Gary Primach, Jason Ricci, Carlos del Junco ....

["Rick B" <rick@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

What do the following harmonica players all have in common?

Gary Primach
Jason Ricci
Carlos del Junco
Dennis Gruenling
Mitch Weiss
Wild Willy G
Richard Hunter
Michael Peloquin

They have all personally contributed CDs to be used as prizes in the current
www.BluesHarp.org Online Jam.

I sought out contributions from these players because Bluesharp.org is
geared toward diatonic harmonica, and these people are stretching the limits
of our 'umble instrument.

At Bluesharp.org, First Prize is  CDs by all of the above and more!  Second
and Third prizes win you most of the above.  Visit the site for details.

You still have time to enter the jam because it runs until April 2004.  You
still have time to win  because new entries push old entries off the bottom!
It's a novel concept and keeps me from running out of disk space.

These CD's are so great, I reviewed all of them  on the front page of
www.bluesharp.org (except for Dennis Gruenling since I don't have his CD in
my hand yet  Dennis?).

Here's a  short synopsis concerning why a diatonic player should be
listening to these guys in particular.

Gary Primach  --Artist as Plumber to the Underbelly of the World
If you are a diatonic player who's working on stretching your traditional
bending techniques then Gary is your man!  What he bends and plays is very
creative.  His compositions sound like classics that have been played for
years, but are brilliantly new and original.  Practicing what he plays will
generate a million ideas.  His clear articulation alone will help you learn
new stuff.  He's a great songwriter.

Jason Ricci  --Head Tripping Solos
I call Jason's playing "diatonic harp without limits" because when he plays
you would not know there were any limitations on diatonic harp.  Learn
organic solos from him.  He plays great, long,  solos that build and build.
I call it head tripping music for the harp.

Carlos del Junco  --The Ultimate Heading Cutting Contest
When I hear Carlos play, I hear genious  --that's the only word that can
describe his tone and technique.  It's wonderful hearing how another genious
harp player handles the Little Walter tunes "Just Your Fool" and "Up the
Line".  If Little Walter were alive, he would rise from his wheelchair
refusing to be out-swung.   There are also other classic blues songs penned
by Big Bill Broonzy, Howling Wolf, T-Bone Walker, and Robert Johnson. I
enjoyed hearing Carols doing "Walking Blues" since I have the Paul
Butterfield version of that in my head.  With the proper tapes spinning in
the back of your head, this album is the ultimate old-fashioned head cutting
contest.

Mitch Weiss  --Button Envy
Mitch has that diatonic with a button.  Okay, actually its a chromatic
slumming as a diatonic  --a CX10 modified and tuned like a diatonic by
Brendan Power.  In  every one of Mitch's tunes I hear blues giving birth to
jazz, or at least parying with it. Mitch is the only chromatic player who
gives me button envy because he's got those chromatic notes and still has
that good greazzy tone.

Wild Willy G --The Velvet Vibrato
Wild Willy G (Bill Gausman)  lives near the frozen  border of Canada where
in the winter they drive around in lunar vehicles and in the summer they
catch fish the size of your first love.  He spends his downtime perfecting
his Velvet Vibrato.   He shows what the Velvet Vibrato can do to Rock 'n
Roll.

Richard Hunter  --Man Makes Brains Grow Against Will
I think Richard is among the few contemporary harp players who have polished
some aspect of their playing to such a high degree it becomes a gift to
other harp players. I am thinking of Howard Levy and overblows, John Popper
and speed, now, I"m suggesting,  Richard Hunter and counterpoint.  When I
listened to Richard's CD, I heard a cracking sound because I think my brain
started to grow.  Just listening to the multiple melodic lines  he has going
at once,  educates your ear, and I think will almost immediately affect your
playing.


Michael Peloquin  --Dancing Voodoo
Michael's CD has the distinction of being the only one that made me
immediately jump up and start dancing.   Michael has years of experience in
the horn section of other people's bands, and man, he knows how to move you!
The CD also forced me to start singing some of his original music out loud.
This is more Voodoo doll than CD. Poke the CD and you start dancing.   The
horns are so great (Michael plays sax), it tends to make you underestimate
his great Chicago style playing. Michael's also a very good and personal
songwriter.  His songs bear the mark of direct experience.

So please, visit www.BluesHarp.org , read the full reviews, listen to the
solos already uploaded to the Online Jam   ---you show me yours, I'll show
you mine--  and win this great collection of contemporary harp players.

    --Rick Beall
      www.bluesharp.org