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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Current worlds top player today.
Current worlds top player today.
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tookatooka
1918 posts
Dec 08, 2010
8:15 AM
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I want to know who you think is/are the worlds current top harp player/s alive today.
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Greg Heumann
928 posts
Dec 08, 2010
8:48 AM
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For sheer virtuosity, it has to be Howard Levy.
But one man's best is another's "yeah, he's alright." I hate these kinds of threads. Opinions are like ......
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/Greg
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Greyowlphotoart
200 posts
Dec 08, 2010
8:53 AM
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It's always tricky to answer this type of question because it's a kind of moveable feast if you like.
But at the moment, I really like the work of the French harmonica player JJ Milteau. I have recently bought a best of double CD by him and what I like is that he gets such a wonderful tone from his Marine Bands, whether it be on a blues number, jazz, rock of Celtic. He is very versatile and extremely musical. He doesn't OB but that doesn't seem to hinder him at all given the fast fluid runs he produces.
I nearly got to see him live. I persuaded my wife that it would be a great idea to go to his concert in Paris for her 60th Birthday celebration and blow me down she agreed!! (bit like buying your son a train set for Christmas) Anyway I'd almost got to booking the flights, 3 days accommodation and then I rang for tickets, and yes they had 2 tickets...... but not together!!?? and that my friends was a deal breaker:(
Every cloud has a silver lining they say and due to the UK grinding to a standstill with 2" of snow! all flights were cancelled on the day we were due to fly out.......Phew, that could've been a costly no show!
Last Edited by on Dec 08, 2010 8:55 AM
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tookatooka
1919 posts
Dec 08, 2010
9:09 AM
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Know what you mean Greg But I wonder how many non-harp players have ever heard of Howard Levy - not many I'd guess.
Yes I like JJ too.
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Todd Parrott
201 posts
Dec 08, 2010
10:04 AM
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Howard Levy may be the best in terms of technique, but style is what makes a good harp player in my opinion, and there are too many great players to name just one.
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Diggsblues
632 posts
Dec 08, 2010
10:41 AM
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On my block it's me. LOL
Sandy 88 that's funny
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Emile "Diggs" D'Amico a Legend In His Own Mind
How you doin'
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Buzadero
658 posts
Dec 08, 2010
10:50 AM
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Me too, on my block. I'm fortunate in that I live out in the midst of Nowhere.
I am a Legend in my own mind (in the privacy of my own hand).
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~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
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MrVerylongusername
1399 posts
Dec 08, 2010
11:03 AM
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@Tookatooka
"Know what you mean Greg But I wonder how many non-harp players have ever heard of Howard Levy - not many I'd guess"
You could say that about almost every harp player I can think of bar Stevie Wonder and Bob Dylan et al.
Besides fame and talent do not always go hand in hand - however unjust it might seem.
Last Edited by on Dec 08, 2010 11:04 AM
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boris_plotnikov
329 posts
Dec 08, 2010
11:44 AM
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Howard Levy is musically and technically much far than other diatonic players, you may like or dislike his music and emotions, it doesn't matter. He is perfect in all ways, if you don't like, you're just don't understand it.
For emotional content my hero is Jason Ricci, but it's matter of taste.
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Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
Last Edited by on Dec 08, 2010 11:58 AM
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harpdude61
528 posts
Dec 08, 2010
12:03 PM
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Howard technically, especially with position play and variety of genre.
Jason for emotional/powerful blues. MUST see live to appreciate. I'm not so sure Howard can do everything Jason can. His fast playing is clean and he does effects I have not heard Howard do.
WHo wold be tops based on record sales and who the general public knows. I would guess Wilson or Musselwhite in the U.S.
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HarpNinja
812 posts
Dec 08, 2010
12:15 PM
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@harpdude61
I'd argue that top sales and general public knowledge (and not a Dylan or Young) would be John Popper. I am pretty sure he's sold more than 8 million and BT continues to play venues that are huge compared to the typical Wilson/Musselwhite gig.
Wilson might have quite a few albums sold with the T-Birds, but they were unable to steadily gig in large rooms for 25 years like BT. If you factor in his sit-in work with bands like Dave Matthews, Mule, and such the gap gets wider. In fact, I am pretty sure Popper had some recent success singing with a country singer...can't say I've heard it, but there was mention of it being up for a Grammy nomination on his Twitter.
