anecdotes about how he grew up on plantation. It’s a tribute show and it’s real blues and it’s also a fun education. You’ll hear amazing stories about James and Muddy and James and Junior Wells. Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson … just great anecdotes. And the music's pretty good, too!"