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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Top 10 Living harp players?
Top 10 Living harp players?
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IndianaHarpKid
30 posts
Nov 02, 2013
4:44 PM
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Who do you think belongs on a list of the top 10 living harmonica players? The obvious names are Cotton, Ricci, Wilson, and Musselwhite but who else would you folks include?
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kudzurunner
4348 posts
Nov 02, 2013
7:32 PM
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You're talking about blues players, I assume?
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IndianaHarpKid
31 posts
Nov 02, 2013
7:53 PM
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I don't know nearly enough about any other kinds of harp playing to know who would be the best living players in other styles, so yes blues players.
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toddg
119 posts
Nov 02, 2013
7:59 PM
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Here's a few of my favorite top players .. Kim Wilson , Darrell Nulisch , Tad Robinson ,Magic Dick ,Annie Raines , Sugar Ray Norcia , Paul Oscher , Rick Estrin . Mark Hummel ,Jerry Portnoy ,Rod Piazza, Mark Wenner and Steve Guyger
Last Edited by toddg on Nov 03, 2013 7:26 AM
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GMaj7
304 posts
Nov 02, 2013
8:19 PM
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Todd Parrot, Pat Bergeson, Fred Yonnet, Charlie McCoy, Buddy Greene, Mike Caldwell, PT Gazell, Jelly Roll Johnson, and of coures.. Howard Levy
Although these guys aren't strictly blues.. they can all express themselves in this context as well as other generes..
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Greg Jones
16:23 Custom Harmonicas
greg@1623customharmonicas.com
1623customharmonicas.com
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JInx
615 posts
Nov 02, 2013
8:25 PM
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This topic just begs the question, who is most overrated. And we aren't aloud to discuss that. So I'm.out.
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Sun, sun, sun
Burn, burn, burn
Soon, soon, soon
Moon, moon, moon
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toddg
120 posts
Nov 02, 2013
8:54 PM
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Just for fun ....
I also want to add to the list .. " Sonny Senior " Williamson and Thin Mamma Thornton
Last Edited by toddg on Nov 02, 2013 9:03 PM
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IndianaHarpKid
32 posts
Nov 02, 2013
9:00 PM
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J1nx, I've got no problems with discussing who you think it overrated.
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nacoran
7299 posts
Nov 02, 2013
10:08 PM
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IndianaHarpKid, that topic has been ruled off limits, since the harp community is connected enough that it's liable to get back to people.
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Nate
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BigSteveNJ
4 posts
Nov 02, 2013
11:07 PM
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Mickey Raphael
Dennis Gruenling
Phil Wiggins
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BigSteveNJ
5 posts
Nov 02, 2013
11:09 PM
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Oh, and DUH... forgot Rod Piazza.
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BigSteveNJ
6 posts
Nov 02, 2013
11:11 PM
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Kenny Neal, too.
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kudzurunner
4349 posts
Nov 03, 2013
4:20 AM
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We've explored versions of this question a number of times on this forum. How you answer the question depends on what you mean by great. Do you mean the player who could cut everybody else's head? Or the player whose body of work, as a whole, sets him (or her) above the rest? Or the player who has an immediately identifiable voice--i.e., a player who meets the three-second radio test? Charlie Musselwhite meets the second and third test but probably can't cut heads well enough to make this particular Top-10.
Living players who meet all three criteia clearly include:
Sugar Blue
Kim Wilson
Jason Ricci
Rod Piazza
I'm happy to put Charlie up there with those five guys.
I suspect that the remaining five would for many people include:
Dennis Gruenling
Rick Estrin
Madcat Ruth
Phil Wiggins
Each of those players has a distinctive voice, a significant body of work, and serious chops.
I like Billy Branch; he's ended up in the Top 20 on this websites all-time lists partly for his historical importance in the chain of great Chicago players, but he's absolutely got a distinctive voice, great swing, and inventive full-range (top to bottom) chops.
Mitch Kashmar is a personal favorite of mine. If you're talking about guys who can stand at the mic with nothing but a harp, stomp a foot, sing a song, and own the room, Watermelon Slim and Charlie Sayles can't be beat. Deak Harp is a stealth entrant in the top 10 living player category--not because he can cut heads (although I've seen him do that), but because when he does his own solo thing, with harp and diddley bow, he has an instantly identifiable sound. He passes the radio test. He's got the Deak Harp sound.
