Re: [Harp-L] need some recommendations: diatonic instrumentalists

[Rick Dempster <rickdempster33@xxxxxxxxx>]

Eric,
        I find myself wondering why, as a guy who is ".. mostly familiar
with the
well known blues harp players from the Walters to JR and all points in
between" (I'm not sure about "all points in between") you are so keen to
go directly to playing "modern". But it's a trend I've noted for a long
time among blues players.
If I were to advise a diatonic Richter system player, with a background of
playing
blues, wanting to play any kind of 'jazz' how to proceed, I'd say learn
your scales and chord
arpeggios, learn the 'standards' - a lot of modern stuff is based on the
changes of
'standards' - and listen to all jazz, from, 20s on.
I think a lot of the attraction for harp players to the 'modern' is that it
sounds modal, and
apparently open ended. I hear a lot of people trying to play mod. jazz on
the harp, and
most of them clearly know nothing about the harmonic underpinnings. All
'free'.
I'd start by checking out Blues Birdhead, Rhythm Willie, Gwen Foster and
Don Les for starters.
Then there's Howard Levy, of course, to come up to date. Philip Jers, is
someone who
has impressed me, both on diatonic and chromatic. There's a cat in
Nashville Tenn., whose name escapes me, but is well worth a listen
....ah..is it Bergerson? Joe Leone's diatonic playing is worth checking out
too.
(His chrom playing ain't bad either, but that's off-topic -just in case you
read this, Joe)
But maybe you are ahead of me anyway?
Cheers,
RD



On 15 September 2013 04:43, Eric Miller <miller.eric.t@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Hey all..
>
> I'm trying to build a repertoire of instrumental songs for live performance
> on diatonic.  Songs like Summertime and St. James Infirmary are "sort of"
> in the vein I'm looking for, but hoping to get turned on to something more
> modern than Jazz standards.  Jimi Lee and/or Brendan Power have some stuff
> that's very close to what I'm looking for...
>
> I'm relatively new to the harmonica world, and I'm mostly familiar with the
> well known blues harp players from the Walters to JR and all points in
> between, so I don't really know where to look for this kind of music for
> inspiration/learning.
>
> Who are some well known diatonic performers who are well known to produce a
> good quantity and quality of modern instrumental music on the diatonic,
> that would be suitable for building a live performance repertoire?
>
> Thanks.
>