slaphappy
315 posts
Sep 03, 2017
10:52 AM
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tried to post this yesterday but it never showed up on the board for some reason..
great interview..
http://www.bluesjunctionproductions.com/rick_estrin_the_blues_junction_interview_part_1
http://www.bluesjunctionproductions.com/rick_estrin_the_blues_junction_interview_part_2
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4' 4+ 3' 2~~~
-Mike Ziemba
Harmonica is Life!
Last Edited by slaphappy on Sep 03, 2017 10:53 AM
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SuperBee
4921 posts
Sep 03, 2017
3:31 PM
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Agree it's a great interview and a long interview. I'm glad you posted it because I haven't quite read all yet and I'd forgotten.
The thing with the post disappearing; sometimes a short post, or a post with a link will get caught by the spam net straight away. This was a short post with a link and almost certain to trigger the net.
It's annoying, destroys the flow, but Nate always releases them within 24 hours.
Sometimes just hitting enter a few times to give some extra lines is enough to overcome it.
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timeistight
2187 posts
Sep 04, 2017
7:36 AM
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The interview with Kid Andersen is also very good.
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Sundancer
153 posts
Sep 04, 2017
7:13 PM
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The Estrin interviews were superb for learning the circuitous path Rick took to become a working musician. And an entertainer. Really insightful. And it was reassuring to see that there was nary a mention of overblows.
I didn't know much about Estrin at all prior to the interview, but I'm psyched to see that he'll be playing in Long Beach next Sunday at Malarkeys in the Cadillac Jack show. Will definitely be there.
Last Edited by Sundancer on Sep 04, 2017 7:16 PM
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Joe_L
2773 posts
Sep 04, 2017
8:42 PM
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One thing that should have come across very clear in the interview with Rick. There is almost zero content about harmonicas. Rick is a Blues guy. He is consistent with many guys of his generation and previous generations. While he knows a great deal about the instrument, he isn't a harp nerd. He paid attention to the music that was happening around him and it was stuff he was passionate about.
I remember one of the first conversations I was involved in that included Rick. He was going to be playing and someone mentioned something about the harp amp and equipment. His response was something similar to, "you know I don't need any of that." He played an hour long set through the vocal mic and PA. It was some pretty heavy shit.
Last Edited by Joe_L on Sep 04, 2017 8:51 PM
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SuperBee
4926 posts
Sep 04, 2017
9:50 PM
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"DM: I think even to this day a lot of folks don’t realize that Charlie plays harp.
RE: He was a hell of a harmonica player too. You'd be shocked if you could hear what he sounded like back then. That same kind of fire and imagination he has on guitar he brought to the harp. Playing with Little Charlie really made me re-focus on getting my shit together as a player and as a performer. I also had to get my other shit together because I could see if I didn't, I was going to be an afterthought in that band. "
And this;
"One thing Charlie and I used to do a lot of though, is just get together and play. At that time, he lived in a small apartment in a hospital zone so we couldn't make noise there.
I was crashing on Steve Samuel’s couch, so I didn't really have a place, but we'd take a couple quarts of beer, and go out to this spot by the railroad tracks and just play for ourselves.
We got into trying to play John Lee Williamson and Big Joe Williams, Jazz Gillum and Big Bill type stuff "pre-war" "Bluebird" Chicago type stuff. We were working our way back. It's beautiful music just on its own, but I also had in mind that I wanted to go back and try, as much as I could, to build myself the same kind of foundation on the harp that Little Walter and the great Chicago players had. Looking back, I think the time we put in working on that type of stuff, turned out to be an important element in the way our thing evolved. And, for me personally, learning to incorporate, and internalizing some of the mechanics of John Lee Williamson's harmonica style really helped me develop a deeper, more natural sounding, pocket."
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BnT
92 posts
Sep 06, 2017
2:23 PM
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It was nice to see that interview. Rick's history and knowledge is so rich, going back to his teens. Here's a couple of Rick stories.
Rick Story #1:
Rick is indeed a ‘blues guy’ and the questions in the interview lead him to talk history and people, not “harmonica”, but he knows so much he could fill your head if you asked harmonica questions.
