[Harp-L] Grant Dermody's Wyoming show (long)

[john kuzloski <jkuzloski@xxxxxxxxx>]

Grant Dermody performed the "featured set" at the
Jackson Hole Hootenanny on Monday July 26 and
completely wowed the audience who gave Grant an
enthusiastic standing ovation.  It was heart-warming
for me, as fellow harmonica player, to experience such
a fine
presentation and reception of the instrument,
especially in what was mostly a solo performance. 
Grant expertly introduced the audience to the roots
harmonica landscape playing a sweet mix of blues,
gospel, and fiddle tunes both old-time and Irish. 
Incidentally, Grant also established a relaxed,
entertaining and humorous rapor with the Hootenanny
audience.

The Hootenanny is a Jackson Hole, Monday night,
acoustic music tradition; we celebrated our 500th Hoot
last October.  There's just one vocal microphone on
the stage, and it's volume is set high enough that
harp players don't have to be right on top of it
limiting their
acoustic hand work.  Most exceptional about the Hoot
setting is the silent, attentive audience (except when
they are expressing their appreciation!).  The bar is
out in the hall on the other side of closed doors. 
The audience can hear all the nuance of a peformance.

This intimate setting seemed to be perfect for Grant
Dermody's subtle virtuosity.  I love what Mark Graham
said:  "Grant's harmonica playing, though virtuosic,
is not the bombastic pseudo-virtuosity of the
psychedelic freak-out or cold, mathematical
noodlerama, but an
articulate poetic statement with a big evocative vocal
tone..."

Back in December of 2002, Grant played a couple of
songs at the Hoot while passing through the area
leaving us wanting more.  His tone was so rich that I
asked him if he was playing expensive, customized
harmonicas.  He said they were just Marine Bands out
of the box.  (Back to the woodshed for me!)  I can now
testify, after acquiring a few customized harps, that
although I love them, and they make playing more
enjoyable, they don't make me sound like Grant!  No
doubt Grant has spent a lot of time developing his
monster tone.

During his featured set last Monday, Grant performed a
stunning medley of 2 DeFord Bailey tunes, including
Cow Cow Blues (based on Davenport's piano piece) and
Ice Water Blues.  (By the way, the latter tune is the
one that author Kim Fields, one of Grant's teachers,
played for Bailey during an interview in an effort to
focus Bailey on the harmonica.)

Grant also gave us a taste of his take on John Henry,
one of the songs Grant performed that is on his fine
collaborative CD, Crossing That
River.  Especially well-received and also from the CD,
was Grant's potent version of  Joe Louis Walker's I'll
Get To Heaven On My Own.  His compelling vocal
performance on this song clearly showed his ability to
 put a song across expressively.  

I was pleased to perform a duet with Grant on I'm
Gonna Cross That River Of Jordan, the CD's (sort of)
title track.  This is a traditional spiritual that
Grant adapted from the Jaybird Coleman and Birmingham
Jug Bad recording.  He performs it on his CD with Joe
Filisko. 

After first playing some of the fiddle tune Yew Piney
Mountain on a
standard D harmonica, Grant demonstrated the richness
that could be achieved by playing it on a Low D.  He
also played a beautiful version of an Irish tune,
O'Carolin's The Hewlitt on the relatively high pitched
Eb harmonica in first position.  

Grant nodded towards another one of his teachers, Mark
Graham, and cracked up the audience with Graham's
humorously brutal I Can See Your Aura.  Grant
described Graham as the best old-time harmonica player
in the world.

Toward the end of his set, Grant called up a few of us
Hootenanny regulars to help out on a couple of songs,
finishing with the old-time classic Cluck Old Hen.

So, it was great show-- warm, relaxed, diverse,
informative, and above all, highly enjoyable.  And
Grant may have set a Hootenanny record for CD sales! 
Along with Richard Hunter who stopped by the Hoot
earlier 
this summer, and Jason Ricci who recently played with
New Blood at the local ski resort, Grant has seriously
raised the harmonica bar in this little pond in the
mountains -- I'd better get busy!

--John K.


		
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