Re: [Harp-L] Dave Therault

[hashbb@xxxxxxx]

Dave is a great friend. I get back to CT a few times a year, and we get together and
jam when ever I do. These days Dave is consumed with Video production, which he
has been studying in school for a few years. Last time we spoke(christmas) he told me that
he may move back out to the midwest to where his wife's family is from. I remember that when we had the band going(around 1981), we did an  outside concert at the University of Hartford(Hart school of music). One of Dave's old trombone students sat in, and I believe saxophonist Sue Terry(?). Dave actually played a tune on his students Trombone, and his tone was unbelievable, he hadn't played Bone in probably 10 years, and it was the only time I heard him play it.
HB



-----Original Message-----
From: Ryan Hartt <rhartt1234@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Fri, May 31, 2013 12:29 am
Subject: RE: [Harp-L] Dave Therault


I have only met Dave once but have corresponded with him on and off for many 
years. He seems to be the type of guy that when he chooses to do something it 
becomes all consuming and he does it to the Nth degree. Whether it is trombone, 
harp or being a buddhist monk (I ain't making that up) he does it to the 
exclusion of all else and moves on. 

Dave paid me quite a high compliment when we met. He said he was gigging a lot 
and it was taking a toll on his marriage, much like the trombone did with his 
high school girlfriends. He said he saw/heard me, a relatively young guy playing 
great, traditional Blues harp that grew up in Connecticut like him, and felt 
that Blues and harmonica was in good enough hands that he could take a break. A 
great compliment and an awesome responsibility, but I gladly accept both from 
such a great player and interesting and nice fellow.

These days Dave only  gets out when his old buddies like LA Jones or Hash Brown 
come to play in Connecticut.

Ryan Hartt

Ryan Hartt & The Blue Hearts
www.ryanhartt.com



> Date: Tue, 28 May 2013 23:19:42 -0400
> From: turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Dave Therault
> 
> Mick Zaklan wrote:
> <   Dave is one of those underground guys that other harp players in the
> <know have been talking about for decades.  For years he was gigging and
> <running a jam in Colorado Springs. 
> 
> Dave was an accomplished trombone player when he heard me play harp at the Oar 
and Anchor in Falmouth, MA with an Eagles/Jackson Browne-ish cover and rock 
originals band called "Sweatband" in the summer of 1974.  I was using a very 
simple rig (amp and vocal mic, no reverb or other FX) in those days, and I was 
thinking of the harp as a horn (as opposed to an organ, or a synth controller), 
which I'm sure appealed to Dave's own sensibilities. (I was using all 
standard-tuned marine bands, and I do mean marine bands, too; ah, 1974.)  Dave 
came right up and told me that he was inspired to take up harmonica, and it 
turned out that he became an inspiring harmonica player. 
> 
> Dave and I didn't live in the same neighborhood, and in 1974 it took 
considerable resources (including time) to record music and distribute it on 
even a small scale.  I didn't hear Dave play harp until years later, by which 
time he was a monster.  So I don't know what stages he went through from 
inspiration to monsterdom.  I do think the evolution was pretty quick by 
contemporary standards. (The Youtube-enabled pace of development in young 
musicians now is astounding, apparently unprecedented.)
> 
> Regards, Richard Hunter
> 
>   
> 
> author, "Jazz Harp" 
> latest mp3s and harmonica blog at http://hunterharp.com
> Myspace http://myspace.com/richardhunterharp
> Vids at http://www.youtube.com/user/lightninrick
> more mp3s at http://taxi.com/rhunter
> Twitter: lightninrick