The top...I have no idea. I only know those I like. I reckon the Jimmy Rogers Allstars 'blues blues blues' is a great record for hearing accompaniment harp. Kim Wilson or Carey Bell on most tracks. Speaking of Kim Wilson..I've been enjoying his 'that's life' album. I love the sound Denis Gruenling has on that old 'up all night' album. I like the Cotton compilation 'best of the verve years' but it's hard to find. All the cuts are from 'James Cotton Blues Band', 'Pure Cotton' and 'Cotton in Your Ears' Speaking of Cotton...that album he made with Spann is great for harp listening: 'the blues never die!' Early love for me was SBW2 'the real folk blues' I like Billy Boy Arnold's 'back where I belong' album. That has a cut where Lester Butler plays the harp, on 'shake your hips' as well as BBA on his classic 'wish you would'. Album is worth having just for those two boogies. There's a Jr Wells record called 'Blues hit big town' which is a bunch of early sides where he was playing really strong harp. In later years his harp playing was kinda minimalist...although his 60s Delmark albums are both great (Hoodoo Man Blues and Southside Blues Jam) as are his cuts on the 'Chicago the blues today' vanguard album, and his 'best of the vanguard years' album. Some great playing on the Jimmy Rogers 'Chicago Bound' album...the chess compilation I mean. There's another album with the same name that he shared with big moose walker. I like that record too but it's not the one I mean. The record I'm talking about is mainly if not all Little Walter as sideman. Some brilliant cuts which don't get heard as much perhaps as the Muddy Waters titles. William Clarke: 'blowin like hell', 'serious intentions' are both good. I'm not sure you can go wrong with William Clarke. Butterfield: I like the 'lost elektra sessions' I think it's called, but maybe because that was the last thing I heard. Maybe hard to go too far wrong with butterfield too. Walter Horton...I like the '... With Carey Bell' album. Also there's a set called 'blues harmonica giant' which has collected a lot of his stuff. Mainly he worked as a sideman so it's a bit hard to gather his stuff I like Ian Collard. His work with Collard Greens And Gravy on 'More Gravy!' Is good. I like his juke joint boogie album too. Just scratching the surface here.
Opinions vary on "top" albums, just like they do on favorite brands of harp. But, I can tell you one album, by a current player, that I've really been enjoying.
Todd Parrott's "Songs From The Harp." I find his technique and single-note clarity amazing
Last Edited by Rontana on Apr 02, 2016 5:21 AM
No doubt, Jimmy Rodgers, Ludella. Crazy it hasn't been listed already. Kim Wilson putting it all out there, start to finish. This track is the one Adam chose to transcribe for his Mojo lesson. Definitive comp fill solo
Well, apart from all the albums mentioned, with which I totally agree, I would like to mention "Livin'Blues". A Dutch bluesrock group from late 60's early seventies featuring the late great John Lagrand. They did 4 albums which are coveniently on 1 double-cd.
It might not be the best example of bluesharp in the purest sense, but John Lagrand was definately a great harpplayer!
And it was this album (these albums) that really got me turned on to bluesharp.
(Ofcourse Hoodoo man blues, King King and old Muddy recordings took it from there.)
I think Portnoy plays on that 'I'm ready' album. It's mainly Walter Horton but I think Portnoy plays on the title track...he is also on yhe King Bee album iirc.
The Jimmy Rogers album "Feelin' Good" that Rogonzab mentioned...I also like a lot. That is Piazza from 83 I think,
Speaking of Piazza...And George Smith I like those bacon fat discs on blue horizon label, with George Smith. Looking for more George on this thread
Just to throw in a few of my favorites that have not been mentioned yet: Sugar Blue - Blue Blazes Pat Ramsey - It's About Time Big Walter Horton - Can't Keep Lovin' You Paul Butterfield (if not The Electra Years compendium)-East West. Treat her Right - Tied to the Tracks
I just downloaded Pat Ramsey - Its About Time I ve been hearing about this album for a while. No wonder. First impressions, Its fantastic. I only made it thru once ,but it's damn good. A bit of a range of sounds too. Love the horns....The Hippie Song is definitely Different .... Its all good tho.
