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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! > In Praise of Paul deLay
In Praise of Paul deLay
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wolfkristiansen
316 posts
Aug 20, 2014
11:10 PM
(This is a repeat from my original post in harp-l in 2009, and my post in Dirty-South Blues Harp Forum in 2010. Every harp player, blues based or not, needs to listen to some of his recordings at least once. So, if you've not heard him, read what follows)

Paul deLay, Portland songwriter, singer and harmonica player, deserves to be heard by all on this list. He died on March 7, 2007. Most of you will have heard him, on recording at least, by now. For those who haven't, seek out a CD or two, and listen! Your ears will be opened.

I've been listening to him a lot lately. His first recordings were clearly blues based; his later ones not so much. He always retained a bluesy feel, to my ears. His songs always had a spark of originality. In his later years, he had the advantage of having a jazzy, talented, rhythmically sophisticated organist and arranger in his band, Louis Pain.

He was much more than a harmonica player. But-- since this is harp-l I'll focus on what I hear in his harmonica playing:

1. Subtle manipulation of tone by hand placement. Not for him the constant supertight grip to get a dark compressed tone à la typical "Chicago Style" blues harp. His normal grip was a looser one, with the corresponding treblier sound. He would throw in contrasting darker tones via tighter grip when appropriate. He often darkened the tone when he hit the low notes. The tone changes added a lot to the character of his playing.

2. Wonderful use of a delay pedal. He should have written a book-- "deLay on Delay". Anyone know what he used?

3. Use of arrangements to add power and punch to his live and studio offerings. Some of his solos, to my ears, are clearly improvised, but there are always parts in his songs that have been carefully thought out. As an example, he often uses what we used to call "pushes", where the band plays rhythmic shots in unison at some point in the song.

4. Absolutely original note choices, runs and harmonies. You will hear things in his playing you haven't heard anywhere else, either before or after Paul's moment in the sun. He was equally original with chromatic or diatonic. His third position diatonic playing was outstanding, and wasn't limited to minor key songs.

5. A preference for a cleaner sound than most blues based harp players. Despite being relatively clean, the notes had plenty of body. The cleaner sound let him put in more detail. He had plenty of musical detail to offer.

6. Perfect pitch. Few or no rhythmic missteps. He swung when he wanted to, but played in all sorts of rhythms. Whatever he did, it was always rhythmic.

Anyways, I just thought he needed fresh acknowledgment on this list, especially for the benefit of the newcomers who may not have heard him.

Cheers,

wolf kristiansen
STME58
1044 posts
Aug 20, 2014
11:25 PM
I was sitting in a shopping mall in San Diego playing a few months ago, when a woman came up and engaged me in conversation. She asked me if I knew Paul Delay. I told her I knew of him but did not know him. She told me she was from Portland and knew Paul and that he was a wonderful person as well as a great musician.
Rgsccr
274 posts
Aug 20, 2014
11:50 PM
Thanks for the post Wolf. I couldn't agree more. Paul deLay is right at the top of the mountain as far I am concerned (of course, it's crowded up there with both Sonny Boys, both Walters, Butterfield, Cotton and few others). I listen to and try to play along with at least one of his songs every day. While I certainly can't play like him, trying to has really helped me improve. What you said about his sound having plenty of body despite being cleaner than many blues harp players is very perceptive. I love his singing as well - so powerful and full of emotion.
Tuckster
1449 posts
Aug 21, 2014
6:59 AM
Spot on,Wolf! He's always bluesy but with a jazz tinge,thanks to the crack band he played with on the last few CD's. I got Kid Ramos' "Greasy Kid Stuff" CD thinking it would be a guitar showcase and instead found a harp showcase with 2 of the cuts with Paul.He was a totally unique harp player.
I think he also made use of a chorus pedal?
Slimharp
386 posts
Aug 21, 2014
7:25 AM
Paul was off the hook. He approached many of his licks in an angular form. He was very unique in his licks, very refreshing. Yeah the cuts on Greasy Kid Stuff are great. I agree, that CD is more of a harp showcase.
cliffy
104 posts
Aug 21, 2014
10:36 AM
Thanks for posting about Paul deLay. I think he is the epitome of "Modern Blues Harmonica". Some retro qualities to his sound, but completely unafraid to take his playing in new directions and use --oh, the blasphemy -- non "standard" amplified harp tones. Also, he wrote original lyrics and used lots of other R&B and gospel song structures instead of just 8-bar and 12-bar blues tunes.

My favorite album of Paul's is the double album "Take It From The Turnaround", especially because of the song 'The Other One'... amazing chromatic playing on that track. But I also LOVE his song 'It Isn't Easy Being Big' though I can't remember which album it is from.

Wolf is dead-on correct in explaining how Paul didn't use the tightest hand cup on his mic, so that he could get a large variety of tones by adjusting the pressure and quality of how he held the harp and mic together. That's something you really don't hear other players doing very much.