Take a look at this list and tell me which players you could immediately identify if they came on the radio. Then weed out the dead guys and start talking:
Rev. Dan Smith, Jazz Gillum, Eddie Martin, Dave Harris, Bonny B., Lyndon Anderson, T. C. Carr, Forest City Joe, Charlie Sayles, Igor Flach, Peg Leg Sam, Phil Wiggins, R.J. Mischo, Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson, Gary Primich, Kid Thomas, Nat Riddles, Billy Gibson, Billy Boy Arnold, Victor "Doors" Puertas, Jim Liban, Jerry Portnoy, Pierre Lacocque, Studebaker John, Flavio Guimaraes, Dr. Isaiah Ross, Paul Harrington, Mark Hummel, Lee Sankey, Rod Piazza, Wade Schuman, Annie Raines, Chris Turner, D.W. Gill, Jean-Jacques Milteau, Paul Jones, Michael Arlt, John Popper, Carlos del Junco, Paul Oscher, Rick Estrin, Papa Lightfoot, John Mayall, Steve Guyger, Mikey Jr., Rob Paparozzi, Dennis Gruenling, Curtis Salgado, Greg Szlap, Rainer "Harpface" Sochting, Ben Bouman, Madcat Ruth, Joe Filisko, Andy J. Forest, Wayne Rainey, Frank Frost, Johnny Sansone, Paul Orta, Stephane Bertolino, Slim Harpo, Doug "Joe Lee" Bush, Lee Oskar, Doug Jay, Jerry McCain, Snooky Pryor, Richard "Rip Lee" Pryor, Eddie Mapp, William Clarke, Wallace Coleman, Johnny Dyer, John Nemeth, Rock Bottom, Mark Wenner, Richard Sleigh, Al Price, Dan Kaplan, Ron Sorin, Tom Ball, Jimi Lee, BBQ Bob (Maglinte), Juke Logan, David Burgin, Ronnie Shellist, R.J. Harman, Rachelle Plas, Greg Izor, Sugar Ray Norcia, Steve Marriner, Pierre Beauregard, Michael Frank, James Harman, Roly Platt, Son of Dave, Richard "King Biscuit Boy" Newell, Fingers Taylor, Hammie Nixon, Mark DuFresne, Bill Dicey, Deak Harp, Sam Myers, Kim Field, Mitch Kashmar, Norton Buffalo, Nico Wayne Toussaint, Billy Bizor, Charles Pasi, Little Sammy Davis, Steve Baker, Lester Butler, Tad Robinson, Junior Parker, John Hammond, Jr., Taj Mahal, Pat Ramsey, Paul Reddick, Grant Dermody, Paul Lamb, Bob Corritore, Gary Smith, Rey Rio, Keith Dunn, Mark Ford......
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Nov 03, 2013 4:25 AM
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Kingley
3254 posts
Nov 03, 2013
5:05 AM
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Everybody has their own favourites and people will always disagree over them. That's just human nature. Personally speaking I prefer not to have lists such as "Best", "Top Ten" or "Greatest". I don't see any use for them.
Last Edited by Kingley on Nov 03, 2013 5:07 AM
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Slimharp
23 posts
Nov 03, 2013
5:25 AM
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Johnny Mastro, Cheryl Arena,Jon Atkinson. Yeah I agree with Kingley. Kinda like amp tone, very personal. But Adam forgot one, one who was very responsible for bringing blues harp to the white masses, a major pioneer in his time for expanding the blues scene and giving it a huge jump start. PAUL BUTTERFIELD. He is often left out when rememberances take place. Butterfield Blues Band was a HUGE influence. Another off the hook player for his time, as mentioned, was Al Wilson.
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bigd
496 posts
Nov 03, 2013
7:43 AM
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Rod P, Dennis G, Billy Gibson, Lee Sankey, Lee Oscar, Kim W, Mark Ford, Nico Wayne Toussaint, Andy Forest, and Mitch K...are some of my favorite Olympians!
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The Iceman
1252 posts
Nov 03, 2013
8:21 AM
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Carlos del Junco
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The Iceman
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kudzurunner
4350 posts
Nov 03, 2013
8:32 AM
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Carlos, absolutely.
