RE: [Harp-L] CD Review of Climb Jacobs Ladder



Hey Paul and all, 
 
I've heard some of the clips of the cd and I think  there are a pile of really nicely 
written tunes there and a great vibe. Congratulations.
It's also a great example of "less is more" on harmonica. If you are reading
this and just starting out on harmonica don't make the mistake
I did when I first started by playing too much harp on every single
tune. Do that in practice but not live. Regardless of the level you are at,
you'll wear out your audience by the first set. 
In the blues bands I sit in with I'm playing traditional blues and I do
play in almost every song but many sparingly. In my own band
"Little Joe & the Werewolves" which is a rockabilly band, I only
play harmonica on about a third of the night.  Some of the songs
are really basic Beatles harp parts and I stick to the couple notes
they played on the original through the PA and not through my amp.
Even though it was just a couple notes that the Beatles played, they
were the Beatles and they wrote a few good songs. If it's not broken
don't fix it.
 
At the end of the day it's still about a well written song above everything
else. Unless you get lucky like "Sugar Blue" did to session with the Rolling Stones
you should practice writing original songs or look for people to play with that
do this well.
Some harp players knock John Popper but check out "the Hook". He wrote the
words and music to that song, sings it, and plays harmonica.  
 
I would love for Pat's music to make it huge on the air and internet
or any harp player for that matter. It helps us all and reminds the World that it's
not just the sound you hear in the cereal commercial. 
 

Joe Pinto
Little Joe & the Werewolves
 


> From: paul@xxxxxxxx
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2011 13:26:12 -0400
> Subject: [Harp-L] CD Review of Climb Jacobs Ladder
> 
> PT/Stevie B/Mojo and other TRENCHANT friends:
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the kind words, have received a few others via e-mail as well
> (paul@xxxxxxxx) .
> 
> 
> 
> As some of you know, the Climb Jacob's Ladder band project started from a
> song I'd written (Jacob's Ladder), after the passing of my 21-year old son
> Jacob . It's been three years now, and although grief has its own rules and
> its own calendar, I can honestly say that music does indeed heal, and
> playing music does indeed create joy in one's heart . 
> 
> 
> 
> The music on the CD (the CD name is actually DooWatchaDoo) is music I've
> wanted to make and record for a long time, using harmonica as part of the
> fabric of a band-sound . as well as of course step up front when the
> occasion requires. 
> 
> 
> 
> There was a harp-l thread a few years ago where Rob Paparozzi posed the
> question: What do we as a community have to do in order to get producers to
> feature more harmonica in modern popular music?
> 
> 
> 
> My response was that we as a community had to become better songwriters. 
> 
> 
> 
> In doing so, we would create an extended harmonica musical vocabulary that
> the public recognized and embraced and wanted more of. It would only be
> then that harp players would be called in to play parts that the guitar and
> keyboard and horns are being called in to play today.
> 
> 
> 
> Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it . would be glad to discuss of
> course .
> 
> 
> 
> Again, thanks for the kind words and please check the tunes out on our
> web-site: www.climbjacobsladder.net . 
> 
> 
> 
> Also, we are playing a double-bill with Joe Filisko and Eric Noden on
> September 22nd at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro NC
> <http://www.artscenterlive.org/event/performance/523>
> http://www.artscenterlive.org/event/performance/523 , a 300-seat theatre, to
> celebrate the release of the DooWatchaDoo CD . hopefully we'll see some of
> you fellow harpers there . 
> 
> warmly, 
> 
> Paul Messinger/Chapel Hill NC
> 
 		 	   		  


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