Sadly I received a call yesterday as I was driving home that Leslie “Lazy Lester” Johnson succumbed to the cancer a couple of days ago.
I am blessed to call him my friend. Albeit meeting and becoming so late in life, he was a wickedly funny man. He and his partner Pike (who were introduced by Mark Hummel by the way) lived not far from me and were as warm, hospitable and gracious as anyone I’ve ever known.
The best word I can use to describe him is “impish”. I am going to miss him.
I would recommend that today, everyone go through and really listen to the catalogue of whatever Lazy Lester stuff you have in your collection or can get access to online or downloaded. He truly had his own style and sound. Really listen and you’ll be better for it.
Lightnin’ Slim may technically be the “King” of the swamp blues, but it was always Lazy Lester to me.
Rest in Peace, my friend.
---------- ~Buzadero Underwater Janitor, Patriot MBH poseur since 11Nov2008
One of the greats and another link to the past gone. A real character who leaves behind some of the real stuff, true blues. He told me he'd rather play country but people seemed to prefer him playing blues. Another great loss that makes the blues world poorer. :-(
Lester lived in Paradise, Ca., as does my sister, and I got toee Lester, Norton Buffalo. and Bob Littel, another great player, at a fundraiser. Needless to say, I was blown away. Got to see Lester a few years later at a Mark Hummelblues blowout in Annapolis with Jerry Portnoy and Mark Wenner. Always dug Lester's playing.
A lifetime of struggling to live on the income of a blues harmonica player, finally gets the Geico commercial gig and passes away a few months later. I wish he'd had the time to parlay that to wealth and universal appreciation of his art. R.I.P.
As I've cut the cord, had never seen that commercial before reading about it today. Wow. So I just purchased “I Hear You Knockin’!: The Excello Singles” on iTunes. RIP Lester.
They say "Speak no ill of the dead," so I won't do that. But I will confess to not agreeing with those who speak about Lazy Lester as "one of the greats." I don't know his catalogue well, but my duo did once open for him at Manny's Car Wash in NYC back in the mid-1990s, and I was thoroughly unimpressed by his playing--and his energy level, which was fairly low and which convinced me that, as a player as well as singer, he'd been aptly named.
When I first heard the Geico commercial, I HEARD it, which is to say, it was on the radio and I had no idea who the player was. Again, I was unimpressed. I found out only later, when I finally saw the commercial, who it was. I like the riff, though.
I'm willing to be convinced that there's more to him as a player--not a singer and performer, but harmonica player--than I know. So I'll urge anybody who thinks of him as an inspiring and important harp player to post clips of stuff that will convince me, and us. Is he somebody that younger players can learn things from? If so, what's his thing? What makes him distinctive as a player--apart from his ability to engage in some playful stutter-step timing and silence the Geico gecko?
Nothing I've written here should be taken as in any way, at all, speaking to his character, sense of humor, etc. Everything I've read suggests that he was a great guy. But "one of the greats," as a harp player? I need to be convinced. He wasn't close to that the one time I saw him, up close. Post something impressive and I will be the first to say, "Wow! I get it. Hey, I was wrong."
Maybe Lazy Lester was one of the greats. Maybe he wasn’t. Yer viewpoint might just depend on yer mood and/or which side of the bed ya got up on. As I’ve just been introduced to his work I don’t have an opinion yet. But my hat is off to him and anyone else who makes their life & living as an artist. Even if they are lazy at it.
Last Edited by Sundancer on Aug 26, 2018 12:14 PM
Sorry to hear Lazy Lester has passed. quickly at both concerts. I also regret to say that I was not a fan of his harmonica work, from what I've heard. I am willing to be convinced otherwise. ---------- www.ted-burke.com
I just called Deak and we had an interesting conversation about Lazy Lester. I won't share most of it, except to say that he convinced me that LL had some serious old school mojo, and KILLED at his block party last year.
Here are a few videos I found, just to encourage the conversation.
This next one has very distinctive Louisiana-style vocals. This is NOT Mississippi blues.
Here's the original. Now we're getting somewhere. It starts with the voice; his harp playing is just his harmonica translation of what he's singing, really, and his voice is rich, mellow, and memorable.
