[Harp-L] Re: Mickey minus Willie

[martin oldsberg <martinoldsberg@xxxxxxxxx>]

Willie N is something of an acquired taste. I hadn´t heard him, let alone heard of him, until I came to the US, early 80´s. I thought he was just laughably bad. It almost annoyed me to hear him destroy some fine classics (the "Stardust" album was on the radio a lot), and the frequent harmonica wailing was no consolation, despite that intense vibrato.


A few years later back home in Sweden, when I had taken up the harmonica again, "Georgia" on my mind came on the radio (a rarity: Willie is almost a non-person here, as most country stuff ). Mickey R´s solo (actually rather simple) had an almost galvanising effect on me: clearly a diatonic, on a ... "jazz" standard. Wow.

  That had me thinking, and I was subsequently realeased from my embarassingly narrow understanding of what could be done with the diatonic harmonica (e.g taking it out of the blues context), and as they say, I never looked back.
  As a benefit I developed some understanding of the particular form of prescense that is Willie Nelson´s and turned into a fan. Admittedly he tends to go on repeat quite a lot, and it´s a pity that Mickey R is downplayed on his second album of standards, but I´ll be forever grateful for that eye opening solo on Georgia. Thanks to Bart for reminding me.


Cheers,
Martin

in Gothenburg, Sweden were it´s cold and rainy and generally a rather drab Christmas day.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfDVv1ASJ3M

> Bart, I just don't care for the guy (Nelson) musically.  And I've tried 
> for
> decades.  
>
> Mick Zaklan