RE: [Harp-L] Re: Muddy and Sonny Boy11 video

["Allen Stratyner" <astratyner@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

      I've got a Storyville??? Cassette tape some place with that same line
up of players, sans Muddy and Otis Spann, and Rice Miller plays fantastic
harp throughout(one of my favorite recordings). It does surprise me that he
didn't do a little better job on "MoJo", or the Victoria Spivey performance
on those festival performances. I guess maybe it could have been a
difficulty with his hearing what was going on. If it wasn't a sound problem,
or "just a bad day at the office" I have no idea why he didn't sound better.
Even if he wasn't familiar with "Mojo" you'd think after a couple of cycles
he would have gotten the groove, and finished off sounding much better. One
of the worst things I ever heard was the great Little Walter backing up Shel
Silverstein on a European radio broadcast. Of course Shel Silverstein's
stuff wasn't the blues so Walter was totally unfamiliar with it. My best,
                           len

-----Original Message-----
From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx]On
Behalf Of M. N.
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2006 5:39 AM
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Harp-L] Re: Muddy and Sonny Boy11 video


Jim wrote:
"I like the part where Muddy winces at some of Sonny Boy's sour notes. The
video clip is from the American Folk Blues Festival 1962-1966, Vol. 1."

=====================

I've got volumes 1 and 2 of those DVDs. Great stuff but, make no mistake
about it, it's not like you'll be magically transported back to a
Mississippi juke joint or some South Side bar in the '50s. No, these
performances were done on elaborate sound stages in Europe for seated
audiences in suits and dresses. And the performers were all on their "best"
behavior.
It's GREAT too see some of my heros in the flesh but some of the
performances IMHO were less than stellar. While Muddy hit a home run with
"Mojo" on volume 1, I thought SBWII's harp really didn't fit there. It
could/should have been an amazing platform for an amplified master like
Junior Wells or Big Walter.
Also, I thought Sippie Wallace's version of "Women Be Wise" was cool the
first 60 seconds or so - then she just started singing the same verse over
and over and over - and over - again.
In volume 2 I cringed throughout Victoria Spivey's "Black Snake Blues" the
first time I watched it, largely because of SBWII's weak, out-of-place
playing (now, I LOVE the guy - but his playing here sucked). Now, I just
skip past it when I'm watching the DVD.
MN


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