kudzurunner
4182 posts
Jul 31, 2013
4:52 AM
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Somebody recently emailed me and suggested that I should include both Paul Jones and Michael Arlt somewhere in my top harmonica players lists. I can't say that I was instantly conversant with the playing of either player, but I did a little YouTube research. Jones has been a subject of discussion a number of times before. His name surely needs no introduction to our UK members--duh!--but I wonder if I'm the only Yank who couldn't instantly say "I'd know his style in a minute."
The first video I pulled up didn't do much for me, but the second is worth sharing. He's got a heavy attack; in fact, he might stand as a poster child for why a harp player might WANT a heavy attack. His playing (and singing) reminds me of Watermelon Slim's solo thing.
Michael Arlt's style struck me as less differentiated from other players of the same stripe, more focused on stylistic reproduction in a retro way, especially when playing with his band, B. B. and the Blues Shacks, but you all know my biases and I'd be the first to agree that he's a thoroughgoing professional with a big strong sound.
I've added both Jones and Arlt to the honorable mention list on this website.
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Kingley
2947 posts
Jul 31, 2013
5:34 AM
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Apart from his solo version of Work Song, Paul Jones has never impressed me with anythnig he's played. I find him boring to listen too, he has a very mediocre tone and doesn't play anything I find interesting. So much so in fact that the only time I saw the Blues Band live I walked off after less than two numbers. They will go down in my history book as one of the worst pro blues bands I've ever seen live. To me Paul Jones is the worst pro harp player in the UK. Mark Feltham, Paul Lamb, Lee Sankey and West Weston are far superior players in my opinion. Even many of the UK pro-am players are far better than Jones will ever be. Lyndon Anderson, Tom Cocks, Johnny Hewitt and Will Greener to name just a few.
Michael Arlt on the other hand is quite a tasty player.
Last Edited by Kingley on Jul 31, 2013 5:36 AM
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Martin
430 posts
Jul 31, 2013
9:24 AM
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@Kingley: Even so if you heard his solo on "Meet me in the bottom" (or maybe they call it "Down in the bottom") that I linked to some time ago?
I think his playing there is formidable (from a record from the late 80´s) ...
Otherwise I share your opinion of The Blues Band, a rather dull unit, that plays almost everything way too fast.
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Martin
431 posts
Jul 31, 2013
9:27 AM
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Well, if I found it once I can find it again:
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Kingley
2951 posts
Jul 31, 2013
9:44 AM
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Martin - No it didn't impress me at all. It sounds like he's just grasping at straws and can't quite decide where to go with the solo to me. Like I say II do like his version of Work Song, but other than that he just leaves me cold.
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arnenym
172 posts
Jul 31, 2013
11:51 AM
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Hahaha. You can't love them all..
The Blues band was one of the 2 most popular bluesbands in Sweden in the 80's! They shared the 1:st place with the swedish "Tottas Bluesband". I have always like Pauls creative style to play. Nowadays i see them more as the first step blues band. The band who make me and lots of other people want to hear more and explore the roots. - who made this song from the beginning and is there other versions who is good or even better...
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Martin
432 posts
Jul 31, 2013
5:50 PM
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@Kingley: Well well, disagreement is healthy.
Am I right in assuming that your preferences are more in the "traditional" direction? (Whatever that means but take it at face value.)
OTOH Paul Lamb has never done anything for me ... -- but Feltham and Lee Sankey are outstanding.
@arenym: A bit surprised that they were popular here, since I´ve only seen them one time (and then they were seriously boring ...) Maybe I didn´t pay attention.
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Kingley
2953 posts
Jul 31, 2013
11:20 PM
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Martin - When it comes to playing I tend to prefer more classic style blues. However when it comes to listening to harmonica, my musical tastes are much more diversified. I like harmonica that's well played, has good tone and shows some good musical ideas. Paul Jones just doesn't do it for me. People like JJ Milteau, Brendan Power, Jim Conway, Larry Adler, and Filip Jers do. Of course most of those aren't strictly blues players.
With regards to listening to blues I like a lot of stuff from early DeFord Bailey through to Jason Ricci, although the bulk of my listening tends to be at the more traditional Chicago based end of the spectrum.
Last Edited by Kingley on Jul 31, 2013 11:22 PM
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kudzurunner
4185 posts
Aug 01, 2013
12:25 PM
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Kingley: The one player you've left out of your list of players is, notably, John Mayall. Where do you place him? Granting Mayall's indisputable importance to the UK (and world) blues scene as a blues bandleader back in the day, I'd have to say that I far prefer what Jones plays in the video I posted above to anything I've ever heard by Mayall. Mayall is a good example of why a light attack doesn't always create effective blues tone.
As for Jones vis a vis the players you've mentioned, and speaking only about Jones's playing in the video I've posted: I'd be the first to agree that he's rougher around the edges than all of them, and not nearly so inventive as, for example, Feltham or Anderson. (I'm a big fan of Lyndon Anderson.) By the same token, he plays with a lot of power--not a power granted to him by an amplifier, but sheer lips-and-tongue power. And he has his own style. He can also sing. (Although of course we're not talking about singing here.) He's got enough harmonic knowledge to hit the V chord chord-tones at the right moment, in a musical way. He's not just playing what I've called biker harp. (I think that was my term for rough, brutal, subtlety-free playing.)
