Re: [Harp-L] future in country for harmonica?

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bob McGraw wrote:
<I got a chance to talk some with the great Nashville player Jelly Roll  
<Johnson at SPAH last year...he said there has been a big reduction in  
<the amount of recording work for harmonica in Nashville in the last  
<few years. I'm not sure what that means, but it can't be good.
<WVa Bob
<P.S. Also got a chance to hear Jelly Roll play chromatic at a jazz jam  
<in Chris Depino's room...Jelly Roll is a solid chromatic player,  
<conversant in jazz. I was impressed.

Jelly is a great, great player.  Anyone who doesn't have one or more of his CDs is missing out.  

Regarding the future of harmonica in country: there's a future for harmonica in any style of music.  All it takes is the right player with the right ideas. There wasn't a lot of jazz harmonica out there until Toots came along; now there are skilled jazz harmonica players in most large cities worldwide.  The same could be done in almost any genre.

Of course in the 20th century practically everything fell down before the onslaught of the electric guitar.  But it's a new century--a good time to look forward.

Regards, Richard Hunter




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