[Harp-L] Re: Shakin Smith: LONG

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ah, Shakin' Smith.  I remember him well.

I reviewed Smith's CD "Wizard of the Harmonica"
in a post to Harp-L dated 22 Mar 2001.  The review read as follows:

**********************************
On the basis of a tip posted to Harp-L, and a quick listen to the MP3
clips at Shakin Smith's website (www.shakinsmith.com), I purchased
Smith's CD "Wizard of the Harmonica" recently. 

Is Smith a wizard?  Yes, though not a harp god.  His tone is simply
wonderful, one of the best blues harmonica sounds I've ever heard,
and it's recorded beautifully and placed right up front in the mix.  He
uses a wide range of hand, throat, and tongue effects to vary his sound,
which is recorded mostly without amplification, and it's a pleasure
to listen to him work the instrument with his big, terrifically detailed
tone.  

Where Smith falls short is in his harmonic conception, a failing
that's most apparent on the jazzier numbers.  He does not seem to have a
feel for jazz changes, and sometimes falls into lines that are obviously
based on breathing patterns rather than the chord changes. 

The band backing Smith is able, if not dazzling.  The focus of the
record is on Smith's playing and singing, and the band plays its
supporting role well. 

If Smith lived in a major music industry center like Los Angeles,
Nashville, or New York City instead of Buffalo, NY, I'm sure he'd
already be well-known to harmonica players everywhere.  I recommend
this CD to the attention of blues harp fans; you will not be
disappointed.      
**************************************************

Now, that's a pretty nice review.  It?s certainly a lot nicer than Chris
Michalek?s
comments on  Smith?s latest CD.  The second and last paragraphs in
particular say, in
essence, "this is someone you should hear -- someone who deserves to be
well-known -- 
so go out and buy this CD."  When I get reviews like that -- reviews
that tell the 
reader to buy the CD -- I write the reviewer a thank-you note.  And when
I disagree 
with the reviewer, I make a point of doing so politely.

Mr. Smith apparently didn't think I had said enough nice things about 
him.  On May 3,
2001, he sent the following message about me. I say "about me," not "to
me," because the
message was apparently posted to someone besides myself -- I was only
cc'd -- and the
message carried no return address.  Certainly the message reads as if it
was addressed to
someone besides me.

The full text of Mr. Smith's message follows, edited only to lightly
disguise a number of
4-letter words that might offend some members of this list.  

************************************************************
 re:Shakin Smith's "Wizard of the Harmonica" CD

Richard Hunter is a harmonica player who I have OBVIOUSLY scared
S---LESS ,
because in his review he's got a  number of facts WRONG :

Number one : I don't claim to be a harp GOD , that's something Hunter
imagines himself
to be.

 Number two : The CD IS NOT MOSTLY Unamplified harp. The last time I
checked
there were 14 songs....6 of them acoustic. I'm not surprised by his lack
of attention to
detail considering he wrote his review the same day  he received the CD
in the mail.

Number three : for him to second guess my feel on the" jazzier "numbers
(that's
something Hunter said , I wouldn't use the term "Jazzier" ) is very
pretentious to say the
least.And those comments about my "harmonic
 conception" are just plain LAUGHABLE!!!. 

  You see ,"Wizard of the Harmonica" is a BLUES recording with
"elements" of several
different musical influences. That is immediately apparent to real
musicians .This is what
we call "Art".

 As far as the comment that my solos are the result of being , in his
words "obviously
based on breathing patterns"....well I would have to say
"Richard"...stop being such a
f---ing anal white guy , loosen up and put on  some Thelonius Monk ( and
better still put
on some Little Walter and realize you don't know f---ing s---!) and try
not to take yourself
so f---ing seriously.

 I can't imagine how Hunter could "presume" my intent here. Actually, I
MEANT every
note that I played !!! ... What?... , is that a foreign concept?

 There are no "jazz changes" here. (why does Hunter pretend to know
something about
jazz?) Nobody said this is a jazz CD . "Wizard of the Harmonica" is
about feel above all ,
not pre-meditated and forced, --- but spontaneous.