When we were teenagers Rick would call my house, maybe 9:30-9:45 at night – nobody ever called that late – so everybody’s in their bedroom, there’s only one phone (in the hall), it rings and I’m throwing my door open and racing to get it before anyone else notices. There is no “hello’, just Rick starting with, “Man, listen to this. Who do you think this is?” The mouthpiece of his phone is next to Rick’s record player. “I don’t know.” “No man, listen, who is this??” ‘Rick, I still don’t know.” “Ohhhh man. It’s Jimmy Rogers.” Rick had spent the day at previously unexplored record stores, going through bin after bin of records in search of blues and R&B 45’s and 78’s, somehow missing school in the process, and learning a lot, his excitement, palpable. This was a regular experience. The wonder and excitement never let up.
Rick Story #2:
We ran into each other outside of Theresa’s Lounge out on South Indiana in Chicago (both there from San Francisco, never imagining the other was there) where Muddy and Howlin’ Wolf Jr. were due that night. We’re maybe 19 and there’s an old guy sitting on the concrete, back against a brick wall, seemingly out of it. We’re talking, Rick flipping a harp back and forth using his thumb and index finger as the pivot point. The old guy says “Can you play boy?” Rick replies, “I can play” and he leans down and plays Howlin’ Wolf’s “All Night Boogie” note-for-note with perfect Howlin’ Wolf tone. The old guy is suddenly upright, smile on his face, extending his hand saying, “You can play man. I’m Lee Jackson.” (big hit ‘Juanita”, played behind Sonny Boy, Jimmy Reed, Johnny Shines, and J.B Hutto among others). At 19 years old Rick had it.
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BnT
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MP
3466 posts
Sep 06, 2017
3:43 PM
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I talked w/ Estrin about Gospel music and local church choirs in New Orleans for an hour at least. Very nice cat! Ditto what Joe L. said.
We opened the show and he used my gear. All the Nitecats used our gear. Charlie Baty was really happy to use two silver faced Fender Deluxes.
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Reasonably priced Reed Replacement and tech support on Hand Made Series Hohner Diatonic Harmonicas.
'Making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time.
Click MP for more info. Aloha Mark
.
Last Edited by MP on Sep 06, 2017 3:46 PM
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Sundancer
154 posts
Sep 11, 2017
11:27 AM
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Rick & the Nightcats played Cadillac Zack's Sunday show in Long Beach yesterday. As I was walking up to the venue I noticed Rick exiting his van. Said hello and that I quite enjoyed the Blues Junction article. He said "you mean the one where I told how stupid I've been?" In addition to being incredibly humble, he was gracious enough to speak with me for about 5 minutes about listening to music, internalising the lessons of your heroes into your own style and overblows ("fuck that shit!"). Then he and the band put on a very very good show - which got even better in the last set when they were joined by Jerry Jemmott on bass. Suffice to say, I am now a yuge fan.
Last Edited by Sundancer on Sep 11, 2017 11:33 AM
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SuperBee
4945 posts
Sep 11, 2017
3:43 PM
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I showed my son some of Rick's interview with Dave Barrett. It's a few years ago now. My son, in a rare moment of sincerity, described him as a very cool cat. I've had a couple of small interactions with Rick and must say, I think my son got it right.
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Sundancer
155 posts
Sep 11, 2017
4:38 PM
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Hey SuperBee. I concur. Your son got it very right. I wish I could figure out how to post the photo I took of Rick & me.
Last Edited by Sundancer on Sep 11, 2017 4:47 PM
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ValleyDuke
180 posts
Sep 15, 2017
7:11 PM
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Photo by Dustin Brown
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Sundancer
157 posts
Sep 16, 2017
7:55 PM
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Good shot ValleyDuke. Pleased to see you caught Jerry Jermott in the photo- because as good as Rick & the Nightcats were as a quartet, once Jerry joined them they were 3x as strong. He had'em rockin'!!
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ValleyDuke
182 posts
Sep 17, 2017
12:35 AM
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Not my photo - the photographer is Dustin Brown. He's Cadillac Zack's left hand man. Harp player, too.
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