[Harp-L] Re: Butter TV spot

["John F. Potts" <hvyj@xxxxxxx>]

EV 630 writes to Tom Ellis:

Regards your quote below... A lot of harp players have said or had it  
said
about them that the harp mimics a human voice in terms of  
expressiveness and
communication of emotion. It's a pretty bold and I would think  
controversial
statement to say that you haven't heard ANY harp player since  
Butterfield
"communicate true feeling with his playing". You can't possibly mean  
that in
a truly objective sense?

I'm enjoying this analysis of Butterfield, and in that context I am  
asking
this seriously.

Drew,

I can't speak for Tom Ellis, but players like Wilson, Estrin and  
Piazza interpret a defined style that was developed and established  
by well known ODBGs.  They show amazing technical command of the  
instrument, great musicality, and even some new interpretations and  
variations of this style. But they are largely derivative, imitating,  
adopting, expanding upon and  COMMUNICATING IN a well known and well  
established style.  So a lot of what they do is very similar to stuff  
that others have played before.  Extremely well done, but  
artistically it's mostly an exploration and expansion of something  
we've heard before and have learned to expect and appreciate.  On an  
emotional level, they don't tell me very much that someone else  
hasn't already said.

Butterfield played in a style uniquely his own.  He did not imitate.   
His playing moves me because it goes other places.  Whether you call  
it rock, jazz blues or whatever, the note placement and phrasing  
takes you somewhere different.  It's not the SOS done with more flash  
and style.  It's originally individual and provokes a sense of  
intensity and anticipation as PB blows in completely new directions  
and then STOPS (a la Junior Wells) immediately as soon as his musical  
statement is complete. Such urgency and economy makes a powerfully  
intense emotional statement i can immediately relate to and which  
rivets my attention and holds my curiosity. I just don't get that  
from guys who play in the more traditional style who are expressing  
well crafted variations on musical ideas we've heard before and  
making statements have learned to listen for and  expect to hear.

I don't know what "true feeling" Tom is talking about, but i find  
very powerful emotion in PB's playing. I'm hard pressed to think of  
anyone since who compares.  For emotional urgency, economy of  
expression and provocative artistic statement, Junior Wells is pretty  
intense and, quite frankly, I am consistently moved by the intensity  
and emotion in the harp playing of Howlin' Wolf. But they came before  
PB.

I may be forgetting some players. But offhand i just can't think of  
any who make more consistently powerful and unique emotional  
statements with such provocative artistic expression when they play  
harmonica than these three. These guys consistently reach me at an  
emotional level that other players only visit every now and then.  
Their playing almost always communicates something i haven't heard  
elsewhere.  For my money, that's fully realized artistic expression.  
But that's just how i happen to feel about it. YMMV.

FWIW.

JP