I normally love Bill Barrett. I love him for his technical skills but even more for his totally unbridled creative mind. I love the way always forges his own path. I love the way he exploits his knowledge of music theory to plow new aural territory. I even love his singing. Plus, to top it off, I love that he's a former x-ray technician (I spent a lot of time around x-ray machines).
And I also know it's hip to be a Bill Barrett fan and applaud each of his musical explorations. But this. This actually hurt my ears. He settled down after a while but it took real perseverance for me to listen until he did. And when he did, sweet as it was, it wasn't salve enough for my ringing ears to relieve the pain induced by his intro.
So, if ~this~ is "Modern Blues Harmonica," I've already had my fill.
At least that's the way I hear it.
Michelle
---------- SilverWing Leather - Custom leather creations for musicians and other eccentrics.
Last Edited by mlefree on Oct 20, 2015 10:00 AM
Bill Barrett is truly an unique talent. He pushes the chromatic harmonica to places it has never been before and to my hears he is truly the definition of Modern Blues.
I am Bill Barrett fan and I KNOW he is very good (yes bad ass), but there were so many things bad about this it's hard not disagree! It was a bad choice of amplified sound for the piece IMHO. I don't think it was close to right. He literally was missing notes. I could hear them choking off like he was playing to hard. It sounded like he was all excited he didn't really didn't put much thought into how to play the solo for that piece. I think that guy sang it well. I believe your not the singer it's your responsibility to mesh with the singer and band. In this case it's just the singer and his guitar. Didn't sound like he was concerned with that and played without focus. I'd give that a thumbs down. I know he's better than that! I didn't hear boundaries being pushed. It sounded very amateur to me?
I hate to post bad things about GOOD harp players. People like him really don't deserve it. That video should have never seen the light of day!
Funny how taste differs so much from person to person.....in "Wild About my Loving" I hear a fearlessness and a willingness to push boundaries, try for something different. I love all the "ugly" sounds he's making and the dissonant intervals he's playing.
And of course his command of the instrument is unimpeachable.
@Gnarly That was point. There are way to many examples of that man playing very well. @droffilcal Yes I agree music is very subjective. I think what Gnarly posted is a better example of how you were describing his playing.
Yes, Gnarly, that is a horse of a totally different color. Much more like the Bill Barrett that I have come to know and love. That guitar player is hot, too. That's one thing you cannot deny about BB. He does surround himself with terrific musicians.
I think in "Wild About my Lovin" Bill was deliberately trying to annoy to make a certain point. It's the painful dissonance coupled with the unanswered question of just what that point might have been that make the song stand out like a sore thumb for me.
Pushing boundaries is great but it seems there should be some point in doing so. If Bill's point was annoying his listeners, he's succeeded at a level right up there with the rest of his playing. I just choose to avoid consuming that sort of musical exploration.
Michelle
---------- SilverWing Leather - Custom leather creations for musicians and other eccentrics.
Bill has made a couple of albums with a guitarist/ trombonist who happened to be in Austin when I was playing bass harmonica with a band at a street fair. He introduced himself and very very nice. He handed me two of their CDs and one of his. It was the best payment for the gig!
On a personal note, when I first heard Bill on his CD Backbone I was enthralled! I had finally found someone who understood that the chromatic can be as dirty as a diatonic, which I had been after for a long time. As time has gone on, I am always amazed at his music but find the CDs are rarely chosen. In any case, I am sure glad he is around.
If you are interested in a CD by Bill that you can listen to over and over again, try this one. It has guest performances by Brendan Power, Chris Michalek, Damien Masterson, Randy Weinstein, Ludo Beckers, Steven deBruyn, and Vince Meghrouni. Very Blue Note-ish, and Scot Ray (Bill's partner in Gutpuppet, the band Mr. Rubin refers to) is all over the record too, as well as Eric Holden , Bill's partner in a couple of his other bands.
I know that Bill has had some health issues in the recent past, perhaps he just wasn't feeling well that day.
Ha! Never heard of Barrett, I dug both videos, and actually liked the first one the most. He has a new fan.