This could be totally off topic depending on the OP's definition of "top" player. But if we're talking sheer fame and fortune, he has to be on the top of the list.
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Amp for Harp Blog
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Greyowlphotoart
201 posts
Dec 08, 2010
12:23 PM
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Here is one sample of the general public's view of the best Harmonica player.
1 Brian Jones
2 Mick Jagger
3 Neil Young
4 Bob Dylan
5 Stevie Wonder
6 Paul Butterfield
7 Magic Dick
8 John Lennon
9 John Popper
10 John Sebastian
Last Edited by on Dec 08, 2010 12:23 PM
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boris_plotnikov
330 posts
Dec 08, 2010
12:30 PM
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For technique, emotion PLUS popularity John Popper at the top, yes, he's great too.
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Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
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groyster1
572 posts
Dec 08, 2010
1:17 PM
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I saw a dynamite harp player @hill country harmonica in billy branch who admitted to someone I know that madcat ruth "cut his head" take that for what its worth
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harpdude61
529 posts
Dec 08, 2010
1:39 PM
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HarpNinja...I stand corrected. I am not a Popper fan since he is not a big blues guy. Yes , I know, I am stuck in the blues, but that is not a bad thing. It would be hard to argue your points.
"Top" harp player can be taken a lot of ways.
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Honkin On Bobo
528 posts
Dec 08, 2010
3:21 PM
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Really hard question for me to answer personally because for me the type of music that the player likes to play is inextricably linked to how much I like them. So I get that dilemma, whereby I recognize some players as brilliant, but I don't like or listen to their playing (Popper, Levy).
Of course the converse is true, I get the players who I know would not be thought of as great players by this group. But whose playing and music I love and listen to all the time (Jagger, Neil Young).
And then there's the inimitable stylings of Bob Dylan, in a class by himself. One of my favorite artists of all time...but even I will admit he does horrible things to a harp.
So i'm gonna say in no particular order..for me:
Magic Dick
Kudzu
Ah screw it, an impossible task for me, I know i'd put names down that people would think i'm crazy to include and leave names off that everybody's got.
In the end i'm just too much of a fan of what I like. Wait, I just read harpdudues61's response. I think he managed to say what I wanted to in 1/10 of the words.
OK so, brevity isn't my strong suit either.
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Shoulders
37 posts
Dec 08, 2010
3:26 PM
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Michel Herblin, great tunes, beautiful tone. A great example of modern harmonica playing.
Greatest in the world? I don't know ..... the three albums I own epitomize what the diatonic can do.
Well worth a listen.
James
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nacoran
3373 posts
Dec 08, 2010
4:29 PM
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Alanis Morissette!
Wait, what? Oh, BEST. Ok, I had that backwards.
For most famous I bet Steven Tyler has to be up there.
And here is a true story- When I was first learning harmonica I didn't know who anyone was. I stumbled onto this site where this guy was teaching harmonica on YouTube. I subscribed to his videos and (keep in mind I had no idea who anyone was in the harmonica world) the first auto message he sent out had the heading, "Magic Dick-Whammer Jammer". I was sure it was spam.
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Nate
Facebook
Thread Organizer (A list of all sorts of useful threads)
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Jaymo
3 posts
Dec 08, 2010
5:03 PM
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I like John Popper and Tommy Morgan.
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GermanHarpist
1915 posts
Dec 08, 2010
5:26 PM
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I'd say chris michalek and the guys in russia.
But then, I don't know the field too well.
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The MBH thread-thread thread!
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Buzadero
659 posts
Dec 08, 2010
7:33 PM
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Nacoran, you crack me up.
It's a short and revered List.
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~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
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boris_plotnikov
331 posts
Dec 08, 2010
7:40 PM
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harpdude61
Musical style is just only one mean of expression. Real profissional player (any instrument) must have an ability to play different styles and must have his own style and approach. Playing blues or not playing blues is just a matter of technique.
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Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
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Joe_L
878 posts
Dec 08, 2010
7:49 PM
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If you ever lived in Chicago, you would have heard of Howard Levy. He's known not only as a harmonica player, but he's a fine piano player. I've seen him play harmonica, he's alright. I would rather listen to him play piano.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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7LimitJI
225 posts
Dec 08, 2010
8:36 PM
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@ Boris "Real profissional player (any instrument) must have an ability to play different styles and must have his own style and approach. Playing blues or not playing blues is just a matter of technique."