For what it's worth, you never see anyone trying to imitate Paul's style. Is it because it is so unique to him that people just don't gravitate towards phrasing things the way he did?
S-harp
224 posts
Aug 21, 2014
12:18 PM
Often come back to listen to this cut. Feels like he's sitting in my citchen playing ...
His playing is unpredictable ... I like that.

1847
2075 posts
Aug 21, 2014
6:50 PM
i am guessing that, mean old world was recorded on a cassette tape.
the pitch is off slightly.
it also sounds like he is using a marine band.
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
S-harp
225 posts
Aug 21, 2014
8:46 PM
1847 ... Sounds like Marine Band, yes, and perhaps it was on Mean Old World.
I talked to a guy who met him and asked what harps he played and he said he played stock Hohner Big Rivers.

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The tone, the tone ... and the Tone
1847
2078 posts
Aug 22, 2014
8:33 AM
i sure he did use a big river, i saw a picture of him using one,
irrefutable proof i,d say.
i play seydel's exclusively, however if
you look in my gig bag,
you will see 11 session steel's and 1 special twenty
i bought the hohner, because it was on sale for 15 dollars.
most of us have a wide assortment of harmonica's
did they make big river's back then
that track was recorded in someone's basement,
it could of been a fostex x 15 or a teac reel to reel.
that is some of the best playing anywhere, that's for sure.


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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
tmf714
2685 posts
Aug 22, 2014
8:41 AM
Paul used Big Rivers which he gapped and tuned himself-he stayed with my friend Carlos for a few weeks
with his band. He turned Carlos on to modded Big Rivers-
Rgsccr
275 posts
Aug 22, 2014
10:00 AM
That cut of "Mean Old World" is so good it's chilling! Does anyone know what kind of amp he used generally. I love everything I have heard by him with my personal favorites (in addition to this cut of "Mean Old World")being "Say What You Mean Baby," "Ain't Gonna Holler," (both from "Greasy Kid Stuff"), and "Only Me" and "All Cried Out" from "deLay does Chicago." For me, his singing is as good as his harp playing - so soulful it's haunting. What a shame he died so young.
tmf714
2686 posts
Aug 22, 2014
10:27 AM
From a live review:

He was very open and honest about discussing the equipment he uses. The group I was with, and myself, talked to Paul about his equipment, especially the controls he has built into his harp case. His ‘attaché’ type case sat atop a stand next to him on stage. There was a plug in on its bottom which connected to power. Other cables attached to the case connected his octave splitter and foot pedal to the sound system. A small lamp was also built into the case. Using the case Paul set up his song list, kept a brow wipin’ towel, and used the octave splitter without ever having to take it out of the case! Keeping the splitter and pedal in the case allowed him easy access to the slider controls. Of course the case also served as the home for all of Paul’s harps which consisted of ten Hohner "Big River" diatonics, four small chromatics, a big Hohner "64", and his microphone. Not trying to keep any secrets from us harp "geeks", Paul told us the brand name and model of the splitter and said, "feel free to go up and look at it."
tmf714
2687 posts
Aug 22, 2014
10:28 AM
From harp-l:

I had the opportunity to meet and jam with Paul deLay
a few years ago (it's worth coming out of lurk-mode
just to brag about that ! :) ), so for whoever was
wondering, here's what he uses (at least did in 1999).
He was playing Hohner Big River diatonics and (I
think) chromonica Chro's (in several keys), using a
JT-30 mic.
The "Space case" is a briefcase which he uses as a
harp carrying case AND amp. In it he installed a
direct box plugged into a "ZOOM" multi-effect amp
simulator, which he uses to get the great variety of
sounds he uses. This goes direct to the PA soundboard.
Apropos the discussion of marking harps - Paul
actually had a small desktop lamp installed in the
case as well, to see the harps on a dark stage!
All in all a very clever and convenient rig.
In my opinion, Paul deLay is one of the most brilliant
an innovative harp players alive
Rgsccr
277 posts
Aug 22, 2014
11:37 AM
Thanks tmf - very interesting.
Kingley
3673 posts
Aug 22, 2014
11:53 AM
Paul was a brilliant musician who had a pretty unique sound and incredible musical talent. His singing was easily as strong as his harp playing (if not stronger), his chromatic playing was some of the best to be heard amongst any blues players. His songwriting was superb. The clips of Paul in the Arthur Moore recordings are simply astonishing. I only wish I had a copy of the whole recording.

Last Edited by Kingley on Aug 22, 2014 11:53 AM
1847
2081 posts
Aug 22, 2014
1:18 PM

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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica
"but i play it anyway"
MindTheGap
466 posts
Aug 23, 2014
4:37 AM
Thank you so much for this thread. This is exactly why I read MBH: to hear about players and their music, what it is people like about them, and what to listen out for when listening to their recordings.


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