Re: [Harp-L] Budapest

["Planet Harmonica" <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> But I think "native blues men" ( I mean, you, Americans) should not
> disdain
> other countrys, other continents. I dont like this kind of tone. We are
> a small country some people even dont know where it is. But this doesnt
> mean that here is nothing.
> Sorry I do not want to flame, but everybody should respect the others.
> I am pride of my country, and my country's musicians, and "we" can play
> better blues music, than some american bands.
> Peace and respect!
>
> Attila Czigany from Hungary
> http://attee.tk

Attila,

I fully agree with you. Over the years, I've heard many bluesmen (not to 
mention many harp players) and a lot of the more interesting stuff comes 
from outside of the area of origin of the idiom. That's not to say that 
there aren't great US blues acts and players, but that the assumption that 
you need to be American to play good blues is quite ridiculous.

My favourite blues record of these last few years (no harp) is Kevin Brown's 
"Mojave Dust", and Kevin is a guy from Bath, UK. The deepest, most soulful 
acoustic guitar and vocals stuff I've ever heard.

Although I'm less keen on what he's doing now, Nico Toussaint from France 
has nailed down and integrated the heavy blues harp sound better than a lot 
of Americans I've heard. Same goes with Steven deBruyn in Belgium, although 
he doesn't do blues anymore. But listen to his ex-band's cover of Your 
Funeral and My Trial, and you will weep at how deep and true it sounds.

Mattyas definetely fits in that category for me, although at the time he was 
playing with the Blues Fools I kept wishing he'd do something more personal. 
Has he released anything since going solo ?

Anyway, lest I be misunderstoof, this is not to say we don't have 
uninteresting or just plain crap players over here too ! There's no inherent 
betterness on either side of the Atlantic, is more how I feel. In this day 
of worldwide communications, in a day when some US artists can be more 
popular in Europe than in the US (Ben Harper, Popa Chubby...) there's no 
reason why anyone can't have the same access to the base material and go 
with it in a way that's both interesting and fresh (rare though that is in 
truth...)

Ben