I hear the small things that don't quite work, but I also hear the big down-the-middle thing that DOES work, and I like it. Again, I'd compare his playing in this particular video quite favorably with Watermelon Slim doing the same thing. Not every great harp player can pull off a convincing big tone vocal-mic-and-vocals song like this. (It's also worth nothing that he gets that big tone without even cupping the harp firmly to the vocal mic.)
But I tell you what: prove me wrong. Please post videos of the players in your list offering their best in this harp-and-vocals-on-the-vocal mic idiom. Maybe you Brits are better at this than I realized, and maybe Jones falls flat in this head-to-head comparison. But I doubt it.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Aug 01, 2013 12:26 PM
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Kingley
2958 posts
Aug 01, 2013
12:44 PM
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Kudzu - I'm not a fan of John Mayall at all. In fact I'm not really a fan of British music in general with the exception of some of the 1970's punk rock stuff.
Regarding Paul Jones I think I've made my feelings on his music quite clear. It just doesn't do it for me. I couldn't care less that he can maybe sing, plays with power or any other fact. He just plainly and simply isn't my cup of tea.
As to posting videos of the other players. Why bother? I have no interest in comparing them to each other in some kind of harmonica shoot out. I just listed them as far better players (in my opinion) than Paul Jones. I'm sure you're familiar enough with most of those I listed to reach your own conclusions. At the end of the day it's all about personal taste. If you and others like Paul Jones harp work then that's fine. I just happen not too. It'd be a very boring world if we all liked the same thing.
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mississippi mörtel
1 post
Aug 01, 2013
1:27 PM
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Sorry absult right i have forget John Mayall
Gruß from Germany (Please sory for my bad english)
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stokeblues
22 posts
Aug 10, 2013
1:13 PM
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gotta say i'm a big Paul Jones fan,ok his playing is rather clean than deep down and dirrty! he plays through a fender blues de ville and i could'nt tell the mic he used it looked like an old sure sm58 type all covered in gaffa tape.I've seen the blues band 3 times and i'm always blown away by how good they are,they don't have a set they just take in turn to shout out a key and choice of track on a whim.They sell out at the local vic theatre which holds 800 people with about 2 months to go here in stoke and unlike sankey,lamb etc of which i'm big fans of and would love to see,the blues band actually bother to play some where not cool like stoke! Every monday on bbc radio 2 at 7.00 pm Paul has his weekly blues program which i haven't missed 1 in about 6 years and he won the keeping the blues alive award last year,harmonica player of the year nhl,is the nhl president ,been playing harp for 60 years and was cool enough to sign my harp at a concert and ask if i was a member of the nhl and how my playing was going etc. I know Kingley will find my take on this not to his like but i understand that Paul's playing isnt kinda overdriven -fat and dirty like a lot of our heroes of harp but you gotta pay due to some one who has given a lot blues harp hey?
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Kingley
3013 posts
Aug 10, 2013
1:23 PM
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Stokeblues - It's not the fact that he plays clean that I don't like. Some of my favourite harp players are clean sounding players. It's simply that I find his music uninspiring, boring and unimaginative. Paul Jones has done quite a good job of promoting blues music in the UK and the harmonica in particular through his work with the NHL and Radio 2 among other things, and for that I give him credit. As a player though he simply leaves me cold.
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stokeblues
23 posts
Aug 10, 2013
1:35 PM
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fair play mate, who do you like,who is a banker on your ipod,and do the top guys come to your area are you north east?just to throw in at the end while working on my house i've had on the radio big Walter Horton and King Biscuit Time,taj Mahall spelt that wrong but who gives a fook!!!!
Last Edited by stokeblues on Aug 10, 2013 1:47 PM
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Kingley
3014 posts
Aug 10, 2013
1:58 PM
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I'm based in Lancashire, so we get the odd one at the blues festivals up here. Other than that though it's pretty much a blues desert. I like far too many players to begin listing them. When it comes to British guys though I don't really listen to any that often these days.
Today my listening has been Jelly Roll Johnson, Todd Parrott, Buddy Greene and Gregoire Maret. None of which are really blues players per se. Of course they can all play blues, but are much more jazz, country and gospel based. The last blues harp player I listened to was yesterday and that was Billy Gibson.
Last Edited by Kingley on Aug 10, 2013 2:15 PM
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stokeblues
24 posts
Aug 10, 2013
2:19 PM
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gotta say dude iv'e never heard of any of them but i shall take note and tommorow thats my homework because every day is a school day, iv'e got for me a big gig tommoz but i shall you tube all the above in a couple of days let you know whot i think but thanks for your input and have a good weekend mate!!!!!!
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stokeblues
26 posts
Aug 19, 2013
12:09 PM
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Buddy Greene is really fantastic,didn't realise ive seen some of his stuff before,great harp and lovely singing ,gotta get some JC in that soul. Jelly Roll is more like the stuff i'm in to and is worth a listen thats for sure,shall report back Kingley on the others when i get time but so far good call son!
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Kingley
3025 posts
Aug 19, 2013
12:24 PM
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Glad you enjoyed them. Buddy and Jelly Roll are great players, but Todd Parrott is the man. Todd just blows me away every time I hear him play. His tone is so beautiful and his playing is simply stunning.
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stokeblues
28 posts
Aug 19, 2013
12:35 PM
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i only watched one vid of Todd and it was crazy long ,being late at night and tired i switched off so now you've posted that i'm gonna check him out properly! Gonna report back dude ,cheers mark
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