[Harp-L] Mark Hummel's Blues harmonica blowout Modesto CA Jan 28 2009

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Last night I had the great pleasure of listening to and playing in the Blues Harmonica Blowout organized by Mark Hummel in Modesto, CA.  This version of the Blowout features Mark, Curtis Salgado, Charlie Musselwhite, and Lee Oskar.  I was invited to the show by Lee, and Mark invited me onstage for the final number, an extended jam featuring all the players on "Comin' Home Baby."  It was a great night, one of the highlights of my experience as a listener and performer.

On the listening side, it was thoroughly inspiring to hear four superb players with very distinct styles at the top of their respective games, supported by a topnotch rhythm section that included Rusty Zinn on guitar.  Mark Hummel puts out a big, rocking wall of sound on the harmonica--his tone on both diatonic and chromatic harps is deep and powerful, and when he took the stage after the opening act, there was no doubt that it was harmonica time in Modesto. His singing was equally 
strong, and the overall effect was tremendously soulful and satisfying.  

Portland-based Curtis Salgado was up next, and for me he was the revelation of the night.  I last saw Curtis at SPAH in 1998, where I didn't get to hear him play much.  In the intervening years, I've read various glowing reviews of his work, and now it's time to add mine.  Salgado was simply terrific--one of the best blues harmonica players I've seen anywhere.  His lines and tone were continuously varied, and he knows for sure how to build a solo.  Whether he played fast, or slow, 
or in between, he was clearly in total command of his instrument at every point.   Did I mention that his singing was also top-notch?  In a word, it was a thrilling performance.

Both Salgado and Hummel played through meteor amps, Hummel using a vintage Astatic biscuit mic.  Both players sounded great, as you'd expect, but what was most interesting to me was how different they sounded through the same gear.  You know all those conversations we have about gear and tone around here? I am now completely convinced that whether or not you use the same gear as any player you care to name, you're not likely to sound like that player.  Great gear is great, of course, and I'd rather have great gear than crap gear any day.  But if you want a great sound, don't bother waiting until you have great gear to start working on it.  And if you think the gear is going to make you sound just like Little walter (or whoever your favorite player is), do yourself a favor and keep your money in your pocket until you hear the sound you want coming straight out of the harp.  (By the way, while we're talking gear, in the dressing room backstage both Hummel and Musslewhite sang the praises of the Kinder anti-feedback device, though neither had one onstage so far as I know.  Hummel said the thing saved his life on a tour of Brazil when he was stuck with some kind of weird Amp From Hell.)

During the intermission that followed Salgado, Hummel found out that the show, which had started a little before 9 PM (opening act not included), was supposed to end at 11--long before planned.  So at 10:20 PM, Lee Oskar went onstage for a 20-minute set, followed by Charlie Musselwhite with another 20-minute set.  I've known Lee for about 38 years, and it's inspiring to hear how his playing has grown over that time.  In the early 1970s, he played solos that consisted of beautiful long tones--he'd hold a note with a lovely, clean tone until you wanted to scream.  In the years since then, he's incorporated jazz harmonies and phrases into his lines, he plays all over the harp, he makes brilliant use of special tunings for both single notes and amazing chords, and he's incorporated plenty of cool effects into his rig.  Lee was, and remains, a unique and compelling voice for the instrument.  His set included both funk and jazz, with a beautiful rendition of my favorite song of all time, "In a Sentimental Mood."

Musselwhite took the stage after Lee, and he turned in a great, hi-voltage performance, as expected.  It was interesting to hear how Rusty Zinn changed his sound and approach to back Musselwhite--more edgy, more overdrive and sustain in the guitar, as opposed to the sound he used to back Hummel and Salgado.     

Immediately following Charlie's last song--"You Know It Ain't Right", recorded originally on "Takin' My time," his landmark 1971 album on Arhoolie Records--Hummel brought all the players up on stage for a last-song jam on "Comin Home Baby", and I was invited to join the crew.  On my way up, I did some heavy thinking about how I would contribute to this piece.  I decided that I would use the stage mic rather than an amped setup, specifically because I knew that I would play my Lee Oskar Natural Minor G harp in 2nd position, and the extensive chording I planned to use would sound like mush coming 
through a tube amp via a Green Bullet mic.  (Y'know, if you want to stand out next to amped blues harp heavy hitters like Musselwhite, Hummel, and Salgado, not to mention a unique approach like Lee's, you might as well try something completely different.)  This turned out to be a good strategy, although if I had to do it again, I'd swap out the Shure SM58 vocal mic for my Audix Fireball V, which I had in my bag along with my harps.  Among other things, the clean harp sound added a sweetness to the ensemble sound onstage that was otherwise missing, and it allowed me to chord behind the other players without turning their sounds into mush, too.

The soloists on this piece went from left to right across the stage--Lee, Charlie, Mark, Curtis, then me.  I had the pleasure of hearing everyone else play their 4-5 choruses before I did mine, and it was TOTALLY inspiring. When my turn came, I opened up with a melody harmonized in perfect 5ths--something you can only do on a natural minor harp--and took it from there.  Among other things, I used a lot of chording, as well as a few of my patented contrary-motion licks (like the one where I start with a two-octave spread on the blow 3 and 9 reeds and then walk the ends towards the middle). I reminded myself throughout to take it easy, enjoy myself, and make beautiful sounds, as opposed to straining to play as hard as I could.  Halfway through my solo, I looked to my left and saw Charlie Musselwhite looking at me with a big smile on his face.  Given that Charlie Musselwhite was my single most important inspiration throughout my early years as a serious musician, this was for me a profoundly satisfying moment.

Following my solo, we wrapped up the piece with two head choruses.  I used the natural minor to add harmonies to the lead line.  The overall sound of the harps onstage was huge.  After the last notes of the second head chorus, each of the harp players played a brief coda, again going across the stage from left to right, me last.  This time, instead of a chorded approach, I played a line in rapid triplets that started in the bottom octave and ended in the top, and it worked very well. When all was done, the audience went ape, not for the first time that night. And why not--that was two hours plus of some of the best harp playing I've ever heard, backed by a great rhythm section.  

Afterwards, Musselwhite complimented my playing, and I had the opportunity to tell him that his records were my inspiration--that until I heard his recording of "Christo Redentor" from the "Tennesse Woman" album, I had no idea how much emotion could be conveyed with a harmonica.  It was nice to be able to convey my thanks under these circumstances.

Like I said--it was a great night to be a listener and a performer.  On the listening side, the Blowout is coming to San Francisco for two nights, and of course Hummel runs these shows all over the country at different times of the year. I believe the ticket price for this show was $40, and for that price the audience had the opportunity to hear four great and very different harp players put out a lot of great music.  The Blowout is playing San Francisco tonight (Jan. 29) and tomorrow, and if you're in the neighborhood I strongly recommend the show.  If you don't live near San Francisco, when the Blowout comes to your town, go and bring your friends. You'll be very glad you did.

Regards, Richard Hunter 
latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://myspace.com/richardhunterharp