An Evening with Magic Dave (long)

[Mojo Red <harplicks@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi gang,

Last Thursday night I had a chance to see former
Harp-L luminary Dave Therault (aka Magic Dave)
and his band perform downtown at Denvers Skylark
Lounge (a gritty, old-style dark, narrow and very
authentic bar). What a great time!

First, this was the first time Id ever seen Dave
perform with his band here in Denver. Hes been
ensconced down in Colorado Springs for years and
years and Ive only seen him on a couple of
occasions when he was backing the wonderful blues
singer Joanne Taylor. This time it was Daves show
and he proved that hes not only alive and well,
but on the top of his blues game. 

His backup musicians are stellar, with Smokin' Joe
Sciallo playing a hollow body guitar into a lovely
tweed Victoria amp. Joes chops are a heady mixture
of T-Bone Walker and West Coast swing/blues styles
a-la Charlie Blaty. Joe created a perfect
environment to showcase Daves considerable
abilities -- and his own. Playing standup (and
later, electric) bass was Santi Guarnera (known as
The Great Santi). Never caught the drummers name,
but together Magic Dave and the New Mules laid down
some of the nicest original blues Ive ever heard -
ever. No foolin.

In an earlier thread on this list, contributors
discussed lesser-known, or under-appreciated great
blues harp players Well, in my opinion, Dave
should be on the top of that list. His technical
abilities are impeccable and his tone simply
massive but what really floored me (and bathed my
blues-lovin soul all night long) was the
consistent way he took familiar blues grooves and
laid down the most deliciously original and fresh
phrasings that perhaps Ive ever heard. 

I dont think he ever repeated anything, unless it
was to build upon something in the context of a
song to create direction in a solo (something he
does extremely well). He ranged from absolutely
hard-hitting Chicago to laid back New Orleans to
raging funk to killer West Coast swing to sweet,
soulful ballad to boogie to well, lets just say
the well is ~deep~ and I had the feeling that there
was plenty more where that came from. 

Dave was blowing through Marine Bands (tweaked very
little, he said, except for a handful of custom
Honey Bee harps). He was using a very old Fender
Twin Reverb (I think), and a Crystal Ball custom
mic. I chatted with Dave beforehand, and he seemed
disappointed by the thin crowd. But folks kept
dribbling in and by the start of his set the joint
was packed -- yes, on a Thursday night! 

After the first set I chatted again with Dave to
let him know how much I appreciated his playing. He
was very gracious and immediately asked me if Id
brought my harps. Well... I have some in the car,
I said. Good, he replied, with a huge smile
Youre gonna need them. Were gonna have us some
~fun~ tonight.

The second set was as impressive as the first with
original after original song being performed with
professional aplomb and gutsy enthusiasm. The only
cover song he did was a wonderful version of
Breakfast at Tiffanys where he whipped out a
minor-tuned harp and really had some fun with the
melody lines. 

About 11 pm or so he called up some young players
hed brought up with him from Colo. Springs. They
pulled out a couple of songs including Good Morning
Little School with Dave backing them up on harp.
These guys knew their stuff and Dave was certainly
confident of their abilities. 

Later, he called up Easy Bill, a friend of mine and
local luminary who sat in on hollow body guitar,
laying down some blistering West Coast licks. Bill
was largely responsible for getting Dave this
Denver gig. Thanks Bill! 

Next, Dave started calling up other harp players
one after another: a guy from the Springs, Phil,
who I didnt know, but who laid down some solid
licks; Gerry Hundt, a young Denver player; and then
me, sitting in on a nice little shuffle.

For the last song Dave called up ALL the harp
players onstage at once and told the audience that
we'd be engaging in a ritual he LOVES called
"swapping spit." Basically it was an instrumental
where we'd pass the mic and each player could show
off his chops. Sort of a cutting-heads scene
without the embarrassing competition.

Dave opened it up, establishing the groove, and I
noticed right away that this song wasn't really a
blues. It was basically a two-chord endless vamp.
Dave's creative melodic lines fooled one into
thinking this was a blues, but there was no V-chord
to go to and no real turnaround. In other words,
the soloist was forced to create direction, build
and release tension, and create his own musical
resolutions -- without the help of a conventional
turnaround. What a challenge!

This madness went around the circle a few times,
and the crowd was really with us. Dave was smiling
ear-to-ear, obviously enjoying everyone's
contribution. On my second turn, I really let out
all the stops -- garnering a huge (and gratifying)
round of applause, enthusiastically led by Dave
himself. What a privilege to play with a guy of
Dave's caliber, and to be so openly appreciated.

It was wonderful to re-establish contact with Magic
Dave, and to be treated to such a fantastic night
of music -- topped of by such a heady sit-in
experience. 

I told Dave I'd be bragging about him to the folks
at Harp-L and he told me to say "Hi" to everyone on
his behalf. His decision to refrain from posting to
this list was a personal one and I respect that,
but I for one miss his generous and knowledgeable
contributions. 

I hope to maintain better contact with Dave, and
will even brave the 2-hour drive down to the
Springs to see him (and play with him) again. He's
a great guy and a HUGE talent.

Harpin' in Colorado,
- --Ken M.


=====
"When you speak of Walter Horton, the first thing you think of is his tone, that big, fat tone."
- ---Li'l Ronnie Owens