[Harp-L] Monk Alters Chi



I've had this CD for a couple of years but have never written about it before, and I haven't seen it discussed either. It's by Michalek/Strohne, i.e. Harp-L's own Buddha/Gypsy with his former bass partner. I've had the disc in my car for the past week and have fallen in love with it yet again, so I wanted to share some thoughts.

Monk Alters Chi is both a harmonica album and a jazz album, and it exists as both simultaneously and in perfect harmony. I say it's a harmonica album because Chris's playing is right up front in every song. Most of the tracks have no other lead instrument, or even any chordal instrument at all. Others feature lovely mandolin playing for a little Celtic flavor, but the harmonica is always the star. Aside from the unusual musical context, what sets the playing on this album apart for me is how technical the playing is at such slow tempos. Chris can definitely play fast (and he does on "Freedom Fries"), but much of the harmonica on this album is quite slow and even sparse. The way it holds your attention is largely due to the mind-blowing vibrato; the way Chris uses it here makes me realize what an important technique this is on the instrument, and how it can open up melodies that just wouldn't sound good otherwise.

Secondly, this is a jazz album. Like most jazz, it didn't grab me on the first or even second listen. I must have heard Kind of Blue half a dozen times before I started to really pay attention to it. The nice thing about Monk Alters Chi is that it's very diverse within the loose definition of jazz music. There are many variations and styles, and it gets particularly crazy towards the end. There aren't many players who could record an entire album of jazz on the diatonic, much less one this good, and I cherish it among my collection of blues-heavy harmonica music. The great thing about Chris's playing is that while it will often trick your mind into thinking "that sounds like a chromatic!" or "that could only be played on a chromatic!", he will suddenly throw in a hearty bend or other flourish that is distinctly diatonic in nature. The only other time I've had this kind of mental confusion from hearing a harmonica was seeing Howard Levy play his diatonic concerto with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra. (I get easily confused by Jason Ricci's playing too, but that's a completely different though equally wonderful phenomenon.)

I'm eagerly awaiting the Buddha's next album and have to ask about it every time I talk to him. I know it has been held up for numerous reasons, but it will be worth the wait. Until then, there are plenty of you who need to catch up with Monk Alters Chi. Any fan of Toots, Levy, Stevie Wonder, Django Reinhardt, jazz, or astounding harmonica playing will probably love it. I've played it for many friends who loved it despite having a dislike or disinterest in other harmonica music. I'm not doing PR for Chris, nor did I tell him that I was going to post this. I just got so enthusiastic about the album that I had to finally say something to my fellow Harp-Lers. Seek out this fantastic piece of music.

Jonathan Metts
Boulder, CO



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