@Slimharp: Butterfield and Al Wilson have been dead for quite a while. This thread is about living players.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Nov 03, 2013 8:33 AM
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Slimharp
26 posts
Nov 03, 2013
8:45 AM
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Oh your right. " weed out all the dead guys ".
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timeistight
1416 posts
Nov 03, 2013
9:39 AM
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Don't you think putting a couple of dead guys on the living player list makes it blusier? Kinda like having eleven players on the top-ten list.
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bigd
497 posts
Nov 03, 2013
4:18 PM
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Yes indeed: Of course Carlos!!
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Komuso
190 posts
Nov 04, 2013
3:09 AM
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/rant on
Being the stick in the mud, music is not a competition.
(yeah yeah, head cutting comps aside etc etc...please bear with me)
Look at all those great players named above ( and many others not) who are all fantastic IN THEIR OWN WAY (which is what the ultimate end goal of being a musician is) and tell me why they need to be ranked, collected, obsessed over and put on a shelf?
“There’s only two kinds of music – good and bad” [attr to various people]
Why can't we just say: Who sounds good? (and leave it at that?)
/rant off
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Your harmonica Mojo Dojo
Bringing the Boogie to the Bitstream
Last Edited by Komuso on Nov 04, 2013 4:49 AM
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kudzurunner
4353 posts
Nov 04, 2013
8:03 AM
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Komuso, I agree with you: music is not a competition. How incredibly white of us!
For many African American blues and jazz musicians, for many years, music was absolutely a competition. It was a way of putting yourself ahead of everybody else; of forcing a world that didn't give a shit about you to give a shit about you.
One of my favorite parts of the Jimmy Rogers biography by Wayne Goins (who happens to be a professor of music at Kansas State and a black jazz-blues guitarist from Chicago) is where Jimmy and Muddy start calling themselves the head hunters. They go into blues clubs, ask to sit in, and try to steal gigs.
The cutting session, where you do your best to break other musicians and prove that you're top dog, is an honored part of the tradition. There's a little bit of that spirit in the answer I gave to the OP.
I understand that you would like the world of blues harmonica to be nice, safe, domesticated, and syrupy-sweet. Heck, my instructional videos have contributed to that! Mr. Give-it-all-away.
That's one way of doing business. But in many ways it's utterly false to the tradition elaborated by the dead black players who occupy many of the positions in the Top 10 and Second 10 lists on this website. Yes, THOSE lists. Rice Miller, Junior Wells, Little Walter: they were angry, competitive, jealous men, full of fight and intent on proving that they were the best. Muddy Waters beat his women. Howlin' Wolf beat his BANDMATES. The ones who didn't want to be beaten said "f--k you!" and moved on.
To the extent that you seem to like the music without understanding the men who actually created it, I don't agree with you.
But look: if you dispute the premise of the forum member who started this thread, don't read it. Don't contribute. I answered from the perspective of a sometime promoter. What interests me is bringing to my event a range of players who represent the top of the game. The headliner damn sure better be somebody who merits the pole position. All of my comments are based on players I've seen and appreciated. I wrote what I wrote about Watermelon Slim and Charlie Sayles because I've spent 40 years playing harmonica and watching the best players in the world, and they are as good in that particular solo context as anybody I've ever seen.
Again: if you dispute the premise of the OP, don't read the thread. Stay away. Don't ruin your day! Some people like playing fantasy baseball. I don't for a moment think that there's any definitive objective reality to Top-10 lists. But I think they're a useful way of clarifying certain things that many people won't otherwise think about. Almost all of us make casual value judgments about blues harmonica players, of the "I like that!" variety. We can remain like that, a set of individuals with our own discrete preferences--or we can acknowledge that we're a community and we can, some of us, begin to try and sort through the whole world of blues harmonica playing and come up with a handful of players whom most of us might agree are indispensable, or great, or truly important, or true badasses, or GOATs, or whatever term you favor. If you don't want to do that, fine. What you're doing, though, is entering the conversation only to declare that it's a pointless conversation. Very well. Your feelings have been duly noted.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Nov 04, 2013 8:13 AM
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Komuso
194 posts
Nov 04, 2013
8:13 AM
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lol...yes, and no.