 Is Hunter really suggesting that Grammy Award winner Robert Lockwood
would
endorse and appear on a CD (that HE solicited) with a Harmonica Virtuoso
who didn't
know what he was doing? Let's not forget that Blues
 Legend Robert Lockwood played with many Jazz greats and recorded some
of the most
ground breaking and  influential sessions with Sonny Boy Williamson and
Little Walter ,
both of whom LOVED Jazz ...... Yeah I know ,  Hunter imagines himself
superior to
THEM too and that is really at the heart of this matter

 And just for the record,( this hasn't come up yet but I'm sure it will)
I would like to point
out that I agree that the "overbend" harmonica technique (which I have
heard Hunter use
soullessly) is a very interesting and unique  way of playing. Although
that style of playing
is mostly popular in limited "harmonica player circles". Live
 Audiences tend to be less impressed as a whole. But I have heard some
players do this
'well' from the technique  standpoint. The ones that are truly honest
with themselves
however , have to admit that there are certain  shortcomings in ANY
STYLE of this
diatonically predisposed instrument being discussed here. 

 But by all means let's bring on the progress. There is however NO
Substitute for feel and
spontaneity. And ACCURATE pitch ain't a bad idea either ! 

 Does Richard Hunter regularly remind my fellow harmonica playing peers
such as Kim
Wilson , Mark Hummel, etc. ,That they dare not stray out of their "blues
domain" because
they might be dabbling? It is obvious Hunter totally  misunderstands
jazz and knows
Nothing about blues. The fact of the matter is that Hunter appears to be
an improperly
educated HARMONICA SNOB !

 The funniest part about all of this is that from the moment I heard
that Hunter ordered
this CD I saw his big stinking pile of denial coming before it was even
written by that
Charlatan . His reputation precedes him alright.

 As Wardell Gray would say ... "You gotta Dig it to Dig it" 

 This ain't a p---ing contest Dick.

 ~Shakin Smith 
***********************************************
I wrote a reply to Mr. Smith's apparently public message, but since he
included no return
address, I have no idea whether my reply was received by anyone at all. 
Let me take this
opportunity to reply publicly to what was evidently a public message.  

It's a little wierd to accuse me of being scared s---less, as Smith did,
when he's too
frightened to put a return address on his email. Perhaps Smith was just
afraid that I might
have my say to whatever audience he addressed his message to.  In any
case, there?s fear
all over Smith?s message, starting with the fear that someone with my
?reputation?
(whatever he thinks it is) might listen to and -- heaven forbid --
comment on his work. 
He was apparently so afraid of my response that he never read the part
of my review
where I told people to buy his CD.  Smith?s references to Lockwood,
Wilson, and
Hummel are fearful too -- doesn?t he think his work stands on its own?  

Smith's message is abusive and personal, and it goes way over the line
for an artist's
comments on a review. It?s the kind of thing I expect to hear from a
crack addict or a
raging alcoholic, not an artist offering his work to the public. When an
artist makes his
work public, anyone at all has the right to comment -- you, me, the kid
down the block,
the New York Times, anyone.  Period.  That's the way the game works.  An
artist who
can't handle that without losing control of his emotions shouldn't be in
the game. 

Mr. Smith's personal remarks are beneath comment.  His comments on my
playing are
obviously ignorant.  Where he got the idea that my style has ever been
all about
overblowing is beyond me.  No one who's been a member of Harp-L for more
than 15
minutes, or who's taken the trouble to read my comments on overblowing
at my website,
would make the same mistake.  

I understand that artists, like everyone else, have their faults.  God
knows I have mine. I
make a point of ignoring the personal faults of most artists, because if
I didn't there'd be
very little art that I could enjoy.  (If I really cared about what kind
of people many
well-known actors are, for example, I'd probably never watch another
movie.)  I focus on
the work, and I leave the personalities out of it.  Most of the time,
that is.

Mr. Smith has made his faults hard for me to ignore. I no longer
recommend that anyone buy
Smith's CDs, and I would never recommend that anyone take the trouble to
see him play.
And if you do, I recommend that you either sit in the back of the room,
or smile when he's
looking at you. 

In closing, I advise Mr. Smith to let it ride from now on when a
knowledgeable reviewer
tells a large audience to buy one of his CDs. It's a lot harder to get a
fan than it is to lose
one, and most artists need all the help they can get.  Mr. Smith's not
getting any more help
from me, and I stopped being a fan on May 3, 2001. 

Sincerely, Richard Hunter
hunterharp.com