Re: [Harp-L] Is Junior Wells over-rated?

[Boris Plotnikov <ploboris@xxxxxxxxx>]

Jr Wells is outstanding performer and singer, while I wish his control of
harmonica on most recording have to be much better. Some are great, some I
hardly can listen to, weak tone, playing off pitch and off key.


2013/4/4 Ross Macdonald <pdxharpdog@xxxxxxxxxxx>

> In Buddy Guys autobiography he talks about how Jr thought he should have
> been bigger than James Brown.  Buddy was constantly bailing Jr. out of jail
> and generally causing him trouble, but you could tell there was some big
> love between them and it showed in their duo stuff.  I love the Alone and
> Acoustic record. Tasty licks spaced well. Buddy Guy had a ton of respect
> for Jr.
>
> Ross Macdonald
>
>
> On Apr 3, 2013, at 3:30 PM, David Brown wrote:
>
> > Oh! such third position playing. I love Junior.
> >
> > In 1988 I saw Buddy guy play at The Palomino Club in north LA. There
> were a
> > lot of celebs there to see Buddy who was in ascension. Junior was out for
> > bear that nioght and was amazing. He did what he did best: he placed
> sharp,
> > controlled, perfectly placed licks that cut like a knife and groaned low
> on
> > command *. I saw him play several more times over the years and near the
> > end you could tell (on that night anyway) that he was tired. Then again,
> if
> > I had his years and life... I would be tired too.
> >
> > * (I gotta brag: I bought Jr a brandy to get a chat going and I ended-up
> > getting toasted with actors Hervé Villechaize (Tattoo of Fantasy Island)
> > and Roscoe Lee Brown. Thanks Jr.! ;-))
> >
> > Still, I stand up for Junior if for no other reason than he was one if,
> if
> > not THE, best harmonica players to use "silence" as a considered and
> > important part of his style's impact. I like Rice Miller's playing and
> hear
> > a lot of him in Jr's playing, but Jr had his own version of it (how can I
> > say it...more "punchy" on the attack?). It fit well with the sharp edgy
> > west-side sound guys like Otis Rush, and Magic Sam were doing in the 60s.
> > It was* perfect* with Buddy. They played together like they were in a
> knife
> > fight.
> >
> > ........and Jr wore those bad-ass fedoras!
> >
> > Concerning the other comments:
> > - As far as his playing being "inconsistant"....who isn't? Ever heard
> > Little Walter's live recording with Otis Rush?
> > - If nothing else his style is almost always easily identifyable as "his"
> > and that's worht a lot unot itself.
>
>
>


-- 
Thanks, Boris Plotnikov
http://borisplotnikov.ru