In the modern harp world there are at least a hand full of players, some well known, some unknown who do amazing things with the combination of great tone, great playing ability and fluidity, and some who combine this with the electronic enhancement devices available today to create mind blowing results. In the guitar world, these are people like Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Robert Fripp, and Frank Zappa. In the harp world It's people like Jason Ricci, Brendan Power, and Carlos Del Junco. Folks on this forum will know more of the known and unknowns than anywhere else. So I ask, "What blows your mind?", with the use of the mentioned elements. This forum has been responsible for most of my Itunes harp library, so please name individual recordings, and feel free to post video or sound samples if possible. I love players who think outside of the traditional box. Here's my latest favorite:
Last Edited by Garlic Breath on Jun 18, 2017 4:45 AM
Lake Street Dive and Jacob Collier. Not together, but that would be OK.
Oh, you mean with regard to harmonica players! I was gonna go look at Butterfield's performance at Monterey, that would probably qualify . . . I have the boxed set, but need to take the time. 50 years ago!
Last Edited by Gnarly on Jun 17, 2017 10:07 PM
I'm a throwback, I suppose, but I lean heavily toward the more melodic and traditional. That's probably why, far and away, my favorite, all-time blues player is the late Mississippi John Hurt. The voice, the seemingly simple but in fact complex guitar work, and the man's humble attitude (in interviews I've watched) add up to something incredible. Mississippi John just hits me at the gut level.
Now, if you add in harp playing by John Sebastian, the result is a rendition of a song that blows me away time after time.
This was a rare, live performance, probably recorded in the 60s. The actual playing starts around 1:30
After all these years, still Butterfield. He took the idea of playing the harp like a horn and really did it. In his case, being a lip purser was an advantage, allowing him to explore fluid, complex lines.
My wife and I got to see Jason in Long Beach a few weeks back. What truly blew my mind was how tight he and the band were together. To be candid, I expected a virtuoso solo artist and a backing band. What I saw & heard was a terrific quartet with some superb harp playing. What they played wasn’t 12 bar blues, though it had elements of it. And wasn’t jazz, but it sure had the Nawlins feel. It was almost like seeing & hearing a band that was its own genre. Wow.
Last Edited by Sundancer on Oct 06, 2018 9:21 AM
Here are some of the pieces that have blown me away. I’ve been a dedicated fan of Sonny Boy II, Norton Buffalo, Big Walter and Carey Bell, Mark Hummel for many years but George Harmonica Smith has been a recent addition since visiting the forum along with William Clarke, Paul deLay (Great voice!), Gary Primich, Steve Guyger, Aki Kumar My good friend Dave Shaw put me onto an amazing band from the 90’s “Big Dave & The Ultrasonics” and the Album “No Sweat” Big Dave Steele led the band and Dave Morris was the harmonica player. The Track “Letter From St Louis” is helping me get into the button on the chromatic, sadly that track is not up on YouTube I really like the music of Johnny Marino who I came across down the side panel of YouTube some time ago. I really like his version of “Worn Out Shoe” I know that John Popper tends to get some contentious comments. I sure don’t like every song he does but I like a good number of them. “Make My Way” was a great help in learning how introduce the 3 rd octave into my playing.
“Harlem Nocturne” Gus Herrera
George Harmonica Smith “Roaming”
JJ Milteau “Blue 3rd”
Dave Morris with Big Dave & The Ultrasonics “Feel So Bad”
Johnny Marino “Worn Out Shoe”
I am hooked on this! but I’ve got no idea what the words are about? Jason Ricci “515 unreleased”
Blues Traveler “Make My Way”
"Mercury Blues" Roy Rogers and Norton Buffalo
Last Edited by John M G on Oct 05, 2018 8:07 PM
George Smith. SBII. The Walters. Taj. Why? They had no esoteric tunings or pedals, no harp tweakers probably, yet those cats set the tone for all of us.
I'm old school. No insult meant to modern guys and gals but I doubt we'd be near what we are as musicians if the bar had not been set so high back when.
Personally gadgets don't really do much for me. Other than a decent mic and tube amp I have one delay pedal. I'm glad that there are a lot of choices of decent harps these days and I've tried a lot of them and settled- for the moment- on what works for me. I was really looking forward to having a BRadical but we all know what happened there. The guys who are making combs, building cool harps, and customizing harps are all doing good things, but for a guy on a budget that stuff is mostly out of my reach.
My mind is still blown when I hear Taj do "She Caught the Katy, or SBII do Nine Below Zero, Smith do La Cucaracha, Walter do Sad Hours, and the other guys doing those seminal ground breaking songs that blew my mind "back then". And it's not just cool harp parts but the way songs were arranged, the way dynamics were the total thing no matter what. The way the bands all did their parts with no one-up high volume wanking going on.
I couldn't even start a list, since I joined this forum I've been introduced to more great talent then I ever new existed, from street corner buskers to the rock star famous.
What blows my mind every time is any player who plays in the service of the song, commits to the groove, doesn't have a 'look at me Ma' attitude, doesn't play over others, who doesn't play a million notes a minute and who displays emotion in their playing. Unfortunately though, those types of players seem to be very few and far between these days.
Last Edited by Kingley on Oct 07, 2018 12:11 AM
I have to agree with my fellow Englishman Kingley..there is far to many players that just over play way to much..and for what its worth Dennis Gruenling blows my mind every time I here him...and for my money should be in Adams all time top 10 harp greats.
Is that Steve Marriner playing harp with Harry Manx?
Thanks for posting that! I may just buy the album...
I had not previously heard of this group. Before following MBH I also had not heard of Session Americana with Jim Fitting and the music of many other great harp players.
MBH has made it possible for me me hear all kinds of great music I might have overlooked. ----------
I'm old school. When I was a teen Big & Little Walter and Sonny Boy blew my mind.
For a beginning harp player in the 60's, Cotton and Junior were great, but I can't say any harp players, however schooled, competent (and there are many), or able to use pedals have "blown my mind" since the first three.
That said, I've been "blown away" at different times, for different reasons, by Jean Jacque Milteau, Flávio Guimarães, Steve "West" Weston, Gary Primich, Thiago Cerveira, Jerry Portnoy, Toots Thielman, Andy Just, Rick Estrin, Michal Adler, and John Petersen.
Mind Blowing?!? (non harp) - Hearing & being with Robert Nighthawk, Janis Joplin, B.B. King opening night at Mr. Kelly's jazz club, Robert Lockwood Jr., Peter Green, Earl Hooker, Magic Sam and the first time I saw Muddy. ---- BnT
Last Edited by BnT on Oct 10, 2018 1:50 PM
I am the very model of a modern forum spammer A job pretty low on the scale of glamour I wouldn't know the difference between Bob Dylan or Whammer jammer. I have been axe by Adam after causing quite a clamor...
Everybody, sing it with me!
Last Edited by nacoran on Oct 10, 2018 1:34 PM
@ Iceman - I am also a Harry Manx fan. I have never seen him, and never seen him to play down South here. I really want to see him, Carlos and Catherine MacLellan, so I may have to take a trip North.
Jason is a MUST SEE anytime he plays within a 400 mile radius.
