Re: [Harp-L] I'm Gonna Listen to 'Em

[Pierre <plavio@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> And by the way, few of them sound like one another--and I'll doubt that 
> I'll
> ever sound like any of 'em, but I'll have a blast working at it.  And 
> listening, REALLY listening.

In a sense its true that "few of them sound like one another" but actually, 
at some level most do sound alike. When was the last time you listened to a 
blues harmonica CD and thought, wow! this guy really stands out as an 
original. Its pretty hard being original playing Blues standards.

I think the reason people rave about Little Walter is that he stood out from 
the rest and he still does today. But I think he developped a broad language 
which allowed him to come up with fresh and tasty sounding phrases.

Like you, I'm sure you won't end up sounding like anybody else, but unless 
you are 'special' you will sound like other harmonica players (normal). 
That's ok for some folks, but certain others want to sound "new" and they 
have to look somewhere else for inspiration or else find some new sound or 
some techniques to come up with something fresh.

BTW Carlos Del Junco's Up and at em' CD has a fabulously original CD. Every 
tune is great. I think years from now that CD will stand out as a turning 
point. Of course he did not select blues standards as a start. But still, 
when you listen to some of the jazz standards he plays, you hear some of the 
stuff Little Walter had (genius), at least I do. I think Carlos has found 
Little Walters recipe and taken it one step further.

Pierre.













----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard Bush" <rcush@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2005 10:35 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] I'm Gonna Listen to 'Em


> If you're gonna play blues, then by golly you better be listening to harp 
> players.  Little Walter, Big Walter, Sonny Boy I & ll, Sonny Terry, George 
> Smith, Junior Wells, James Cotton, Sam Myers, Slim Harpo, Jimmy Reed, 
> Howlin' Wolf, Billy Boy Arnold, etc...all play blues with unique styles, 
> tone and phrasing that'd take more lifetimes than I'm allowed to master. 
> I'll keep listening to 'em, thank you.  My mistake is I haven't listen 
> hard enough.
>
> Then, I'll continue listening to the guys that really listened to those 
> guys, figured them out, and added what they mastered with their own flair 
> and ideas, such as Kim Wilson, Gary Smith, Rod Piazza, William Clarke, 
> Jason Ricci, Adam Gussow, Sugar Ray Norcia, Ian Collard, Mitch Kasmar, 
> Jerry Portnoy, Paul Oscher,  etc...
>
> Then, I'll continue buying instructional material from guys that have 
> REALLY listened and figured out what I haven't, so I can get further down 
> the road. I ain't listening to sax, piano or guitar licks when there are 
> still a million and two licks from those cats listed above that I haven't 
> gotten around to yet.  And, if some of those guys copped from sax, piano 
> or guitar players, then I steal what they've come up with, because life is 
> too darned short and I'm getting closer to the shorter end of it each and 
> every year. And by the way, few of them sound like one another--and I'll 
> doubt that I'll ever sound like any of 'em, but I'll have a blast working 
> at it.  And listening, REALLY listening.
>
> See ya--
> Rick
>
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