Last Edited by Honkin On Bobo on Oct 23, 2015 12:49 PM
New stuff up on YouTube, search for barrett gomez and ye shall find. Amen. Or go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8c70e2Mmbc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMMSGPGRYzU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_EW85IYO3w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lcpNE50xu4 Duo performances, live--Bill sings, Michaela Gomez plays fingerstyle guitar .
Last Edited by Gnarly on Nov 11, 2017 9:11 PM
Who was it, Miles Davis ??? that said (I paraphrase),"there's no wrong note, it's the next note that makes it". Or something to that effect. He was pushing boundaries in the 1st viddy, but it was so original I am willing to wait a few notes until he gets it resolved. Love it.
Understand what he's trying to do here, but to my ears it's a bit hit and miss. Dissonance can work wonders, but perhaps in a duo context there's not enough of a musical bed to riff on top of, so it's a bit rough. Reminds me a bit of Terry Adams' keyboard solos for the band NRBQ...the guy can obviously play anything, and chooses to sort of barge in through the side door and upset the party, tip over the glasses and try to convince you to find a new way to dig the scene. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I'm wondering if this was a "raw" guitar solo, would one find it as difficult to listen to?
Well I really liked it. The mix of discords and other sounds. Sounded really new to my listening experience, I like his singing too.
You don't have to like everything, but I was always taught if you can't say anything nice don't say anything. If it's not your flavour, fine, but to come out and say it's not a professional performance I think says more about the poster than the player.
I'd give my right testicle to be able to play like that. I'd throw in the left one too come to that, if I thought it'd help at all!
I like Bill Barrett and love his playing here on all the clips, great tone, technique and chops. His playing is fearless.
Some curious responses, "dissonance", "wrong notes" , "bad sound" , "bad choice of amplified sound", for someone who is so clearly creative and original. It should come as no surprise that these are the same words some folks would use to describe Adam Gussow and Jason Ricci. "Too many notes", "overblows", "solos that go on wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too long", Now of course, I'll get TONS of push back from all the fan people here at MBH, but there you have it, to each his own. Personally I think AG/JR playing is also fearless and understand why so many love their style, just like those who pray at the alter of John Popper. Bill Barrett is certainly in their pantheon of playing
What this video makes me want to do is pick up my chro and play.
Last Edited by 6SN7 on Nov 13, 2017 7:09 AM
Be aware that Bill tunes his chromatics to bebop--changing blow 4 from C to Bb. I do that too, but he's kinda better at it than I am, so that's not his secret . . .
I decided to listen again and find fault. His singing is flat on the video in the original post. There's more gain on the harp than I like to hear from him. He blows off the last verse ("Hello Central") . . . The guitar player keeps blowing the transition to the IV chord, and he is not as skilled as some of Bill's accompanists. I even hear Bill make what I perceive to be mistakes. So perhaps this is not the best introduction to Big Bad Bill . . .
Last Edited by Gnarly on Nov 13, 2017 8:29 AM
In the jazz/blues vein, and as a chromatic harmonica player, Bill is pretty damn inspiring. If not inspiring, then stimulating. He seems to be a “What’s the point if you’re not taking risks” kind of a guy. In seems obvious that he could play it smooth if he wanted to. And he really is a great singer, as well.
I used the term "dissonance" but I hardly meant it in a derogatory way. Dissonance can be a very effective musical statement to create tension, emotion, etc. It's very clear from the first posted clip—intentional or unintentional clams aside— that Barrett is an outstanding musician and is trying something different. The other posted clips reinforce that he's a unique and great player, and I thanks to this post I listened to a CD of his on Spotifiy (with Marcus Watkins) and dug it...I'll be purchasing some of his music in the future, so I am grateful for this introduction to Mr. Barrett. Still think he was trying for something in that first clip and didn't quite get there, though. But that's fine. I'm sure every solo by John Coltrane wasn't great...you have to try wild shit out occasionally to see what sticks!
"Terry Adams' keyboard solos" Yeh, I noticed that too--he approaches solos in almost a free fashion, and lots of stage antics. Looks like he's still out there doing it!
