Subject: [Harp-L] Ford/Butterfield

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Grant: As I was reading your post, I was struck by this one  phrase: "Night 
after night, Garth Webber and Mark Ford created a  guitar/Harp unison in 
harmony.
Unless you saw them live, it is hard to  explain the energy" 
 
- and immediately thought of Jason Ricci and Shawn Starski's astonishing  
energy and symbiosis...his harp so melding with Shawn's guitar the  sound 
becomes a fusion I've never heard the like of before.  Videos and  even audio 
recordings simply don't do them justice. One has to be witness to it  Live to 
truly understand. Perhaps it does take musicians who play as often as  
touring musicians do day after day, to get to that level.  Then you  continued 
your post and confirmed the same reaction with Webber and Ford.   Truly..you 
MUST see a JR&NB show Live when and if the band comes through  your neck of 
the woods. I know you get it and will be blown away. 
 
I don't know enough about Mark Ford. I also wish I'd had the chance to see  
PB play live or knew about him earlier...but I didn't come back to 
harmonica  until far too late, so feel I'm now playing catch up.  My one 
'connection'  is of having been born on his birthday. Too little, too late, alas.
 
Elizabeth
 
 
"Message: 5
Date: Mon, 6 Jul 2009 15:12:55 -0700
From: Grant Walters  <grant@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] Ford/Butterfield
To:  harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx

I'd be curious to hear Mark Ford"s comments on this but  I always felt  
Mark was truly one of a kind.
If you are basing your  opinion of him by Recordings you are not  
getting the true  picture.
Night after night, Garth Webber and Mark Ford created a  guitar/Harp  
unison in harmony.
Unless you saw them live, it is hard  to explain the energy.  The dance  
floor was full.
There was a  generation of harp players in the San Jose/San Francisco  
area who  tried unsuccessfully
to get his sound.  Andy Just did this new form  justice with Chris Cain  
on Guitar and maybe Paul Butterfield
was  pushed in new directions  by his set of young, talented, energetic   
guitar players.  I don't know.

I once played a recording of Mark  Ford to music loving friend who  
asked me who was playing the  guitar.
To this end, I went out and got a Lab Series amp and the same mic  he  
used.  Could not even come close to
getting that power or  that sound.  There were a lot of guys ( harp  
players) who were  not ready for him and his dance floor
full of beautiful dancing women. ( I  was)   It Did not seem fair when  
the guys we worshiped who  played the old style blues were
not getting the same reaction or crowd.   Nowadays there seems to be  
room and an audience for both.

I  understood where  Ford and Just and these guys were coming  from.   
They could pair up with the Guitar licks.
I think I  hear this in Ricci's playing.  Raw power.  But I have not   
seen him live so I cannot make a comment for sure.
I did see Butter live  a few days before he passed.

He was in San Franciso and he took a break  and put a wet towel over  
his head in the downstairs Cafe/Bar.
A  girl ( in tears) was pleading with him not to go play any more and I   
almost went home because I thought he was done.
Up until that time I was  a fan but I placed him among my many favorites.

When he retook the stage  for the final set he completely blew my  
mind...I did not know that  kind of Power could come from
this instrument.  Now I wish I would have  had a chance to see him in  
his early years.  This was the single  most moving set
I have ever witnessed and yet I was not a big fan before  this.

I love to see these guys live...and do every chance I  get.

Grant

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