I did qualify at the start "(yeah yeah, head cutting comps aside etc etc...please bear with me)"
"I understand that you would like the world of blues harmonica to be nice, safe, domesticated, and syrupy-sweet. Heck, my instructional videos have contributed to that! Mr. Give-it-all-away."
No, I don't. You're assuming that.
But fantasy baseball is a good way of putting listmania!
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Your harmonica Mojo Dojo
Bringing the Boogie to the Bitstream
Last Edited by Komuso on Nov 04, 2013 8:13 AM
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kudzurunner
4354 posts
Nov 04, 2013
8:18 AM
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IndianaHarpKid, welcome to the MBH forum! Thanks for your good question. As I'm sure you've figured out by now, this forum has been an industry leader for the past five years, dominating all others (including Harp-L) in webstats, for three reasons:
1) Komuso
2) timeistight
3) jinx
They pretend that they can't stand the things I write and I pretend that they irritate me. But the truth is, their ceaseless provocations, and my own, have helped this website crush the competition for quite a while now. This is why, when push comes to shove, I kick back and remain mellow.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Nov 04, 2013 8:20 AM
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kudzurunner
4355 posts
Nov 04, 2013
8:23 AM
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bigd: That is a good list. Andy J. Forest and Billy Gibson are true badasses. Either one of them would blow me off the stage. I'd like to see them cut heads.
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barbequebob
2373 posts
Nov 04, 2013
10:35 AM
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From my own personal experience with many of the old black bluesmen, be it harp or anything else, being as competitive as any professional athlete is a HUGE understatement and if you ever saw them in the old school jams, they were out for blood and I don't exaggerate in the least, so kudzurunner has that absolutely on the money.
The "be nice" thing that some of you may have seen when they were playing for white audiences was doing what white audiences expect and if you ever saw them playing in front of an audience that's 95%++ black, you couldn't help but see the competitiveness, and it was almost like a mafia family blood war and that's no BS at all!!!
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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JInx
617 posts
Nov 04, 2013
10:38 AM
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I'm sorry Kudzu, I'm going to try and not be such dick head around here. Again, sorry man. I love this forum.
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Sun, sun, sun
Burn, burn, burn
Soon, soon, soon
Moon, moon, moon
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Tuckster
1364 posts
Nov 04, 2013
12:44 PM
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There isn't one person that anyone's mentioned that hasn't given me a moment of music nirvana-where when the tune ends you say to yourself" Damn,that was freakin good".
When I think top ten, I think of players that have "legs". They've been bringing it consistently year after year and have accumulated a large body of work with many moments of music nirvana.Based on that,I'm pretty much in agreement with Adam's list.
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Frank
3190 posts
Nov 04, 2013
1:05 PM
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I went to a jam session in chicago years ago while attending the Blues Festival - Carl Weathersby was hosting the Jam and players were allowed to sign up and play...He would laugh at and taunt the weak harp players, edging them on to play some Fu&*ing harmonica - It was crazy, he seemed truly pissed off when a player wouldn't try to do some serious honkin to try and get the audience excited :)
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TheoBurke
499 posts
Nov 04, 2013
1:31 PM
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boiled this down to ten players
sugar blue
jason ricci
mark ford
pat o'brien
mark bosworth
billy branch
charlie musselwhite
adam gussow
ld miller
magic dick
Last Edited by TheoBurke on Nov 11, 2013 10:03 AM
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Komuso
196 posts
Nov 04, 2013
6:05 PM
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What I'm trying to say with "Music is not a competition" could best be described as the difference between Tactics and Strategy.
On a Tactical level, like head cutting comps, sure - music IS competitive. This is in no way confined to "The Blues" and exists in most all music genres I would say when you get two or more of the same instrumentalists duking it out on stage as described above or for whatever reason.
But on a Strategic level, which is more what I'm referring to with rankings/filtering, it's more about how an artists body of work sits in the musical diversity spectrum. Here I would say there is no competition, it just is what it is...good or bad.
(I think that quote is usually attributed to Duke Ellington btw)
A good example that combines both of these:
All good FUN!
Do I have lists?