This is a rather crass statement.
The vast majority of professional , Classical players play in only one style. Same can be said of almost any band in the Popular music charts.
Playing blues has little to do with technique.
Its to do with feeling and expression.
If you learn the blues scale, does this make you a blues player?
If there was a scale named "Jazz" would learning it make me a jazz player?
Personally, I'd rather not be a Jack of all trades, but a master of one.
My pick for top player is Rod Piazza.
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Youtube
Due to cutbacks,the light at the end of the tunnel has been switched off.
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hvyj
887 posts
Dec 08, 2010
10:23 PM
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I think the very best musicians are able to play convincingly in different styles. I play with some guys who are awesome jazz players, which is their main thing, but who can also can play blues idiomatically correct and with feeling, R&B the way it's supposed to be played with all the requisite rhythmic subtitles, funk with the groove it's meant to have, rock with raucous aggression and intensity, reggae like they were born in Jamaica, and show tunes like they were on Broadway. One of them can also play classical with great precision and emotion, and a a couple of them can also play country like they were from Nashville. Several of these guys have degrees in music.
Musicians who can do that impress the hell out of me. There's a lot of highly competent jazz cats who couldn't rock out to save their lives or play down and dirty blues. Real good musicians can play with complexity OR simplicity and can create a variety grooves--simple or complex, raucous or subtle-- depending on what various style of music they are playing. Not all good players can do this but the best ones can play different styles of music THE WAY THOSE STYLES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE PLAYED with all the idiomatic subtleties unique to whatever particular genre of music they happen to be performing.
Although I consider myself a somewhat limited musician, hanging with these guys I've become more comfortable playing in eclectic styles. The band I work with as a sideman has played Miles Davis, Johnny Cash, Bob Marley, Lighting Hopkins, Eddie Harris, Patsy Cline, Jimi Hendrix, Herbie Hancock, The Beatles, Cannonball Adderley, Son House, John Coletrane, and Bob Dylan all in a single set with original arrangements that i am able to fit harp to (usually using a pedal board to give my harmonica different voices or masks for some numbers--the leader who plays guitar also uses pedals). I'm least comfortable with the country numbers. Anyway, the leader has a Masters in Music, is very open minded and creative, and I have learned a shitload playing with him (I also get to sit in with his jazz band which is a whole different learning experience).
Anyway, I agree with Boris.
Last Edited by on Dec 08, 2010 10:31 PM
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boris_plotnikov
332 posts
Dec 08, 2010
11:05 PM
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I'm sorry, but Rod Piazza not a good player for my taste. Good tone and timing, yes. But he's poor improviser, and emotional content is far from what I like. For modern blues players I like Steve Baker and Dennis Gruenling.
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Excuse my bad English. Click on my photo or my username for my music.
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captainbliss
306 posts
Dec 08, 2010
11:18 PM
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Is it helpful to distinguish between uses of "top player?"
1. as recognised by the opinion of people in general
2. as recognised by peer opinion
3. as recognised by the opinion of special interest groups (fans of specific genres / instruments)
4. money earned
5. as suggested by individual tastes
6. as recognised by shared ideas about music and musicianship
1., 2., 3., 4. can probably be answered with empirical data (surveys etc).
For 5., "de gustibus non est disputandum."
For 6., it seems agreement on what we understand by music and musicianship would be a precondition of any hope of a sensible discussion. Too much for my small mind; I go all Mr. Gumby...
xxx
EDITED to correct grammar
Last Edited by on Dec 08, 2010 11:18 PM
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Rubes
164 posts
Dec 09, 2010
2:01 AM
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Looks like it's Howard by a nose......
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5F6H
426 posts
Dec 09, 2010
2:29 AM
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@ Rubes "Looks like it's Howard by a nose......" Yes indeedy, it's a fact, as proven here by a dozen or so opinions...I eagerly await the story to break in the world press. Sarcastic? Me? Never...;-)
Threads like this are just devisive & cause friction, that leads to name calling...so, gloves off, let's get on with it!;-)
Seriousy, I don't think that there can be any one greatest player...lots of guys have something unique. Levy & Piazza are on different worlds in that respect,
@Boris - if you don't think that Piazza is one of the best living harp players, it's probably just because you don't "get it". There are other great players, but if there's anyone better, I haven't heard them.
