RE: [Harp-L] Chromatic Harp played by Walter Horton?

[chicago bluesman <chicagobluesman@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I don't know what a certified recorded example of use of a chromatic by Walter would be--it's really just a matter of you, the listener, trying to figure out what he's doing.  It's sometimes tough to tell the difference between a chromatic and a diatonic played in 3rd position but usually you can come to some conclusion if you spend enough time with the recording.  I saw Big Walter frequently in the early '80's and my recollection is that his equipment was always the same: Marine Band harps, unmodified Astatic JT-30 with standard gray finish & contact connector, into an in-line Switchcraft volume control, into a 1970's silverface Fender Princeton.  That's it--it never varied.   I don't recall ever seeing him with a chromatic, although I'm copying this email to a friend who would be more of an authority than me.

There are a couple of other Big Walter recordings on which he probably was playing a chromatic.  Check out, on the Alligator recording with Carey Bell, Under The Sun and Have Mercy.  Both tunes are in D, suggesting use of a C chromatic in 3rd position and the tone & phrasing on both tunes sounds like a chromatic to me.  Let's see what Jim says--he's the man on this stuff.  The other guy who would know, definitively, would be Joe Filisko.

John


> From: the_jukester@xxxxxxxx
> Date: Sun, 13 Feb 2011 21:51:48 +0000
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [Harp-L] Chromatic Harp played by Walter Horton?
> 
>      Are there any certifed recorded examples of Walter Horton playing chromatic harp? He was once known to have made a statement along the lines of "Chromatic harp will fry your mind." The only example I have found where he could be playing chromatic is on the Muddy Waters recording of Willie Dixon's tune "Don't Go No Further", recorded for Chess in July of 1956. 
>  
>      The harp sounds like a chromatic, but the playing is much less aventuresome that Big Walter's usual brilliant diatonic work. My guess is that he was not very comfortable with this type of harp, and didn;t want to take any chances of hitting a bad note or two. As previously noted, however, he did a commendable job on his own recording of "Skip It", recorded years later in his career for the Blind Pig label, where he was using a Marine Band Soloist, tuned like a chromatic. As usual, his tone and execution here was top notch. Any input on this subject would be appreciated.
>  
> Pete Sheridan
> www.petesheridan.net
>  
>  
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