Sure, but they are not static and change depending on what I want to learn in terms of how, what, why musically.
fwiw my top 10 list of current living blues (in no particular order)and why
Keith Dunn - I missed this guy & only found out about him from a thread here yesterday. Just listened to two of his albums - the solo one and Trance Blues (2012). wow. Doing some nice new dirty broken tonal manipulation, as well as pulling bits from the past (like using two guitars hound dog taylor style) Great vocals too.
Those four dudes from Harp Attack because...because!
James Harmon - always great tone, but also knows how to tell a story, and his bands sound always kicks ass.
Kim Wilson - long time fan, but I really like the dubs he did on Privateer from Mark Knopfler. Tone, style and taste all wrapped up.
Carlos Del Junco - htf does he do that?
Jimi Lee - his arranging is really interesting, and being a rack harp player myself has a lot to teach.
Pat O'Brien - another rack player I found through MBH. Man I wish I could play like that!
But that's just my criteria...and 2 cents/yen!
(and I'll rotate a couple off this list next week;-)
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Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Your harmonica Mojo Dojo
Bringing the Boogie to the Bitstream
Last Edited by Komuso on Nov 04, 2013 7:46 PM
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atty1chgo
732 posts
Nov 05, 2013
6:07 AM
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Personal preferences aside, I just can't see, even after extensive and careful listening, how Rod Piazza ever makes a list of top-10 living harp players at all, even in cutting heads category, compared to many other names I see on kudzurunner's very nice extended list above. What am I missing? I just don't get it?
Last Edited by atty1chgo on Nov 05, 2013 6:07 AM
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Michael Rubin
821 posts
Nov 05, 2013
6:19 AM
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Although Rod's band is to me very cheesy and his vocals have a quality of imitation to it, his harp work is incredible. Great tone, timing, licks and phrasing and definitely unique.
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kudzurunner
4357 posts
Nov 05, 2013
6:31 AM
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atty1, I think you'll get some answers. My own answer would begin by my memories of the four or five times I've seen him live--none in the past 15 years--and how incredibly hard he swung. (Having seen both players live, I can testify that he swung just as hard or harder than William Clarke--and that's saying something.) He never played a bad note, at any tempo. He has a very large body of work. His stage moves--his dance, as it were--is superb; as good as any player out there. He does the bar walk, or used to, in a way very few players can really pull off. He's been notably influential on several generations of blues harp players. He's a master of the chromatic as well as diatonic.
Like Michael Rubin, I'm not particularly a fan of his stage patter, but I can't deny what I've heard and felt when he grabs a harp and starts blowing like hell. When you stand in front of Rod in a club, you FEEL him. You feel his swing. Some might argue that he's better known for his covers ("The Toddle") than his own compositions, but as a player I think that he meets the three-second test, if not quite as pointedly as Ricci, Blue, Branch, Cotton, and Estrin.
Here's some of the excitement that he can generate in a slow blues. Stick with this one until the fireworks:
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Nov 05, 2013 6:38 AM
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Slimharp
27 posts
Nov 05, 2013
7:13 AM
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Kudzurunner pretty much summed it up. Rod is a Class A Showman. I have seen him probably 25 times. I have never seen him perform when he did not have the audience in his hands. He has probably forgotten more about playing harp than i will ever know. His chromatic work is some of the best. He developed the Harp King with Jon Kinder to be one of the first harp specific amps. Rod is just as much a showman as he is a harp player. His stage presence is a show, and it works. Well. Knowing Rod, he is a down to earth good dude. It's a show and you get your money's worth.
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mattfolk327
12 posts
Nov 08, 2013
2:31 PM
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That's a tough one. One guy that probably slips under the bus is Ian Brown. He was in a group called The Stone Roses. Kind of a modern day yardbirds they were. Even Jimmy Page acknowledged the guitar player was amazing. Check out Love Spreads or Driving South for example. Anyway hes a really tasteful unique Harmonica player. The guy from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club is great too from a rock n roll stand point.
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Milsson
88 posts
Nov 08, 2013
2:41 PM
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How about the new blues harmonica world champion(He won at WHF in trossingen last weekend). Kind of cheezy to compete in harmonica but he´s a damn good musician!!
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Frank
3206 posts
Nov 08, 2013
4:38 PM
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Rods work w/ Jimmy Rogers is concrete evidence of his superiority for laying down the goods in ways most players dream about being able to pull off, if given that same opportunity...Kim and Rod hold the modern day crowns when it comes to being a match made in heaven for making a must have Jimmy Rogers record, as were Little and Big walters back in the day... Shame, Steve Guyger didn't get a record made with him - that has always confused me? Someone dropped the ball there...
