Re: [Harp-L] James Taylor harmonica on "Road Runner"

[Eric Nielsen <ericbarnak@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Richard,

Here are some youtube clips of him playing harmonica on this song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBb3o7BTDtQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qPn5rw2X6o

The sound quality isn't great, but we can watch him having some fun and hear
something of what he's up to with harp.

I don't like to beat up on folkie harp players. They have their well
staked-out niche, and I accept that and even like a lot of it. But, still, I
have often wondered why the gap between their skill in singing, guitar or
piano playing, etc. and their skill in harmonica playing is so wide. Let's
encourage them. It would be so fine if Tift Merritt and Alanis Morrisette
and others so blessed with musical talent became more aware of how much
this shiny little music box can do.

As you suggest, maybe it's started here. Taylor's guitar playing was always
excellent--much more than simple accompaniment. Now, he is polishing up his
harp playing and may wonderfully surprise us in the future.

Eric



On Thu, Dec 24, 2009 at 12:53 AM, Richard Hunter
<turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:

> I wrote years ago on harp-L about James Taylor's wonderful "Hourglass"
> record, which features amazing chromatic harp by Stevie Wonder on one song,
> and some less amazing diatonic harp by Taylor on another. I just heard
> Taylor's "Covers" CD, and there's some very nice diatonic harp, apparently
> by Taylor (who is the only harmonica player named in the credits), on the
> Junior Walker classic "Road Runner".  The harp is second position, with a
> heavily effected sound--there's an octave doubler for sure, set to double
> the pitch one octave up, and there's either an amp or an amp modeler in the
> chain, too.  (I have no idea what gear was used to produce these sounds.)
>  The lines are obviously inspired by Walker's sax on the original, and
> they're played well.
>
> It's inspiring to hear Taylor progress on harmonica--to see that he takes
> it seriously enough to add to his skills.  The originality of the tone is
> inspiring, too.  A simple amped sound would probably have done the job for
> this piece, but Taylor's sound is way more electronic than that.  He's not
> the first harp artist to use a pitch shifter in this way--Wade Schuman with
> Hazmat Modine comes to mind--but the effect is still unusual enough to stand
> out in a mix.  The sound tells you that he was confident enough in his
> playing to put the harp WAY out in front of the band.
>
> Wouldn't it be amazing if James Taylor became a master harmonica player at
> this point in his career?  He's certainly got the talent.
>
> Regards, Richard Hunter
>
>
>
>
>
> author, "Jazz Harp"
> latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://myspace.com/richardhunterharp
> more mp3s at http://taxi.com/rhunter
> Vids at http://www.youtube.com/user/lightninrick
> _______________________________________________
> Harp-L is sponsored by SPAH, http://www.spah.org
> Harp-L@xxxxxxxxxx
> http://harp-l.org/mailman/listinfo/harp-l
>