[Harp-L] JJ Milteau plays "What a wonderful world" (re: Wolf's note)

[David Fertig <drfertig@xxxxxxxxx>]

I must say I love JJ Milteau's playing and this is another fine example.  The thoughtful comments of Wolf Kristiansen raise an issue around blues and harp that comes  up often, that of musical technical "precision."

Some would argue there ain't no precision in the blues, beyond honesty.   Oh, being in tune and on the pitch one seeks is important, of course, and controlling bent notes is very difficult yet vital, but what a player seek in terms of honestly expressing oneself is where the pitch and rhythm are felt by the player at the time, not A440 - 4/4 or whatever.  Hear Son House, Leadbelly, Liba Cotton, Mississippis Fred & John, etc. etc.

So I found JJ's slurs and and embellishments very sweet, and appreciable in terms of accuracy only as to his own personal expressiveness, for which I think he gets top marks for precision indeed.

Perhaps I should be thankful I don't have perfect pitch!

-Dave Fertig 

From:"Wolf Kristiansen" <wolfkristiansen@xxxxxxxx> Subject: [Harp-L] JJ Milteau plays "What a wonderful world" Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:20:28 -0500 (EST) To:harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx                Plain Text Attachment     [  Scan and Save to Computer      ]    
 
 
I'm late to this thread, but I've been busy; please
indulge me.  I read harp-l religiously, but don't
often post. This topic, and the clip it refers to,
inspired me to write.  

Martin Oldsberg pointed us to a lovely YouTube clip of
J.J. Milteau playing "It's a Wonderful World" on his
diatonic harmonica before a live and attentive
audience. Nice to see the harmonica getting the
respect it deserves. He was accompanied by a
sympathetic guitarist, whose understated style
perfectly fit the long, melodic lines Mr. Milteau
served up.

It was a treat to see and hear the harmonica simply
played without fear simplicity would be mistaken for
lack of skill or technique.  There was plenty of
expert technique on display; also plenty of
musicality.  

It's Christmas,let me be Scrooge.

The good things I heard-- 
1. A beautiful tone. Clean but rich.
2. A beautiful vibrato.  Present only when called for,
and subtle when present.
3.  An overall striving for beauty.  Beauty is
underrated in modern art.

The bad things I heard-- 
These may simply be a matter of musical taste (mine):
4. Mr. Milteau slid into some notes that did not
require this. That is, he started some notes bent,
then slid into the note he was aiming for.  To my
ears, for this song, he should have hit most of those
notes cleanly.  
5. The cleanly bent notes in draw 2 and draw 3 used,
not as passing notes, but essential notes, were subtly
off pitch.  They were flat.
6. Those same bent notes were of a subtly different
timbre; different enough that I started thinking about
them instead of the song.

Try listening with the video turned off, or with your
eyes off the screen, if you don't hear what I hear
right away. 

Many will see my remarks as nitpicking, but my finely
tuned sense of pitch compels me to offer these
comments.  I think the problems are, more than
anything else, demonstrative of the limitations
inherent in the tuning of the diatonic harmonica.  The
same problems that made Winslow Yerxa's "Ode to Joy"
challenge such a difficult one for the expert players
on this list.

That said, I laud Mr. Milteau for attempting the song
with our beloved, 4 inch, humble musical instrument.

Wolf Kristiansen