[Harp-L] A short review of Steve Baker and Dick Bird's "King Kazoo"

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I picked up a copy of the above-named CD at SPAH in August, and I've listened to it a few times since.  The following is a short review.  The really short review is this: this is a terrific record, with great songs and a fresh sound, not to mention plenty of outstanding diatonic harmonica playing.  The recording and the packaging are first rate.  I can't imagine that any harmonica player would not enjoy this record.

The record begins with one of the two pieces on this disk that feature amped-up harp, a Chicago-style arrangement of Tampa Red's "I'll Never Let You Go."  Anyone who heard Steve play at SPAH 2009 knows that when you put a Bullet mic in his hands and an amp behind him that he's going to throw down hard, and the harp on this piece starts things off with a big blue bang. Baker's playing on this piece is at once thoroughly traditional and utterly personal, with tremendous attention to the details of tone and rhythm.  It's the kind of playing that reminds you why Chicago style harp remains fresh, valid and meaningful more than 60 years after its birth. 

The second piece on the CD, a Baker original titled "Glad I got you", is a very different kind of song: radiantly sweet, with gorgeous acoustic harp. My only caveat on this entire record is that the upbeat folky tone on this piece is a big departure from the first, maybe too big.  But I appreciate that Baker and Bird wanted to signal the listener that this is something other than a straight blues record, and this piece certainly does that.

The 12 other pieces on the CD touch on folk, ragtime, and more Chicago blues, and they're all brilliantly rendered, with occasional support from drums and standup bass (and jug!).  The interplay between Bird on guitar and Baker on harmonica is solid and engaging; you can practically see these guys smiling while they play.  The sound is well-balanced and very well recorded, without either the bottom-heavy bass and kick drum or the maxed-out volume that you hear on way too many commercial releases nowadays.  (The bass on blues records from the 1950s is all about rhythmic thump, not blowing out the woofer.)  The record that keeps coming to mind by way of comparison is Peter "Madcat" Ruth's "Harmonica and Ukelele Project," which was also about a mix of traditional styles and tunes, though Ruth took his material in more overtly electronic directions.    

Solid singing and great playing on material that's old enough to sound new again makes for a great record. If you like your music on the acoustic side with a touch of amp to kick up the grind factor every once in a while, you'll like this record plenty.  I sure do.

Regards, Richard Hunter 

author, "Jazz Harp"
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