[Harp-L] Re: Still on Sevie Wonder and subjectivity



Thanks JR for your comment on my post but it's out of context since I replied only to the claim of SW being the best harmonica player on earth.
That's why I quoted the entire paragraph. While your post may have been directed, the implication of his not being a harmonica specialist as meaning de-facto that he's not as qualified is carried through to this post (see your second to last sentence).
I did not imply that him being a multi-instrumentalist would as such make him any worse than some other harmonica player. Neither did I say he is not serious or good on the instrument but I still stick to him being far apart from the players I mentioned.
The later is fine, but I'm pretty sure that even if you hadn't intended it, you are still implying that he isn't as good a harmonica player as someone who has "dedicated [themselves] to the instrument full time". I think this is a false view. As I said, while most musicians only record on one or two instruments, most that I know actually play several. Indeed, if I were to see a flaw in modern musics (all genres) it would be the increased specialization.
Odd assortment of people these world class harmonica players? Maybe you mean differences in playing style or age?
I mean simply that I found it an odd assortment. It groups people I would view as particularly significant with others I wouldn't, and leaves some out whom I would put in. That's to be expected--it's a list of your favorites, and as such will be odd to most other people who don't exactly share your tastes. I'm sure most people would find any list of my favorite harmonica players to be similarly odd. Perhaps moreso.

Back to the part where I feel you are implying that multi- instrumentalists should be thought of as lesser than specialists:
Just take an example, forgetting musical genres. Stevie Wonder has performed and recorded for about as long as Rod Piazza.
Longer. Piazza's first record wasn't until much later, IIRC--don't forget, Stevie was a star at the age of 15.
Stevie has played the occasional harmonica solo through the years while Rod has been dedicated to the instrument full time for more than 40 years with good critical acclaim. Both are absolutely top musicians but if I had to vote for one of the two as best harmonica player on earth...

You are again implying that simply because he doesn't play harmonica on every song or all the time Stevie is not as good a harmonica player as Piazza. This is what I was talking about in terms of the dismissal of multi-instrumentalists. Stevie can be every bit as good a harmonica player as anyone else in terms of technique and impact and yet also be a top-notch keyboardist, drummer, etc... The fact that he doesn't "specialize" (a false concept in my experience, created primarily by the nature of the recording industry) is being used as a reason to not take him seriously, or at least as seriously. Is there some sort of "must use" policy at work? If Stevie had only ever played harmonica and sung and hired others to play the various instruments on his albums would he then have been as "dedicated to the instrument"?

Moreover, I also think this points out a complete lack of understanding of the harmonica in Stevie's music. While he may have played it less over time, it was as important as his voice (sometimes more) for at least the first decade of his career, not just occasional. Saying this about Stevie's early playing would be similar to saying that Junior Wells occasionally added harmonica to his songs.




()() JR "Bulldogge" Ross () () & Snuffy, too:) `----'







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