It is great Jason but not what separates you (IMHO) from the many awesome Chicago style honkers! The first three minutes below pulled me in and still has me. I bet I have watched it over 500 times.
I try to figure out what you do the way Adam and others do on songs like Whammer Jammer and Juke. I pretty much have the notes, but I'm far, far from the way you sound. Most can't play the high end of an F harp very well, much less play it fat with cool little nuances on the shorts notes. Even the overbends.
I do applaud the dedication it must have taken to develop the chops to play this way. WOW!
Watching the video (and the one posted by harpdude), I must say one of the things I admire most from overblowers (you, Carlos Del Junco, Paul Linden, etc) is the control they have over the dynamics and modulations of the instrument. Be able to play something doesn't mean you can play it musically, after all hitting the notes is only a part of the final product... That's what right now impresses most from you, Jason: more than the tone, the scales and the innovation, I'm enjoying a lot the way you modulate your phrases. Lots of roundness on them.
Thanks everyone so much for listening! Thanks so much Larry, means a lot man…and especially harp dude for getting it man. I don't normally post videos of me in here (partly because you guys post more than enough anyway and I appreciate that) but I was pretty proud of this one cause I never get the opportunity to really play blues like this, I love that sound, it's not my sound, a lot of people don't know I can play this way but when in Rome….the cool thing about the Nick Moss Band is they do EVERYTHING and everything really well so there's no temptation to "be me" because there's plenty of opportunity to do that on other songs with Nick. Also Teaching harmonica has really helped me play better traditionally or as Larry said more maturely, revisiting fundamentals every day and realizing much of the time I'm not taking my own advice has been pretty humbling. Also because of people like the ones here on this forum, fans, blues societies, SPAH and other great supportive entities I've had the opportunity to "get it out of my system" so to speak…I have had a gift, not the gift of music or talent but the gift of that opportunity to make a living at this and thus get to do it actually more than I have wanted to at times!.. and as I get older, I have less to prove, like all of you I just want to be the best player I can be, still... and sometimes that means nodding my head in respect to guys that have come before me and to that music as it was done, it's also really fun. Thanks again everyone. Here's one more video I did thats sort of in-between the Nick Moss video and the one Harp Dude posted and thank you everyone again for this awesome forum there's really nowhere else like it.-Jason
Jason, you are of those artists who can play anything you set your mind to and reinvent everything as you go along. Love this performance : ---------- "I don't play too fast. You're listening too slow." ted-burke.com tburke4@san.rr.com
Love it! You're right: it starts slower, more "paced," than your usual. You hook us in with the tone--and leave yourself somewhere to go (i.e., up, faster, higher). Big-ass tone. Nice.
I would have thought that as versatile and experienced a player as Jason would be beyond asking for feedback. It's nice to see that he is as humble as he is skilled.
It's also nice to see a player who can and does stand out as a frontman play more of a supporting role,taking his turn and stepping up when called upon to do so. I like that Jason was able to shine with his solo without outshining the Band. Always something to learn from watching him. Bravo and thank you, Jason.
Thanks again Peter and everyone, I'm still glowing from this gig ….Playing with Nick again felt incredible but more this time then ever. It's always humbling, I got to sit and watch the first set which always helps me remember WHO I'm playing with and how much they DON'T need me and what I GET to do not what I have to do or think I can do. It's a great feeling…That rhythm section is beyond solid, it's tight but it breaths too….Just a great feeling. I'm recording my next album at Nick Moss's studio with a lot of Nick's band (Still using Todd Edmonds and a new guitar player Jeremy Vasquez) in Nov. I'm simply blessed to have friends like these and fans willing to support these romps of mine. Thank you everyone!-Jason
Last Edited by Moon Cat on Sep 09, 2014 9:46 PM
