Re: [Harp-L] What is the minimum blues band?

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Is the bass player really needed? 

Little Walter made some of his classic recordings with just drums and
two guitars. A careful examination of early Muddy may reveal some
sessions without a bass player as well.

Bass players can weight things down. This may sound like heresy, but
listen to some of those bass-less Walter recordings. I think there may
may have been a good sonic reason for it.

Of course, you can have a duo of piano and drums. The Doors never used
a bass player live, only on records; they never found one they liked.
Ray Manzarek played bass on his keyboard (or did he use some kind of
pedal bass?)

It's quite conceivable you could have a blues trio of harmonica, drums,
and either guitar or keyboards.

Of course the classic guitar/harmonica duo is also perfectly workable.

Winslow



--- Haka Harri <harri.haka@xxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Hi Fernando and all,
> 
> IMO a blues band has to have 1)harp, 2)guitar, 3)drums, 4)bass.
> Vocals have to be there be it one of the instrumentalists or a
> singer. Added value is often piano and sometimes horns.
> 
> Rod Piazza took a new step in letting his bass player Bill Stuve go.
> John Mayall performed in the early seventies without a drummer. Both
> with acceptable results.
> 
> The minimum blues band was probably the guys playing harp or guitar
> by themselves on Maxwell Street long ago. The optimum blues band
> (again IMO)would be fronted by vocals/harp, 2 guitars, piano, bass
> and drums. I'm already starting to dream of an allstar
> lineup...Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Jimmy Rogers, Otis Spann, Willie
> Dixon, Willie Smith. Unfortunately only Guy and Smith are the only
> living legends.
> 
> Harri
> 
> 
> > 
> > From: "Fernando Bresslau" <fernando@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Re: future harmonicas and all that
> > To: harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > Message-ID:
> > 	<bd4dc6f30705260400w7693d3w5dc28bec05f306ca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
> > 
> > On 5/26/07, Haka Harri <harri.haka@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > > Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > > <snip>
> > > > Indeed, it's easy from talking to harp players to get the 
> > impression
> > > > that the harmonica is bigger than reality even in genres like
> the
> > > > blues.  There, the harmonica is an occasional instrument, 
> > and not as
> > > > central to the musical form as guitars, drums or bass 
> > over the last
> > > > fifty or more years.  As for jazz, well, the harmonica is 
> > completely
> > > > and utterly unimportant and unused in the genre, essentially.
> > > > Basically, there's Toots and that's it--Jazz fans and the
> > > > jazz public
> > > > seem basically to have reached a glut in the supply side of
> things
> > > > with one harmonica player, and no more need apply.
> > >
> > > As you said, in almost all musical genres harmonica plays a 
> > minor role. But in blues the harmonica is NOT an occasional 
> > instrument. Guitar and vocals are almost always present but 
> > in post war blues, harp is also very dominant. No need to 
> > mention names but since SBW 1 up to this day there have been 
> > countless harp players who have contributed to the richness 
> > of the genre. Muddy Waters insisted that a good blues band 
> > has to have an excellent harp player.
> > 
> > Hello Harri. I happen to agree with Jonathan (as usual). Take a
> > guitar, bass and drums, and you have a blues band. Try to make a
> blues
> > trio where the harmonica is present, and it gets more difficult.
> > I am sure that if a blues quartet with harp has to get rid of a
> > member, it will be the harp player, if he is not the lead singer.
> > 
> > That's why I am slowly learning to play the ukulele ;-)
> > 
> > Cheers,
> > Fernando
> > 
> > 
> > ------------------------------
> > 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
> Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
> http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l
> 



       
____________________________________________________________________________________Yahoo! oneSearch: Finally, mobile search 
that gives answers, not web links. 
http://mobile.yahoo.com/mobileweb/onesearch?refer=1ONXIC