[Harp-L] And, In this corner

[Joe and Cass Leone <leone@xxxxxxxx>]

Weight...... 154 lbs 3 oz
Height........6' 0 1/2"
Reach........Yes he does
Age............ 32
Record.......Yes

Introducing, from Nashville Tenn., The heavy weight champion of the  
world

I had only met him recently. It was the Buckeye Harmonica Fest (circa  
2005?)
I hadn't really heard him till then. I mean really REALLY heard him.  
What I mean
is that I had heard OF him, and everything I had head was positive.

Well I got to hear him a second time at the blues blow off at  
Herman's Hideaway
 in Denver this past August. We got there late and I was only able  
to catch a snippet. Then his
set at the SPAH hotel locale, gave me a tantalyzing third all too  
brief snipett in an all too sterile
environment. For, you see, he is meant to be heard both live AND raw.  
One needs to
FEEL the power, feel the angst, feel the pain, feel the passion, feel  
the youth, feel the virility,
feel the strength. And it must be live and in living color. And the  
color would have to be blood red.

You see, this amazing human being from the planet earth (yes he IS  
from earth) bleeds his music.
 He literally opens up his arteries and bleeds his life out for you.  
It doesn't matter if there is only
 one of you, ten of you, a hundred, or a thousand. He gives his all,  
regardless.

Now I have made it no secret that way back in 19 and 60, I was a mere  
lad of 18 a hobo for a time. During that
short period I had the good fortune to develop a love for blues to  
add to my jazz addiction. I got to hear
some of the best over these 46 years, and I had never ever  
experienced anything like the champ.

Are there harp players who can match his speed? Maybe, but I have  
never heard one. Can anyone
match his clean accuracy? Maybe, but I am unable to recollect one.  
How about the ability to 'catch' bent notes in any one of 4? steps  
and do it spot on? Hmmm, still thinking. What about 13 straight  
minutes of flourishes at 262 beats per minute? Hey, you got ME by the  
halo. Now then, what about the ability to change the flourishes and  
come up with a mind boggling number of variations, so as to never  
bore the listener. I'm stumped to answer.

Unlike most players who show you everything they have in their  
'Tucker-Bag' in the first tune or two, 'DA Man' can
keep up an unrelenting barrage of so many different calibre guns,  
it's like the battle of Midway. So here we are in a country that has  
this annoying penchant for making everything into a contest. I get  
sick and tired of that. It's not that one player is better or worse  
than another. It's as simple as 'Everyone is just different'. But if  
we MUST think from a competitive level, then this man is definitely  
MY choice.

I got to spend two nights with him at a tiny oyster bar named Bert's  
in the scenic little swamp fishing village of Matlache (phonetic..  
Matt La Shay), and I gotta tell ya. MY life will never be the same. I  
even tried to adopt him.

So, who IS this marvel (who wears no mask, no sun glasses, no funny  
hat(s), uses no gimmicks)?

Winner..FOR the title...By Knock out... 2 min 55 sec of the second  
round...............Jason Ricci

your humble scribe....smokey joe