Re: Subject: [Harp-L] Joe Leone




On Sep 19, 2010, at 5:31 PM, Dan Axt wrote:


Summertime...ha! Smo-jotime is more like. After listening to that, I'm of two minds. One, be inspired and rededicate myself to my instrument, or two, throw all my harmonicas away. I'll never be at that level of musicianship. Beautiful, Joe. Dan Axt

Thank you so much Dan. Your message is a great birthday present. But please don't consider doing anything rash. Here's why. I played a CD today that a man sent me. I was immediately sent into the doldrums of the dumps..the depths of despair, the dens of iniquity the porticos of pain, the facades of frenzy.


This guy is SOOOOOO good, I actually got sick. He has quickly risen to my all time top list of players. His name? Jon Ericksen. My first thought is to nail my harmonicas to a tree. But we must persevere. That's what we do. We're harmonica players. We never quit. We never quit. We never quit.

Smo-Joe (oh, and btw, I have spies all over and they tell me that you're a cool tool on a harp). So thanks again for being nice to an old man.

----- Original Message ----- From: <EGS1217@xxxxxxx>
To: <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2010 1:47 PM
Subject: Subject: [Harp-L] Joe Leone


Hey Mick:

Then you might enjoy these: :)


Smokey Joe Leone: All from Buckeye 2007 Convention


Summertime (chromatic)


_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu8Jt7DKMOk_ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu8Jt7DKMOk)



Angel Eyes: (chromatic)



_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzlaRAHwmq4_
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzlaRAHwmq4)



After the Lovin' - (diatonic - although I don't know if this is one of his
'special' SmoJoe tunings)...




_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4lBYzkW4kA_
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4lBYzkW4kA)



...there are a couple of others too - easily found on youtube after one
watches these vids.


Maybe you could convince him there really IS a reason for him to make a
CD? Several of us have tried to no avail.



Elizabeth


Message: 13
Date: Sat, 18 Sep 2010 11:23:46 -0500
From: Mick Zaklan  <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] Joe Leone
To:  harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx

Back in the early 90's; I was walking around the hotel during one of the
SPAH conventions looking for an opportunity to play. There were two or
three lobby jams happening and I stopped off at each to sit in. Walking
around; I noticed I was being followed. An intense looking guy was moving
parallel to me, ten or twenty feet to my side. Every time I stopped, he
stopped. If I pulled out a harp, he moved in close to listen.
After awhile, he approached me. "I've been watching you", he confirmed.
"You don't sound like anybody else here." That was my introduction to
Smokey Joe Leone. As we all know from reading Joe's posts over the years;
this is a guy who definitely questions the status quo and values
individuality. So the fact that he was interested in my playing was a
great
compliment to me.
Now; a few years later I happened to be walking past one of the SPAH open
stages and somebody was just sailing through a standard, just eating up the
changes. Can't remember the tune, but it was something that I associated
with chromatic harp but the player was using a diatonic. I immediately
assumed it was Tom Troestler but it turned out to be my friend, Joe. It
was
the first time I had been able to actually hear Joe play and it was a
revelation. At one point, he switched over to chromatic and, like Tom
Troestler, was every bit as adept on that instrument as he was on the
"short
harp".
I'm excited to see that Joe is actually officially involved in a fest.
That somebody finally figured out that this guy has accrued a ton of
knowledge and playing ability that ought to be recognized and shared with
the rest of the harmonica community. Long overdue.


Mick Zaklan





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