Komuso
564 posts
Apr 21, 2015
10:39 PM
|
Came across this thesis the other day, not sure if has been posted here before:
Paul Butterfield: Imitator or Innovator?
Interesting read!
tl;dr
"The conclusion reiterates the findings of the study, that Butterfield was an innovator in his field of music, and that he played the harmonica with the same intensity and emotion as the ‘great’ black blues musicians who preceded him."
----------
Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Learn Harmonica Faster
Bringing the Boogie to the Bitstream
Last Edited by Komuso on Apr 21, 2015 10:59 PM
|
MichaelMc
11 posts
Apr 23, 2015
9:06 AM
|
That was a very interesting read. Thanks for posting.
|
harmonicajoe
40 posts
Apr 23, 2015
9:20 AM
|
Yes an interesting read, but I didn't need to read the whole thing to know the answer. But then again Paul Butterfield is one of my favorite players. Thanks though, I definitely enjoyed it.
|
ted burke
197 posts
Apr 23, 2015
3:17 PM
|
The academic language is nearly comical considering the topic, which is ascertaining whether Paul Butterfield was an innovator and a major contributor to the blues harmonica tradition or merely a talent mimic of the music of others. A listen to Butterfield is enough, I think, to establish that he was one of those who had traceable musical influences which were starting points for him. Like , say, the guitar work of Johnny Winter or the way John Coltrane's saxophone advancements sprang from a post-bebop rhythm and blues background, Butterfield had his own sound that he chased and perfected and honed until he could make the harmonica produce any musical phrase he could conceive, at the instance of inspiration. I thoroughly enjoyed this paper and was fascinated with what family, friends and band mates had to say about his musicianship and art. Thanks for posting.
----------
Ted Burke
__________________
ted-burke.com
tburke4@san.rr.com
|
Komuso
567 posts
Apr 23, 2015
4:58 PM
|
Unfortunately when you're writing a thesis for academia if you don't write it in their tragically convoluted style you get crap marks.
I think he did well considering. A great idea, looked like a really fun project (and good oral history too), but he had to pitch it and then dress it up for ivory tower consumption.
----------
Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Learn Harmonica Faster
Bringing the Boogie to the Bitstream
|
Ryan Mitchell-Smith
1 post
Apr 23, 2015
7:33 PM
|
Komuso is very shrewd! I did indeed have strict rules to adhere to in delivering my thesis... and actually it was quite tricky to get the academics to OK my proposal... but the journey was worth it. Being able to research and study something I am so utterly passionate about really made all the difference to my degree. This Dissertation believe it or not helped earn me a First class honours degree... and the way I finished that degree... was to play blues harmonica for a performance exam after I handed my thesis in. I shared my thesis online as a companion to a cup of tea for anyone else interested in what it discussed, and hoped others might find value in it. I am SO delighted that it has been shared here! You have totally made my day! Thanks for all the lovely comments too!! I didn't need a thesis to tell me the answer either by the way... but I did manage to study a worthy subject, born from my love of Butterfield as one of my idols... I'm so glad others have enjoyed reading it. Bless you!
Ryan Mitchell-Smith
(Original author: Paul Butterfield: Imitator or Innovator)
|
walterharp
1624 posts
Apr 23, 2015
8:07 PM
|
Hey Ryan,
Nice job! The next step with this is getting the interviews with the family and band members to back up existing data. On the original question that is very difficult... Butterfield and DeLay are two of the few harmonica players.... after listening to all the others.. how did they get through those notes from one chord change to another and sound like nobody else has? turns your head... not sure how to put that into words. Innovator, yes certainly.
|
Komuso
569 posts
Apr 23, 2015
8:23 PM
|
More personal experience than shrewd Ryan;-)
I STILL have problems writing 10 words instead of 2 due to one Masters degree I did.
If I'd known how much unreadable crap it would cause me to write after I would have readily forgone the great marks I got and written those reports/thesis in plain English!
But I still read a lot of research papers and I'm used to it so I didn't really pick up what Ted did.
Good to see you check your trackbacks and found your way here;-)
----------
Paul Cohen aka Komuso Tokugawa
HarpNinja - Learn Harmonica Faster
Bringing the Boogie to the Bitstream
Last Edited by Komuso on Apr 23, 2015 8:36 PM
|
Ryan Mitchell-Smith
2 posts
Apr 23, 2015
10:24 PM
|
Hahah! bless you Komuso! Well I'm delighted it comes across the way I intended and is understood as such I have to say. I would write it very differently these days and with no restrictions as I'm sure we all would if we revisited our past papers.
The nice thing that not many know... is that my dad brought me up in the UK and was a harp player himself... He introduced me to Butterfield when I was growing up and gigged with many touring US blues stars and I got to meet a few of them and stood in awe at the talent in front of me... William Clarke... Carey Bell... and the wonderful Mr Charlie Musselwhite. All influenced me but Butterfield spoke to me... as did my dad with his playing... and after my dad passed I decided to take harp more seriously. Years later... this appears to be the result. For those who are intrigued... here's me playing blues harp for a friend's original album launch last year.
https://youtu.be/6cutVbg7fUk
3:30 in if you want to just watch the solo.
anyway... I just thought it might be nice to share, so that people can see just how much Butterfield did influence me and how I play my gobiron. ;)
All the best, and thanks again for sharing! \o/
|
