[Harp-L] mel lyman and country harp

[Trip Henderson <trip.tunes@xxxxxxxxx>]

Wow!  Thanks Jimmy for sending the link to the Kweskin's "America"
recording.  I've never heard that stuff before and it is so beautiful. Mel's
weird shaky vibrato make him sound do vulnerable, unveiled. Check out Old
Black Joe where a bassist or cellist is bowing a harmony part against the
harp's melody - its otherworldly. Does anyone know if there's a recording of
the "Rock of Ages" performance referenced in the following wiki quote?

"Lyman, a skilled harmonica player, is remembered in folk music circles for
playing a 30 minute improvisation on the traditional hymn "Rock of
Ages<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_of_Ages_(Christian_hymn)>"
at the end of the 1965 Newport Folk Festival to the riled crowd streaming
out after Bob Dylan <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan>'s famous
appearance with an electric band. Some felt that Lyman, an acoustic music
purist, was delivering a wordless counterargument to Dylan's new-found rock
direction."

As for backing up singers and playing in a folk and country context I still
think you can't beat the 1973 album by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band called
"Will the Circle be Unbroken" -the bands drummer Jimmy Fadden is a superb
harp player who knows how to support a singer, blend with fiddle and blow
hot solos.  BTW, there's also a wonderful version of Dark as a Dungeon on
that recording.

~Trip
www.myspace.com/thewhistlinwolves


Message: 7
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:44:34 -0500
From: jim.alciere@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Harp-L] country western harp
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID:
       <386fc0380911180644w2f86b1f9w988f9c953892dc32@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
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I fake country western with the Cooper Hill Band but I've never really
mastered it.
What I do is play the old traditional stuff (Sonny Terry's work with Woodie
Guthrie and Mel Lyman's stuff with Kweskin's Jug Band) and sort of make it
fit.
It would be an undertaking but it would be real nice to have a link to 8 or
9 good country western harmonica tunes, with the key of the song, and note
whether they're using the Nashville tuning or just a regular tuned harp.
Something to play along with.
At this point in my life I am not going to attempt to learn Orange Blossom
Express.
Here's two songs that really influenced me as a kid. I don't have any harps
with me so I can't tell you the keys but they're regular tuned harps 2nd
position

Here's a decidedly laid back version of Merle Travis's Dark as a Dungeon
with Mel Lyman
http://mp3.rhapsody.com/jim-kweskin/america

And not really country, but close--Sonny Terry with Woody Guthrie doing My
Dirty Overhauls  Sonny is of course, perfect.
http://www.rhapsody.com/woody-guthrie/woody-guthrie-sings-folk-songs

--
Rainbow Jimmy
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1372404/dhoozh_chapter_1.html

-- 
Trip
http://www.myspace.com/triphenderson
http://www.secondfiddles.com