Here's another. I think it's a mistake to judge him on his harmonica work. He's a solid, memorable Louisiana blues shouter. It's only half blues. Half of it is just...Louisiana music. Swamp music? He sings major thirds, not blue thirds. His approach to blues singing couldn't be more different from, for example, Muddy Waters or Jimmy Rogers.
Not my job to convince anyone of anything. I will say I wouldn’t call him a virtuoso harmonicist, but he had some good stuff, did it his own way, wrote some good songs, and I learned some good things from his recordings. ---------- Phil Pennington
I'm sad to see Lester go and glad he got the Geico commercial so he'll live on in some form for another generation. (My daughter saw a picture of my wife with Paul Newman - no idea of his film persona. I mentioned "Newman's Own" salad dressing and it connected - he lives on with another generation if only as a character in an ad)
Lester was a nice guy who happened to play harmonica; not a virtuoso or one of the greats necessarily, but a guy who could play a little, entertain for a set, and one of the few of his generation remaining on the blues stage. I guess in old school terms he was the guy who had a reputation and might play at house parties and juke joints, not the player who toured to support a record - like guys Lockwood and Tucker told me about, maybe only knowing a first name. It is almost a genre of players - guys like Little Willie Anderson, Earring George Mayweather, Shakey Jake Harris - guys remembered because they could play some and they showed up, not because they challenged the harmonica icons.
I enjoyed sharing the stage with him in Fulsom, California one night and glad some younger players go to see & hear him. ---------- BnT
"one of the few of his generation remaining on the blues stage...[I]n old school terms he was the guy who had a reputation and might play at house parties and juke joints, not the player who toured to support a record"
That feels right and makes sense; it helps explain the outpouring of praise, stories, and love from those who knew and worked with him.
Some of my favorite stuff of his was as a sideman, especially behind Lightnin' Slim. He was also a good guitar player and on a number of sessions on Excello, when they didn't have a drummer on the session, they had him sit directly in front of a mic slapping an open reel tape box for the drum sound.
Here's a bit of him as a sideman:
---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Last Edited by barbequebob on Aug 27, 2018 9:41 AM
Kudzu said he opened for Lazy at a gig once and was unimpressed with his energy level, etc.....
I went to see Traffic live in 1969 in Detroit at one of the ballrooms - and they sounded terrible. Most likely an off night, but that does not mean that they weren't an excellent group.
A bad night once in a while does not a terrible performer make. ---------- The Iceman
I never saw Lazy Lester perform live, but I really like Lazy Lester's recordings of his songs! I agree with Fil that you don't have to be a "virtuoso harmonicist" to deliver good blues shows to an audience.
The solid work of singer/instrumentalist performers who deliver good music in a good show, but who are not stellar players, just journeyman level on their instrument, is often glossed over here because they don't blow everyone away with their harp playing acrobatics. I listen to the whole musical performance to see if the instrument supports the song. It doesn't have to be flashy to be good music.
I noted this issue before in a thread discussing John Mayall.
I enjoy outstanding playing when it supports good music, but I also enjoy good music even if the playing is just good and not exceptional.
It was sad news to hear of his passing. ----------
Based on the last few posts I think I have a posthumous hero/mentor. I always liked what Lester did even though he was never up there with and big dogs. He liked to make folks happy. So do I!
I love all that Louisiana swamp stuff, it's all about the laid-back feel and groove, 'lazy' vocals included. 'Virtuoso' doesn't come into it for me. There's often a particular 'French' sound to the harp playing too - I can't describe it any better than that - I suppose it's the articulation and use of tongue splits or slaps giving it an accordion-like Cajun feel. 'Raining in My Heart' linked above is a good example of the feel I mean. It's something I really respond to - must be my Creole ancestry.
Lazy Lester played at our local Arts Centre years ago, he was pretty late to the gig as the pick-up band he was with got lost and underestimated the time to get here (we're quite remote here on the west coast of Wales!). But he got straight up on stage, and produced a wonderful, laid-back set, creating a great atmosphere. His harp playing was excellent, as I recall, and his songs had that wonderful, loose-limbed swamp groove.
