This video has David Barrett, Gary Smith and Aki Kumar is an excellent example for harp players when you have more than one on the bandstand to learn how to play more like a real horn section. Listen to where they're playing harmony parts, just like a horn section, or better yet, just like top notch back vocalists doing harmony parts, and to do these kinds of things, you HAVE to learn music theory and become a very disciplined musician, something unfortunately, the vast majority of harp players are often too lazy to learn and when there's more than one player up on the bandstand, they just wind up stepping all over each other. Enjoy!!
---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
In addition to playing harmony and concerted rhythm, the third thing that harmonica players can benefit from studying is articulation.
Horn players will all attack a note the same way - with a T or a K, or nothing. They may scoop into the note from below together, swell or taper their dynamics.
They can also coordinate their vibratos - none, timed together, or all different but still blending as with the Ellington sax section of the early 1950s.
One harp player who's a real master of this is Michael Peloquin. As a horn section player (tenor and baritone sax) as well as being an excellent harmonica player, he always has great input on the details of this every time I've worked with him in a harmonica ensemble.
Here are a couple of clips by the San Francisco Harmonica Ensemble, with Michael, Damien, myself, and Steve Malerbi on bass harmonica.
Stevie Wonder's I Wish:
Rogeres & Hammerstein's Surrey with the Fringe on Top:
Really like the harmonized "horn lines". Sounded just like big band swing stuff! However, IMO, the song would have been more enjoyable had they each not taken 24 bar solos, and just stuck to the cool harmonized style of playing. I mean, the solos were all good and everything, it just got really repetitive and seemed to me like they weren't really needed (i.e., they distracted from the cool "trio" parts of the song). Cool stuff, though! ----------
@WinslowYerxa -- I am 100% in agreement with your point about articulation and goes for both bent, unbent and overblow notes as well and it's something many harp players tend to ignore all the time.
Both videos are fine examples harmony, articulation and musical discipline and all of you guys are grooving big time. Most players are too often not discipline enough to pull any of this stuff off at all. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
@Diggsblues - You may be thinking of the Richard Hayman album Harmonica Holiday, which you can still sometimes find in used record stores. Hayman for many years was the arranger for the Boston Pops orchestra, but got his start as a member of the Borrah Minnevich harmonica group, and made albums as a harmonica player (and as an orchestra leader)throughout his career. On the album in question he had a who's who of top chromatic players:
this is great stuff.. it has been said around here that blues and multiple harmonicas do not necessarily go together, and this certainly is an exception to that!
yup, as mentioned above, these cats have their shit together. one thing that will surely spoil the sound is bad intonation, something these guys have well under control. bravo ----------
Although I don't know enough about ensemble playing with harp as a horn section to make any real comment on the subject. I have to say the opening track did nothing for me. Smith, Kumar and Barrett are all very good players and I like a lot of their stuff. This track though just left me cold. It might be technically clever, but to me after the opening riff, it just sounds too cold and clinical. More like an exercise in trying too hard to be clever, rather than a nice instrumental statement played with emotion. I'm sure many people will disagree with me, but that's my view on it as a piece of music.
I've noticed I can tap my foot along with jazz and enjoy it, but the tunes never get stuck in my head as earworms.
edit for clarity- I'd only listened to the first track. The two clips with Winslow had much better hooks, the first one with that great bass harp and the second one with a very earwormy hook. Sang that one years ago in some sort of group. Don't remember if it was high school choir or another group.
Loved it..three great Harp players at the top of their game playing through the changes..just awesome tone, articulation and then when they all came in together..well how many players could do intonation as spot on as that.
I played this tune with two other harp players from the School of the Blues, it was fun! Our intonation was not quite as good though haha :)
This is also so incredibly cool because of the 3 generations of Bay Area harp you see there (Gary was David's teacher who was Aki's teacher if you don't know)
---------- 4' 4+ 3' 2~~~ -Mike Ziemba Harmonica is Life!
"Loved that first track. Was that Kid Anderson playing guitar? Looked like him."
Yep. And that's Kid's Greaseland Studio where they're recording.
Barrett has been videoing the whole process of making this album, from planning and rehearsing on, and posting the results on blues harmonica.com. Fascinating stuff. ---------- "You can't just copy somebody. If you like someone's work, the important thing is to be exposed to everything that person has been exposed to."
What excellent playing. Very impressive. Also of note was the camerawork. Dave must've gone all out and hired some top hands. ---------- Marc Graci YouTube Channel
Clearly, the budget was blown on studio decor. ---------- "You can't just copy somebody. If you like someone's work, the important thing is to be exposed to everything that person has been exposed to."
I loved the first clip, very tasty playing by three of our best and full of everything aforementioned..but it was a tad long..and 'Jukeish' Nice stuff too Winslow!
I was totally impressed by the nice blended tonality that David/Gary/Aki got in the harmony-horn line portions. Very cool stuff!
I did not find it a tad long and was still wanting more at the end. Aki's amped sound seemed a bit more Piazza-like than the other two (in a good way)...did that have something to do with him being in an isolated booth?
That's some great blowin' from three great players and who does not love Gary Smith!!!! (When is he going to put out a new CD??!!) As Bob mentioned this is an exercise in musicianship and discipline ... and it swings! But, although to my ears this sounded great and the harmony parts really enthuse you this sort of studio set up is great, but to often videos on YouTube where 3 or more players, even the top cats, playing over each other or just going for it can be very noisy and just a bit much on the ear! As for the other two vids sorry, I'm into blues that sort of stuff like a music score from an obscure abstract French farce from the 70's leaves me numb haha, I can appreciate why they were posted but to my ears blues harp is blues harp and other genres of music including harmonica ain't for me! I'm sure cats who play other instruments would feel the same!
To my ears Smith's tone stands out way above the three and Kumar'a playing likewise. Barrett's performance is lackluster...
Last Edited by shbamac on Mar 27, 2015 6:52 AM
I dig what you say but in David Barrett's defence he does teach a lot I guess hence his playing may be somewhat clinical sounding and especially for blues harmonica it does lack feeling but he has some great licks though.
I have a feeling this CD is going to be pretty influential licks wise.
clyde,because harmonicas are great,sound great and play great music.i think more horn sections should try to emulate them.
i played trombone for years and work with a lot of horn players.i play with some wonderful horn sections.they are almost as good as harmonica! ---------- www.shakeylee.com
