Re: [Harp-L] Quick Review of PT Gazell's "2 Days Out"

[Joe Leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On May 20, 2011, at 1:45 PM, Jim Hanks wrote:

> I'm surprised there hasn't been more talk yet about this release. I ordered the CD off PT's website and it arrived just a few days later. http://www.ptgazell.com/2_Days_Out.html

Ok, let's talk about it. 
> 
> I'm trying to make this a quick review so I'm not going to go into a song-by-song. There's not a bad song on here.

I have a klepto in that I won't buy an album unless 1/3rd of the selections are what I consider great, another 1/3 are at least palatable, and I will allow 1/3 as what I like to call: "a tip". Heretofore, there were only 2 people on the planet that made an album that I considered ALL cuts to be great. Keeping in mind that my taste is probably different from someone else's taste. 1 of the players is here on harp-l. On the other hand, Phil has put out MORE than 1 album where I consider all the tunes to be great. 
  
There are many great players and even they were not able to do this. The problem I seem to have is that a player can be really good but his choice of material is not my proverbial cup of Darjeeling. Then there is another great player who picks good material and then goofs it up.  

For GENERATIONS I had a favorite diatonic player. P.T. unseated him. Why? Well, Phil plays the stuff I would play, and the way I would play it, in the style I would use, with the same timing....IF I could play it. There have been several times when I would pick a tune to put on a CD only to have Phil do it. So, I figure: what's the use. I suppose I could be resentful and think of him as my: "Moriarity, Goldfinger, Doctor No", but what good would it do.    

> The selection of material is great. There are several tunes I knew, several I'd never heard of, some I had forgotten, and at least one by a Mr. Stevland Morris that I didn't realize I knew (and not even a smiley face on the CD jacket :-) ).
> 
> The instrumentation is also great. I love the combination of trombone (often muted) and flugelhorn with the harp. Very smooth.

To MY ears, it really doesn't matter what the backing is. P.T. can play Acapulco, and it's still pleasant. OR he can phone it in from Acapulco, and it's still pleasant. 
> 
> As far as the harp playing is concerned, I don't have much to add to the copy on the webpage above. It's all true. To a non-harp aficionado, I think it would sound like "very good harp."

The proof to the pudding is that this guy can play. I 'm not sure if he is commercially viable, and I can't account for other people's taste, but for me, he's the real deal.

> To a harp aficionado, it's clear that it's valved diatonic as opposed to chromatic or normal diatonic. You can hear the nuances of the different bends and I like that you can still hear some of the "valve flap". Like guitar fret noise, I think it actually adds to the performance.

Didn't hear any of that. Maybe I need more volume. 
> 
> If I had to reduce this CD to a single word (way too late, I know), I would call it "refined".

Yes, I agree. Good word. 
> 
> This was my first listen to PT, but I definitely plan on getting his back catalog soon.
> 
> Jim
>