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From CD Universe,
All songs written by James Lane except "Sharp Harp" (Jack Dupree/Rudolph Toombs), "Harp Throb" and "Rock With You Baby" (Rod Piazza). This Blind Pig CD reissues material from 1983-84. The legendary veteran Jimmy Rogers (taking most of the vocals and occasional guitar solos) is heard teamed up with the talented harmonica player Rod Piazza and his jumping group. The results are consistently exciting. Piazza's harmonica serves as a perfect foil to Rogers' voice, and the impressive backup band (which also features Honey Piazza on piano) clearly enjoys jamming on the basic blues changes. The many strong solos and the superior material make this an easily recommended set. ~ Scott Yanow Recorded at Vinnick Studio, Riverside, California in 1983 and 1984. Originally released on Murray Brothers Records. Includes liner notes by Justin O'Brien. Engineers: Wayne Vinnick (tracks 1-11); George Matola (track 12). Personnel: Jimmy Rogers (vocals, guitar); Rod Piazza (vocals, harmonica); Steve Killman, Junior Watson (guitar); Bill Stuve (electric guitar, upright bass, electric bass, bass guitar); Honey Piazza (piano); Alex Schultz (upright bass); Bill Swartz, Jimi Bott (drums). Audio Mixers: Rod Piazza; Ron Rigler. Liner Note Author: Justin OBrien. Recording information: Winnick Studio, Riverside, CA. Photographers: Marc Norberg; Honey Piazza. Personnel: Jimmy Rogers (vocals, guitar); Steve Killman, Junior Watson (guitar); Rod Piazza (harmonica, vocals); Honey Piazza (piano); Alex Schultz (acoustic bass); Bill Stuve (acoustic & electric basses); Jimi Bott, Bill Swartz (drums). Producers: Rob Murray, Rod Piazza (tracks 1-2, 4-6, 8-11); Rod Piazza (tracks 3, 7, 12). Down Beat (6/95, p.57) - 3.5 Stars - Good Plus - "Rogers is the last surviving member of the first--and best--Muddy Waters band....[FEELIN' GOOD] also features the smart harp work of guest artist Rod Piazza. Together, these two musicians, backed by a surprisingly crisp rhythm section, recreate the sound and feel of first-generation Chicago blues..."
Jazziz (12/95, pp.94-95) - "...quite exciting....The jazz listener has not yet developed a taste for Chicago blues would be well advised to check out this recording, for there are many strong solos; blues collectors do not have to be told twice about this superior release."
Sugar Ray Norcia holds the harp chair on the record -Jimmy Rogers with Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters.
Grab some of Jimmy Rogers records that don't have harp on them and you can fill the harp chair :)
Last Edited by Frank on Nov 08, 2013 5:24 PM
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jpmcbride
18 posts
Nov 08, 2013
5:40 PM
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I totally get Rod P. being on the list. Saw him live a few years ago at an outdoor festival and he blew the place away. He walked into the crowd, climbed up on a platform and played 10 minutes of solo harmonica. He had the entire crowd on their feet surrounding that platform going crazy. A true showman.
I'm surprised more people haven't put Dennis Gruenling on their list. For my money he has the best "sound" of any harp player out there today.
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Jim McBride
www.bottleoblues.com
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Frank
3208 posts
Nov 08, 2013
5:47 PM
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Dennis aint on the list because there is no number above "1" ...I suppose Dennis could be "0" :) Dennis will get his due recognition in the years to come - and God forbid- but if he died today...He would be worshipped as a "HARP GOD" for generations ! ...Seriously, WHO is in his league?
Last Edited by Frank on Nov 08, 2013 5:53 PM
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Martin
513 posts
Nov 08, 2013
7:31 PM
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Are we debating who is better than the best? And then, who is even better ...
I think it´s my fellow countryman Mikael Fall who´s playing "Amazing grace" in the clip above, and it´s probably amazing, but harmonica players would profit, generally, from considering their instrument as a regular instrument and not as a freak show, no matter how musical.
