[Harp-L] Review of Filisko/Noden

[Roscoharp@xxxxxxx]

Hey list,
 
Madcat made  a post a few weeks ago about duets  & specifically the new 
Filisko/Noden CD. Some other folks have  also reviewed the CD here on the L. 
 
I've had the Filisko/Noden CD in heavy rotation for a couple of months.Here  
are my impressions:
 
First, Eric is a great guitarist with dead-on tempo & good feel  for harp 
accompaniment. Any harp player would be happy to have Eric as a  partner. This is 
a harp board though, so my review will concentrate on  that.
 
Filsko/Noden features Joe Filisko doing what he does best, pre-war acoustic  
styles, & early post war "Chicago" blues, & Joe's best is as good as it  gets. 
This is a 'live in the studio' recording with a respectful but  energized  
audience. On some tunes, Joe is basically 're-creating' classic  but 
underappreciated sides by Gwen Foster, Tommy Johnson, Johnny Woods, Red  Parham, & Daddy 
Stovepipe. (BTW, the liner notes for all these songs  are a wealth of info.) 
Many of these early players developed individualized  styles that exploited 
most of  the sonic possibilities of  harp.  Joe has researched & studied this 
material & presents  it masterfully, with the added benefit of the clarity of 
modern recording  technology. Joe nails all the slaps, double stops, trills, 
vocalizations,  &  some other stuff I can't figure out. Anyone interested in these 
 styles could spend A LOT of time trying to cop the riffs Joe plays here with 
 seeming ease. (Or seek out a lesson from Joe himself!)
 
I really enjoy hearing  Joe's 'homage' approach to  of all of these neglected 
old masters harp features, but Joe  also adds more personalized harp to some 
classics from Robert Johnson, Rev.Gary  Davis, & others. These are my own 
favorite cuts. Joe has a very big trick  bag & is able to add his own feel to 
these tunes as he interprets  them.
 
For me, a couple of the real stand out tunes are the amplified cuts  (Kind 
Hearted Woman Blues, Cut You Loose). I especially love listening to Joe  bust 
loose on the last tune of the album, "Cut You Loose." This is some nasty  harp & 
it leaves me wanting to hear more of this style from Joe.
 
Later,
Rosco

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