Iceman: You're quite right: judging somebody on the basis of one show is always a risky proposition. By the same token, judging somebody only on the basis of their recordings--or, God forbid, their YouTube clips--is potentially problematic, too. Evidence is evidence; seeing somebody live is evidence, and deserves to be considered--but of course one always needs to weigh and potentially discount such evidence as well.
In this case, I was putting that live-show memory together with the Geico commercial and a handful of recordings of Lester's that I'd encountered over the years. They all seemed to coalesce into something that made me curious about why people were calling him one of the greats. (And again: I was specifically talking about his harmonica playing, not his singing and stagecraft, because this is, after all, a harmonica forum.)
A good point of comparison might be Jerry McCain. I only saw him once live; I only knew a handful of his recordings. But for my money his playing had something distinctive that would, if I'd been asked, have led me to rank him higher than Lazy Lester. Anyway, that's why I invited others to testify: because I don't like generalizing on the basis of limited evidence.
I still have vinyl lazy lester produced by jay miller.....it was his best workIMHO.....I would not put him into top 20 of greatest blues harp players but he would definitely be honorable mention
Lazy Lester was a solid talent. He was an influence on a lot of the players that people revere on this forum. I had the opportunity to meet him a couple of times I found him to be a very nice person. Not being an asshole counts for a lot and Lester was a great guy. The guy had more soul in his playing than most “modern” players. His playing conveyed the message and emotion of the tune.
BnT reminded me of something. One of the coolest harmonica shows that I ever saw was Little Willie Anderson being backed by the Aces. There were about a dozen people in the audience. The music connected with the audience. Isn’t that what music is supposed to be about?
Rest In Peace Lazy Lester. I dug your music. It was great to meet you. I enjoyed the conversation and the beverages.
I'm Grown is essentially Excello's swampier answer to Bod Didley's I'm A Man and Muddy's Mannish Boy. Before the T-Birds came up from Texas in the mid 70's, nobody in the New England area was playing the sounds of Excello or any of the Louisiana based stuff like that and that tune, along with the Lightnin' Slim numbers I posted as well as Lazy Lester's most famous tunes like what I'm posting below were ever covered and are now staples in many bands now.
---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
Hey Adam - this was a really good thread. A professor’s job is to provoke thought & curiosity - in the students and himself - and you did both well. I’ll bet your classes at Old Miss are quite a learning experience. Good on ya.
Last Edited by Sundancer on Aug 29, 2018 10:52 AM
Lazy Lester did in my opinion, what so many harp players today fail to do. He simply played in the service of the song. His solos were short, focused and always in keeping with the groove. He wasn't about pyrotechnics, or self indulgence on his solos. He was a good solid harp player, who knew that nothing is more important than the song and the story it's telling. He didn't simply use it as a vehicle to demonstrate his harmonica 'wizardry' as so many these days do. When he played, he came across (to me at least) that the music wasn't predominantly about feeding his ego. Sadly I can't say that of many harp players today. Because of those reasons, I'd rather listen to a whole evening of someone like Lester, than many of today's 'modern' players. RIP Lester.
I didn't know much about him prior to his death. But being exposed to him now - especially listening to the posted videos of him as a side man - has made me really appreciate and respect him. His harp perfectly complemented the songs.
"I guess in old school terms he was the guy who had a reputation and might play at house parties and juke joints"
The first time that I saw Lazy Lester play was at Antone's in the mid 90's. He had opened for Snooky Pryor. While no one would confuse him with Little Walter, he held his own. He wrote all of the tunes that he did. He interacted with the sold out crowd. He delivered them with conviction. He had a groove as deep as the Grand Canyon. Someone made a comment about the depth of his musical catalog and his influence. Lester responded something to the effect of "it's great to have be appreciated, but you can't eat a publicity sandwich." I had seen him quite a few times after that.
The last time that I saw Lester was at one of Mark Hummel's harp blowouts. Earlier in the evening, I was introduced to Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. We had a couple of drinks and talked for a while. He introduced me to Lester and we had a couple more drinks. They were both really nice guys and super friendly. I was glad to have met them and spent an evening bs'ing with them. Their place is musical history is secure and their contribution is more impactful than any of us will make.
