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

[David Fertig <drfertig@xxxxxxxxx>]

First: Winslow, you are the man!!  I've heard you play gutbucket blues, and also that fancy stuff, and you're still a mensch.  Even if you are a darned intellekshual.

Okay: There was the Cricket Hill Band, sans guitar and string bass, from Western Mass 1970-71, whom I roadied for one summer and whom I've mentioned before I think.

Cricket Hill featured a stunning singer (Helen Schneider, now in Deutschland), bandleader and uber-B3 player George Nassar, the amazingly deft and subtle young drummer (Jamie Newell now of Nashville) and a fine woman (name?) who played upright piano with fender keyboard bass.  

NO guitar.  No string bass player.  Just tons of blues, with funk, groove, and heart.  

And almost always a harp player sat in (James Cotton and others, this was a for-real blues band.) 

The key was the music and energy, which was simply great. Not the instrumental prowess and technical legerdemain (which was fine, just not the focus.)  

Maybe Cricket Hill was not particularly "innovative" or "creative" for those fine intellectuals bored by the "same old blues crap", but for those who can see beauty in the nuanced observation of the mundane, it was - is - really fine stuff.  

BTW: You German harpers may have heard of Helen Schneider, she's living in Deutschland now doing lots of Brecht and showtunes and the occasional blues thing. She's got some astounding chops, a dramatic bent, a great history and a fine manager in B3 Boss George Nassar.  Jamie Newell in Nashville is still very active as well.

-Dave "I'm a Snob Too" Fertig
(A snob, that is, for wine and food.  As for blues, just play it with heart, and you won't need no fancy bullshit.)


 "Winslow Yerxa" <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] What is the minimum blues band? CC:
 Date: Sat, 26 May 2007 09:14:37 -0700 (PDT) To:"Haka Harri" <harri.haka@xxxxxxxx>, harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx, fernando@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx                
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