Re: [Harp-L] Playing in the groove...

["Planet Harmonica" <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

<< I think the groove of jazz is called swing, most other grooves don't have a name or probably haven't been analysed as much as swing has, so most jazz players will know how to swing, and (in my experience) many funk players think they groove but they don't...>>

I know you shouldn't quote yourself but...

Most diatonic players started out playing blues, and most often, when they move towards different genres, be it rock, funk, jazz, whatever, they bring their blues groove with them. The phrasing, the placement on the beat, it all comes from blues. The link that Kenji posted is characteristic in that respect. The guitarist is playing a funky line, the drummer is definetely funky, but André's groove is, to my ears, a blues groove. Doesn't mean it's horrible, just that, to me, it doesn't groove as funk should.

A lot of Popper bashing has me baffled because this guy has shaken the blues groove off and has (or at least used to have, I'm not convinced by recent releases) a rock groove. This guy could play with any other serious rock guys and be *in there* whereas most diatonic players would sound like out of place blues players.

And then of course, but here I run the risk of moving into flame war territory, there are many many blues players who *haven't* nailed the blues groove. To my ears. Even some quite renowned. Or they'll have the groove, but their band doesn't. This last example struck me with many of Gary Primich's records. His playing is amazing, honestly this guy floors me, but the bands on the records I've heard, they're so square, so un-groovy...

I dunno. Probably a good part of that is subjective listening too, and I know I love stuff that makes me shake my inner booty... Like I was saying on a different list yesterday, I'm most sensitive to that aspect of music, others are probably sensitive to other things and don't care if a band doesn't groove as much as another band...

And you wondered why my blog was called Harmonica RAMBLINGS ?

Ben FELTEN
http://harmonica.typepad.com