Blowhead9
12 posts
Jun 10, 2014
6:05 AM
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We've all heard harp players name saxists as influences, but who has heard a saxist name a harp player? Well, i have. Read it, actually. Bobby Keys, tenor most famous for recording/touring with the Stones on and off since 1970, in his memoir names Little Walter as a primary influence.
I thought that was a pretty interesting factoid. Can you hear Little Walter in Key's Brown Sugar solo?
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For every moment of triumph, every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled. HST
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barbequebob
2587 posts
Jun 10, 2014
9:59 AM
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My friend Sax Gordon has told me on more than one occasion that he took tons of stuff from harp players, including Little Walter.
If one pays really close attention to anybody, you can hear any influences they have had over the years, and in Bobby Keys's case, no question about it just like I can hear tons of stuff from sax players that Little Walter took from quite liberally.
Many players of a wide variety of instruments and genres often take stuff beyond their instrument and adapt them to fit their instrument. A classic example from a guitar playing standpoint is jazz guitarist Charlie Christian, who took tons of lines from horns and turned them into guitar phrases, or blues guitarist Otis Rush, who took tons of stuff, including some chord voicings from B-3 players like Jimmy Smith.
It goes to show you that you shouldn't just be listening to players of your own instrument exclusively or you just wind up repeating cliches.
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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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Blowhead9
13 posts
Jun 10, 2014
10:36 AM
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Ask your buddy Beadle if he's ever going to get back out on tour with Duke Robillard again. That was some fine stuff.
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For every moment of triumph, every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled. HST
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barbequebob
2589 posts
Jun 10, 2014
10:58 AM
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Who knows if he's gonna be with Duke, but anyone Gordon ever plays with, he's always gonna be kicking butt.
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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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CarlA
513 posts
Jun 10, 2014
11:00 AM
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"Barbequebob
My friend Sax Gordon has told me on more than one occasion that he took tons of stuff from harp players, including Little Walter."
Little walter's influences were alledgedly sax players! So does that mean that Sax Gordon's influences are really OTHER sax players, and not really little Walters?
Hmmmmm.....
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barbequebob
2591 posts
Jun 10, 2014
11:07 AM
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@CarlA --It basically all comes around full circle. He went to Berklee College of Music here in Boston and learned everything those guys there all know (many of the graduates on sax too often tend to be Kenny G/David Sanborn clones/wannabees), plus tons of stuff they don't know squat about.
Some of the sax lines can be difficult for harp in certain positions, but can be done when one puts enough work and experimentation into it. Many jazz guitarists taking stuff from guys from Charlie Christian to George Benson or John McLaughlin take stuff from horns as well and other guitarists cop what they're doing on guitar so again, it comes around full circle.
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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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Blowhead9
14 posts
Jun 10, 2014
11:13 AM
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Oh no! David Sanborn and Kenny G mentioned in the same sentence, twice! Big difference. Sanborn has recorded some very commercial music, but he's one hell of a blues/r&b player. Played in Butterfield's band early on.
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For every moment of triumph, every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled. HST
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