Last Edited by on Dec 09, 2010 4:11 AM
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tookatooka
1924 posts
Dec 09, 2010
3:18 AM
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I don't want to start a fight. I suppose what I meant was, who would harp players of say 40 years into the future be talking about? My guess is it wouldn't be anyone around today because they haven't really broken any fresh ground IMO. I think they would still talk about the Sonny's and Walters and the like, the real innovators.
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The Gloth
522 posts
Dec 09, 2010
3:57 AM
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Not based on my personal tastes, I'd say Toots Thielemans is still the most legendary living harp player in the world. Stevie Wonder is of course a great popstar, but most people know him as a singer and piano player, not as harmonicist.
For my taste, I'll say Jason Ricci and Brendan Power, and my own master Thierry Crommen.
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hvyj
888 posts
Dec 09, 2010
4:50 AM
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"if you don't think that Piazza is one of the best living harp players, it's probably just because you don't "get it". There are other great players, but if there's anyone better, I haven't heard them. "
You've got to be kidding. The guy only plays blues.
I nominated Howard Levy and Mad Cat Ruth in part because each of them has complete mastery over a diversity of styles. Piazza may be very good, but he's limited--a one trick pony. And, IMHO, not one with a great deal of creativity or originality anyway.
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wheel
23 posts
Dec 09, 2010
5:26 AM
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Even if Mad Cat Ruth plays some jazz in impro he plays sonny terry stuff again and again.
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http://www.youtube.com/user/wheelharp
Last Edited by on Dec 09, 2010 5:40 AM
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AirMojo
40 posts
Dec 09, 2010
5:27 AM
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Nobody mentioned Carlos del Junco yet ? Wow!
I will gladly be the first..
I would buy a new CD of Carlos' before anyone else mentioned previously, except for Peter "Madcat" Ruth, as I always buy his CD's ever since I saw him at his first SPAH Convention in the early 1980's.
So Madcat is also on my list.
I wish we still had Norton Buffalo to add to our list, but I still seem to be finding recordings of Norton that I did not know existed, like this Joe Weed The Vultures CD:
http://www.amazon.com/Vultures-Joe-Weed/dp/B000003DVX/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1291901128&sr=1-3
Ken H in OH
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tolga7t
122 posts
Dec 09, 2010
5:45 AM
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you all are wrong, it's jason ricci
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5F6H
427 posts
Dec 09, 2010
5:55 AM
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Hyvj - "You've got to be kidding. The guy only plays blues." Ha Ha, that's brilliant! :-)...oh hang on, it looks like you might actually be serious? :-I
I'm confused as to how genre dictates whether someone can play their instrument well, or not? I'm not so much nominating Piazza as the greatest harp player...just his name came up & there are none better, but several who are equally deserving, but genre seems irrelevant. I'm not looking to propogate a tit for tat Piazza (or other blues player) vs. Levy debate, but it seems to me that Piazza has his strengths (flawless execution, excellent ear for production & tone in general, originality by the spadeful, dozens of albums under his belt in several styles of blues, is clearly the master of West Coast style chromatic) & Howard has his skills & abilities too. Playing blues to the standard of Piazza is certainly not one of them...you're comparing apples to hovercraft, more than to oranges.
The thread was not intended as "In your jaundiced & narrow minded opinion, based on what you think is music, who can play the harmonica or not", nor was it asked "Who is your favourite jazz player", it was titled "I want to know who you think is/are the worlds current top harp player/s alive today." There's room for guys to express their opinions without you or Boris deciding to lord it up & dictate to others what is "good" or not. Why not try and keep your comments positive, re-iterate what you see as good in someone's craft, rather than dismiss things that you struggle to grasp the concept of? Anyone could take the same standpoint about any artist they don't like.
If I was to say a talented player of a genre couldn't play, because I didn't like that genre, that would make me an idiot. But somehow, you think doing the same thing makes you seem wise & worldly, please explain the mechanism of how that functions?
I knew this would be a ripping thread! :-)
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hvyj
889 posts
Dec 09, 2010
6:14 AM
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@5F6H: Well, we can each set our own standards. But, I happen to agree with Boris. IMHO, if a player cannot demonstrate mastery over multiple styles, that player cannot possibly be considered "the worlds current top harp player/s alive today" which was the topic of the original post.
