[Harp-L] S.P.A.H. entertainment

["Mick Zaklan" <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx>]

  Last year a buddy of mine offered to give me a listen to a bootleg
recording he had come across.  Turned out it was something I'd heard about
many years earlier.  Basically, a group of young musicians, blues fans, had
dropped in on Big Walter Horton one evening at (I think) his Chicago
apartment.  Given the old man's distrust of tape recorders and even cameras,
it was surprising that this thing ever got recorded.  But it was
definitely Walter, holding court with some admirers in his living room.  The
tape contains some garbled chatter and a lot of acoustic jamming; with
Walter joining in with his signature songs and riffs.
  But I think if most harpists were able to hear the recording (it
won't happen); their first question would be: "Who's the other guy?".  There
is a second harmonica player in the room who appears to be holding his own
with Horton.  It is one of the young visitors.  His tone is strong and
vocal; he uses his hands well; his sense of time absolutely pinpoint;
and his chops are exceptional, even by today's standards.  It's my opinion
that Horton played as well and as much as he did on this tape in
part because he felt pressured by the other player.  Or, as my grinning
buddy put it;  " I think he made Walter nervous!".
  Someone scribbled "Feb 1973" on the copy of the recording I listened to.
Walter Horton passed away in 1981.  Physically, anyway.  I doubt that a day
goes by that a harmonica player somewhere isn't playing a Horton riff
onstage or woodshedding one at home.  Or trying to figure out how the old
man got those fat, crusty, shimmering tones.  No telling how long this will
go on happening.  You could argue that as long as the instrument exists,
Horton will exist.  That's a kind of immortality, isn't it?
  The young, unknown player on the tape?  Important to note that this
fellow never stopped playing the harmonica.  Basically, all he's ever done
for a living since the late 60's.  Quietly working a small geographical area
in the middle of the country. Mostly taverns; night after night, year after
year, decade after decade.  Though nearly as unknown as he was in ' 73, his
fan club has grown over the years and includes people like Kim Wilson, Rick
Estrin, Joe Filisko, Mark Hummel, Kirk Johnson, P. T. Gazell, Sonny Jr., Tom
Ellis lll, Matthew Skoller, Buzz Kranz and Billy Branch.  Due, I suspect, to
the efforts of a few of these gentlemen; Jim Liban will be playing his very
first harmonica convention, this year in Milwaukee.  This was long overdue.
Thank you, S.P.A.H.
  Hey, I also want to congratulate our fellow list members Slim Heilpern
and Randy Singer for being chosen as well to entertain at the S.P.A.H.
convention.  I look forward to hearing them!

Mick Zaklan