Re: [Harp-L] Butter TV spot

[Mojo Red <harplicks@xxxxxxxxx>]

Good discussion on Butter! 

For the record, I've never been a huge Butterfield fan (with the glaring exception of Better Days, which I adore). Still, I readily recognize him as a harmonica innovator in his day, and a player with incredible technique.

Lister Ev630 wrote:

> So how did he play it? I'd be very grateful if you could explain what you
> mean in this post, as it remains unclear to me. If you mean no one was
> playing arpeggiated licks that were on the beat, then I would agree that
> many of the top harp guys weren't interested in doing that.

...and later wrote:

> So far, no one has been able to elucidate in what way Butterfield was INNOVATIVE.

I think the poster's earlier statement partially states exactly in what way that Butter was innovative. Those arpeggio licks, and in particular the phrasing and note choice of those licks, at the time were completely unique to Butterfield. And if you listen carefully, he did not stick to keeping everything on the beat, but would often push the beat, fall behind the beat or drum it right into the ground, depending on the mood he was trying to create in a particular song.

Let's look at his playing on "Thank You Mr. Poobah" on his first album, for example. This instrumental tune, a fast shuffle, shows him mixing traditional blues licks with his frantic style. It highlights his love for both pushing the beat and falling behind it, demonstrates his unique phrasing of note choices (jazz influence here), not in keeping with typical harp player's shuffles of the day... and his fluid movement from lead instrument to backup keyboard-style punches while guitar or keyboards took leads. 

His leads in this song are again a mix of typical blues licks and jazzier explorations (ie. that wailing 6 draw over chord changes) that were clearly outside the box of a blues shuffle, particularly as it applies to harmonica. Some of those runs are somewhat a-tonal or near-a-tonal, bringing an edge to his play that was unique. Yet in a moment that edge would melt back into musical normalcy and create a comfort zone for the listener, falling back to traditional licks.

I don't know of any other harmonica player back then who approached blues or rock (or music in general) quite in that way... certainly not with the harmonica. Butter used the harp in a cutting, blazing and very unconventional non-bluesharp ways--much more like an electric guitar with jazz-influenced phrasing. Perhaps this is due to his earlier training with flute. He played the harp upside down too, which may or may not be considered an innovation. But to my ears, his frantic jazz-tinged rock style of playing was certainly musically innovative for harmonica, especially when you consider that he applied that rock-guitar harmonica style to the blues.

I don't think Cotton was going there in his play; certainly not Horton or Wells...(though there is an argument to be made that Wells was highly innovative with his unusual applications of 3rd position). And Charlie Musselwhite--who clearly was pushing the envelope of conventionality in his own playing through the use of "exotic" positions beyond 1st, 2nd or 3rd--tended to be more consistently melodic with his phrasing and note choices, never venturing quite so far outside the box as Butter. Look how he approached Nat Adderly's "The Work Song", as another example. Clearly he was consciously mixing jazz, blues and rock in this frenetic epic. Clearly an innovative direction for harmonica players. 

Butter was certainly innovative in his play. Not always my cup of tea, but that's another discussion. Those are my thoughts anyhoo.

Harpin' in Colorado,
--Ken M.
 
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