BTW, no one has mentioned Sugar Blue who has performed as a sideman or a guest on quite a few recordings where he has displayed mastery of various styles besides the unmistakable original style of his own.
A player who ONLY plays blues is a limited player. Perhaps an excellent player--but, IMHO, not a "top" player. Unfortunately, it seems irrelevant to some harp players that there is more to music than just blues. And some harp players seem to mistakenly believe that if a harp player can play in multiple styles he can't claim to be a good blues player.
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5F6H
429 posts
Dec 09, 2010
6:58 AM
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People like what they like Hyvj, "And some harp players seem to mistakenly believe that if a harp player can play in multiple styles he can't claim to be a good blues player." you'll back that up with something I guess? I invoke HTownFess's much loved "Straw man" syndrome...Your "agenda" is clear.
You seem oblivious to the mastery of styles within genres. Blues isn't just one tempo, progression, pattern of notes...let's face it, it's not something that you are particularly familiar with. I look forward to seeing a clip of a "master of all styles" just "throwing up" a RP style Chro instrumental...I guess I won't hold my breath...
It's not about the standards that you & I set, it's about what the players in question execute.
"BTW, no one has mentioned Sugar Blue", you just did...& good on you, but I don't see why you have to detract from something positive with something negative & disparaging comments. It's just not nice. We could all do it & any valuable dialogue will just get lost in the mud slinging.
I like some of the questions & threads that are posted here, I'm not so keen on the guys who just grandstand & try to impose their supposedly lofty ideals/propaganda on to others...
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MrVerylongusername
1400 posts
Dec 09, 2010
7:08 AM
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I think there is truth in what Tookatooka is saying - in 40 years time, harp players will still be looking back to the Sonny's and Walters as the benchmark. Blues is too conservative and they have already set the bar high.
I don't think there are going to be anymore household name harp players (are there really any now? see my above post) for the same reason that I doubt there will be another John Lennon or Mick Jagger. Celebrity now is a manufactured commodity more akin to the fashion industry. You are lucky if your 'fame' lasts more than a few years. Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber - 3 maybe 4 more years if they're lucky. The industry is desperate to fill the void left by Michael Jackson: build a new King of Pop MkII, but it's flawed. Teeny boppers don't stay teeny boppers, they grow up and turn to the darkside. Twilight replaces Timberlake. People like their music for a while and then move on to something else. It's the disposable, upgrade consumer mentality to which, like salivating dogs, we have been conditioned.
Anyway I digress. IMHO the players who will be remembered and respected by future harp players 40 years hence will be those who spread the message; those that inspire and teach. Their recorded works might well be secondary to the other influence they exert.
I am in danger of sounding sycophantic, but I think Adam's decision to "give it all away" has propelled him from being a player's player - obscure, but highly respected by his pro peers - to being the number one influence for many.
Similarly Jason has done the same - new approach, new energy, big online profile. I hope he can put the last year behind him and get himself out there again. Nevertheless I hear his inluence in so many places - even established players have borrowed from his trickbag. He has inspired enough people to be remembered in 40 years time
Howard has already been discussed at length in this thread. It would be misguided, regardless of your taste in music, to deny his influence.
How about a couple from the left-field?
Lee Oskar maybe - he's shrewdly stamped his name on millions of harmonicas, that has to have got him embedded in the collective consciousness, surely?
Brendan Power? reaction to the Powerbender seems to be nothing but positive. Has Brendan hit upon the next step in harp evolution? will his name be immortalised like Herr. Richter? It could happen!
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Michael Rubin
22 posts
Dec 09, 2010
8:07 AM
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As far as exciting me the most, I give it to James Cotton and Rick Estrin.
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kudzurunner
2117 posts
Dec 09, 2010
8:30 AM
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I don't think this is the sort of argument that anybody an win, or should try to win. I also think it's ludicrous to fight over the question of who the current world's top harmonica player is. It's hard enough to answer these sorts of questions when you're talking about fields of endeavor, such as track and field, where greatness is measured in terms of world records and championship races against other greats. Is Haile Gebreselassie or Keninisa Bekele the world's greatest living runner? There are some objective standards by which one might begin to make one's case for one runner over the over--but even then, each person will weight the evidence differently.