Ive put quite a few others from this thread on my wishlist. ..lol.
JJ Milteau stuff is tough to find. Atleast for purchase. But alot of the stuff i did listen to on youtube is great. ---------- Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain.
No one has mentioned Roots Duo, Joe Filisko and Eric Noden.
They have several albums out, the most recent of which, "On The Move" has this infectious song, "Sonic Breakdown." It's representative of the old-timey, (mostly) acoustic collection of songs on these albums. I can't decide which I like best.
Their other albums are equally spectacular, always coming up with a few surprises. You can find them here.
Each song features the amazing Joe Filisko's harmonica stylings set against groovemaster Eric Noden's solid foundations. Their's is a beautiful friendship indeed.
Michelle
---------- SilverWing Leather - Custom leather creations for musicians and other eccentrics.
Another great album is "The History of Blues Harmonica," with David Barrett, Joe Filisko, Dennis Gruenling and Kinya Pollard. I can't listen to it too much. The guys take turns doing what they each do the best.
---------- "The only way to get better is to play a little outside your comfort zone every time you play!"
Last Edited by FBInsMan on Apr 04, 2016 6:00 AM
Fbins - Yea. Hooker N Heat got left out. Great Album. Aswell as Harp Attack and Sugar Blue - Blue Blazes. All great albums.
I been going thru alot of these albums on Spotify, just to sample what they re about n see if I wanna buy em. Some good stuff in here. Alot of stuff is unavailable on spotify though. I want to check out those Albums Michelle brought up. Ill have to dig into them after work.
Dont necessarily have to be blues albums though. Just Harp in general. ---------- Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain.
I'm surprised that Big Walter Horton doesn't seem to feature much so far? Must have is "Fine Cuts", "Big Walter Horton with Carey Bell", "Can't keep lovin' you" I love his version of Tin Pan Alley on the 72 Album "An offer you can't refuse" with Paul Butterfield. Sonny Boy Williamson & the Yardbirds I've got the vinyl Mississippi Fred McDowell and Johnny Woods Album. That has some great tracks, "Red Cross" "My Babe" & "Scratch my back" Paul Butterfield's "Better Days" Norton Buffalo and Roy Rogers "Travellin' Tracks" with the live cuts "Move on Away from Here" & "Mercury Blues" I really like Carey Bell's playing too and found some great stuff on Youtube.
Lots of lovely listening ideas here. I would take Charlie Musselwhite's 'Stand Back' album. Last time I enthused about it there was a lukewarm response, but I like it because it is different, and personally it showed me the way out of 2nd position.
Yea theres so much good music out there, not enough time in a day to take it all in. Ive been finding lots of good artists that i hadn't heard of or kinda glossed over previously. As i said there are many good artists in the singer thread aswell.
---------- Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain.
With JJ Milteau -- deplorably unrecognized in the US -- the album one should try to find, IMO, is called "Routes", from 1995 or thereabouts. A really great journey through various styles on the diatonic harmonica. It´s not all blues, but hopefully that doesn´t scare off too many people, because it´s great.
Last Edited by Martin on Apr 05, 2016 6:08 AM
Yes martin I noticed he's not all blues. And not even all his blues is the same type. Hes all over the place. Really great stuff tho. Ill look out for that album ... Thanks. Amazing Player.
Another Album I forgot to mention, is one of my new favorites. I picked it up on Vinyl a few month ago when I was in Baltimore, in this Great record store i found there. I picked up ALOT of goldmine albums that day. But one of the Albums I picked up was by an artist i wasnt familiar with at the time. And i really only bought it because it had a harmonica on it, it was in mint condition, it was $4, and one of the songs on the back was The Creeper Returns. (Which i knew from James Cotton.)
It Turned Out To Be A Fantastic Record!
Go Figure.
Little Sonny - The New King Of Blues Harmonica.
Great Stuff!
Has alot of James Cotton Style licks on it. It may be the other way around though, but .... ---------- Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain.
And Don't Pet The Monkey ... He Bites!
Last Edited by Killa_Hertz on Apr 05, 2016 11:09 AM