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Joe_L
2394 posts
Nov 08, 2013
11:00 PM
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As far as the ten great living players, I measure it by who I go to see and/or who I would go to see, if they were in town.
As far as Carl Weathersby is concerned, he is a good friend of mine. He was a member of Albert King's band for 3 years. He was a member of the Sons of Blues for over 15 years. He recorded on what I consider to be Carey Bell's best CD, Deep Down. WIth respect to the harmonica, he's seen and heard it all. If a person gets on stage with someone with his background, you had better be able to bring it. He takes his craft very seriously and does not screw around. If he likes what you do, you've got it going on.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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wolfkristiansen
224 posts
Nov 08, 2013
11:55 PM
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Back to the original question, top ten living (blues) harp players; and, as per Kudzu, including "chops" in the evaluation:
Kim Wilson, Rick Estrin, Annie Raines, in that order. They all have serious chops and a great blues feel.
This is a top three, that's as far as I feel I'm able to go.
For what it's worth, "chops" doesn't always mean being able to play fast, else half the wanna-be's on YouTube would make the list. Play fast in time and in pitch, you're getting closer to having "chops".
Cheers,
wolf kristiansen
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Frank
3218 posts
Nov 09, 2013
8:38 AM
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Agreed...Carl was not interested in his time and effort being wasted as the host...His attitude was - you made the decision to get up on the stage - NOW - you "better" show us what you got big boy cause we aren’t fu^&in around here...PLAY or get off the stage, true story. I was telling this story in relation to Adam and Bob stating that the real deal blues guys takin their craft very seriously. And like you said Joe, once he seen the jammer was going to participate full throttle a big smile would appear on his face and the music would go up another notch :)
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atty1chgo
734 posts
Nov 09, 2013
11:06 AM
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Carl Weathersby is a great guitar player, no doubt. But he is enthusiastic and competitive to a fault, and more than one time I have seen him play excessively loud and drown out other guitarists on stage with him, even when they are taking their turn. Other than that, I enjoy watching and listening to him play. He probably should have left Billy's band sooner to do his own thing, because a harmonica player-led band is always going to feature the harp over the guitar on average, as it should.
Last Edited by atty1chgo on Nov 09, 2013 11:06 AM
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Joe_L
2396 posts
Nov 09, 2013
8:12 PM
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I think that Carl was a huge part of the SOB's sound throughout the 1980's and 1990's. Those guys worked really well together. Personally, I think Carl enabled Billy to create some pretty inventive and cool stuff on tunes not normally considered harmonica tunes.
I always thought that when Carl and Carlos Johnson were SOB's. That band was one of the best and the really allowed Billy's star to really shine on some very cool tunes.
As far as living harp players go, I think very few are going cut heads with Billy and come out on top. I've seen him cut the heads of a lot of great players over the years.
Here's my favorite ten living players:
Billy Branch, Sugar Blue, RJ Mischo, Rick Estrin, Mark Hummel, Kim Wilson, James Cotton, Martin Lang, Dave Waldman and Kenny Neal. I forgot Matthew Skoller.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
Last Edited by Joe_L on Nov 09, 2013 8:39 PM
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SteamrollinStan
84 posts
Nov 10, 2013
2:48 AM
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There's many great players, some unknown, some known, stupid posting/blog to tell the truth, it depends on what you/we like, franks a good player, so's Frosty, but thier unknown apart from here.Whats the point?
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1847
1291 posts
Nov 10, 2013
8:36 AM
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After viewing the clip 5 long years
That Adam posted, it is my determination, there to be only
2 people on the list.
Rod piazza, and……….
Everyone else!
Also, if rod’s band is somehow considered cheesy, seeing as how most of the members of his band have at one time or another played in the William Clarke band. Wouldn’t he have to be considered a cheesy bandleader as well?
Unless you mean by cheesy,
Flavorful as in, aged sharp cheddar.
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
Last Edited by 1847 on Nov 10, 2013 8:46 AM
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The Iceman
1264 posts
Nov 10, 2013
2:52 PM
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Winner in Trossingen..Mikael Fall who´s playing "Amazing grace".
Sounded nice, but this was a direct transcription of a small part of Howard Levy's and/or Carlos Del Junco's version.
Would like to hear some of his original playing.
also, that screen behind him showing which notes he played is pretty cool.
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The Iceman
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