Harmonica as a whole--not just blues harmonica, but ALL idioms--is too big a field to admit of one champion, and the ground rules are almost impossible to establish. What are the criteria of judgment?
In fairness to the OP, he left open the possibility that one might invoke a handful of players rather than choosing one particular player. That's a better policy.
I suggest that one profitable approach to the question is to ask: In 50 years, when players then look back at our own age, which players from 2010 will still be celebrated, listened to, copied? Which of our contemporaries will have come to seem central, invaluable, "major"?
I really don't know. Each subculture makes its own determinations, and the harmonica subculture per se has slightly different criteria than the blues harmonica subculture. Players who have great facility in a range of harmonica idioms, like Madcat Ruth, Brendan Power, and Rob Paparozzi, sometimes fall through the cracks compared with, for example, Kim Wilson, who dominates one particular idiom.
It's hard for me to imagine that Howard won't remain legendary in the world of diatonic harmonica for many decades to come. In the world of rock harmonica playing, such as it is, Jon Popper will live on, I think. Both players are major figures not just because of their individual virtuosity, but because the great leap forward that their technical/musical virtuosity represented has been highly influential. I'm amazed by how many times I hear players these days doing the jet-fueled upper octave style that Popper introduced. (Scott Albert Johnson does some amazing, un-copyable stuff that blends Popper and Howard, BTW.)
I don't know country harp enough to say, but my sense is that Charlie McCoy will endure for a long time.
The tradition is, or should be, constantly evolving, even as it continually reasserts itself and its values in ways that lead us to celebrate central figures from the past.
If we're talking about living blues harmonica players who will pass the 50 year test with flying colors, then James Cotton is obviously on that list, even though his best playing is behind him. He's there not just for the virtuosity evidenced in recordings such as "Creeper Creeps Again," but for how deeply he's buried in the tradition--learned from Sonny Boy, was crucial to Muddy--and how influential his distinctive sound has been.
As for Carlos, Jason, Brandon, Jay, me--the overblow blues crew intent on changing the world: well, three of us (Carlos, Brandon, and I) will be at my Modern Blues Harmonica open house at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis on Thursday, February 3rd, 4 -6 PM, and I'm hoping to get Jason and Jay there, too. Y'all are invited. More info to follow.....and my apologies for hijacking the thread. (Memo to Buddha: Please come to Memphis. Let's all cheer Carlos on: he's competing in the solo/duo category.)
Last Edited by on Dec 09, 2010 8:50 AM
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hvyj
890 posts
Dec 09, 2010
9:15 AM
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@5F6H; "Blues isn't just one tempo, progression, pattern of notes...let's face it, it's not something that you are particularly familiar with."
FYI, I'm plenty familiar with amplified blues. I don't obsess over it and I confess that I am not as intimately familiar with some of the recorded output of the genre as many others on MBH. But I used to gig regularly with a couple of blues bands composed of older authentic blues players originally from the deep South (U.S.). Nothing big time or anything like that, but these guys were pretty much the real deal. They learned to play blues down South when they were growing up. Many of these guys are no longer living, but I learned quite a bit about playing blues when I was performing with them regularly.
So, you can call me judgmental, accuse me of having an agenda, say that my opinions are uninformed and claim that I am grandstanding if you want. And certainly my perspective is different from yours. But I'm pretty confident that I'm sufficiently familiar with amplified blues to able to play it with a reasonable degree of competence. Not that I am a terrific player or anything like that, and i certainly don't claim to be any sort of expert. But I react negatively to your suggestion that I am ignorant about the genre.
Anyway, as far as your challenge to identify a master of all styles, I'd again point to Mad Cat Ruth. His recorded performances are not all that accessible, and he doesn't OB or play chrom. But, damn, he sure can play just about everything else with an impressive level of mastery.
Last Edited by on Dec 09, 2010 11:22 AM
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tmf714
383 posts
Dec 09, 2010
11:30 AM
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"Wilson might have quite a few albums sold with the T-Birds, but they were unable to steadily gig in large rooms for 25 years like BT. If you factor in his sit-in work with bands like Dave Matthews, Mule, and such the gap gets wider".
Are you for real? Popper released his first recording in 1989-Kim and the boys had already been traveling around the world for 20 years.
Playing the Presidential inaguration has to be up there on the list for Kim too. Kim has also backed up plenty of influential people as well-Aretha Franklin and Eric Clapton are two of many.
