[Harp-L] New Jason Ricci album




I've not heard the whole album yet, although I hope to soon get a media copy of it, but this new one Jason has coming out later this month âDone With the DevilâÂis a mite different.ÂIt's closer to Rocket than some of the more blues-intense albums, like âBlood on the Road, (my favorite),â but it doesn't seem to be as punky as Rocket was. The best way I can think of to describe to describe the sound, in light of the other albums, is mature. It's definitely a manturation of his sound. 
It was mentioned earlier on the list about Jason paying homeage to all these old guys before, on this one he's paying some homeage to the old harmonica bands, Minnevitch, Puleo, Murad and the like. I've only heard three songs from it so far, one of which is âEnlightenment.â B-Weed is playing bass harmonica, Jason is playing a 48 chord and a Polyphonia No. 7. I can't remember for sure, but I remember Jason bouncing off the wall when he got it, I'm pretty sure it's prewar. 
Anyway, Weed does a good job on the bass harmonica, Jason puffing on the 48 chord, and doing this sliding around glissando effect like Johnny Puleo used to do. 
When I hear songs a lot of times, I get these mental pictures in my head, probably stems from listening to classical music as a kid, I used toÂimagine trout swimming on Schubert's Forelle (trout), or I'd see Siegfried opening up a can of whoop--- Âon the dragon and whatnot or maybe it's my narcolepsy, which can make your brain kick into REMÂ even when you're wide awake. Whatever it is they just pop in my head. 
The picture I get when I hear âEnlightenmentâ is this evil circus. There's a black sky at sunset, a band of evil clowns playing in the fairway. The ghosts of the Harmonica Rascals show up with their ghostly harmonicas and join in. Tankersley's on the chord (primarily known for chromatic, I know). Don Les is on bass, then Jason shows up and joins in with the ghosts of the Rascals and the evil clowns. Puleo's sliding around on the Polyphonia.
It's a weird picture and it's a weird, foreboding song and it's a hell of a wonderful thing for the harmonica, regardless of what you think of that sound.
I've listened to two other songs, but they didn't pull me the way âEnlightenmentâ did, I think the original title was "Sun Rah" or something. Think about it. When was the last time a chord harmonica or a bass harmonica was featured so prominently on an album? 
Somebody has to pick up the chord and bassÂand adapt it for another role forÂthem to survive. That was the main reason I took up the chord, I thought a percussive chop would be ideal for bluegrass and it could get that wonderful instrument some of the exposure it needs to survive another century. Whatever I could do, however, is minimal compared to this. 
Now, the 48 chord harmonica has been played in rock n' roll. So has the bass harmonica. So has the old Polyphonia No. 7. I hope it's the start of something. I know I, for one, am going to be playing along with it on my 48 chord (formerly Tankersley's, that's why he was playing chord at the circus).
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You can listen to three of the tracks here: http://www.harmonicaspace.com/profile.php?profileid=2
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Dave Payne Sr. 
www.elkriverharmonicas.com


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