My pick for the current top living harmonica player?
Howard Levy without a doubt.
Last Edited by on Dec 09, 2010 11:31 AM
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scojo
147 posts
Dec 09, 2010
12:15 PM
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Interesting thread. I agree that naming one person is a misguided goal. Better to name several... there are so many great players.
I would like to point one thing out, which was alluded to by Bobo as well... certain players will be remembered for their overall artistry more than their harmonica playing per se. As someone who fancies himself a singer, songwriter and harmonica player with all three parts being equal, I like that standard. I realize it's not at all fair, and it in no way diminishes the accomplishment of guys/gals who are harmonica players first and foremost. But for me, it's where my listening focus lies.
I've said many times, although maybe not in this forum, that I've always been drawn to "triple-threat" artists who can sing well, write great songs, and play at least one instrument very well. Paul McCartney, Bruce Hornsby, Mark Knopfler, Peter Gabriel, Daniel Lanois, Sting, even John Legend . There are plenty of others.
That doesn't mean I don't love people like Jeff Beck (one of my VERY favorite musicians) who are mainly known for their prowess on an instrument, or Bonnie Raitt (who is a great singer and guitarist but not as well known as a songwriter). I just seem to be drawn to the artists who do it all.
By those standards and among harmonica players, Stevie Wonder has to be among those at the top of the list. John Popper, while maybe not to everyone's liking in any of the three categories, is professionally accomplished in all three (and, for the record, I do like and respect him a lot, although I can't listen to the super-fast harp playing for too long in one sitting).
I know there are/were plenty of others (in the blues world, Paul Delay comes to mind).
By the way, Adam, thanks much for the shout-out. It was such a pleasure to spend time with you at the Harpfest. My wife said, "Adam's so nice!" :)
SAJ
Last Edited by on Dec 09, 2010 12:17 PM
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groyster1
574 posts
Dec 09, 2010
12:26 PM
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adams right this argumental thread cannot be won so why keep score?
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Tuckster
785 posts
Dec 09, 2010
1:11 PM
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I'm quoting from memory,so I hope I get this right: Muddy once said when asked if he was the best:" Ain't no best,all you can be is one of the good 'uns."
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joeleebush
144 posts
Dec 09, 2010
3:55 PM
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Anyone who thinks Piazza is "poor at improvisation" may get their butts up there in front of strangers for money and give out with the harp breaks on "Who Knows Whats Going On" or the entire versions of "Harpburn" or "Harpthrob". I want to see that act.
In a gambling matchup pitting Rod up against Kim Wilson, I will lay 8-5 on Piazza. Kim can't play dead against that guy.
Come on and send me to tap city. I've been busted by the best, no cherry popping here.
Now that's my addition to this topic...(kinda like debating who was better...Rocky Marciano or Joe Louis when they were both in their prime)
Happy days....and do not raise into an open pair, unless of course you've got the stone cold brazillians and have the board locked.
Me
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Jagrowler
35 posts
Dec 09, 2010
3:59 PM
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The main problem with a thread like this is that the anorak wearing guys take over with talk about technique vs advanced technique vs even more advanced technique and so on. Actually, I think players who can blend in and almost NOT be noticed are undervalued. Musicality is not necessarily best demonstrated by stomping over the rest of the band!
The other attractive feature for me is musicians who leave loads of space - somehow this can draw me in to listening much harder (or should that be intently?). I would advise any musician wanting to change the world to consider where and how to leave space, rather than concentrating on the usual dazzling array of technique.
That said (and to ignore my own comments to at least some extent), I'm enjoying Dennis G at the moment.
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Buddha
2708 posts
Dec 09, 2010
4:11 PM
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"Anyone who thinks Piazza is "poor at improvisation" may get their butts up there in front of strangers for money and give out with the harp breaks on "Who Knows Whats Going On" or the entire versions of "Harpburn" or "Harpthrob". I want to see that act."
The art of improvisation is not what you can do on your own tune but rather what you can do with somebody else's tune.
I bet you Rod would soil himself before he ever sat in with my band.
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"Music in the soul can be heard by the universe." - Lao Tzu
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tmf714
385 posts
Dec 09, 2010
4:34 PM
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I bet YOU would soil yourself if Rod sat in with your band-not that he ever would-you can always dream----
Last Edited by on Dec 09, 2010 4:35 PM
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