I had a chance to perform on Friday night at Kim Field's first annual harp blowoff in Seattle. The program was Kim--who many of you know as the author of HARPS, HARMONICAS, AND HEAVY BREATHERS, a local legend named Paul Green, and yours truly in OMB mode.
The show was great fun and I had the chance to shake hands and fraternize with several forum members--although I missed Old Wailer. I hope those members will weigh in. I'm posting here primarily to go on the record about Kim's amazing performance, especially the very first song of the night, a duo version (with a bass player backing him up) of SBW's "Mighty Long Time." I've heard most of the greats live over the past 25 years, but I've never heard a better rendition of that song; in fact, I don't believe I've ever heard a more relaxed, unaffected, elegant, convincing slow blues from any blues harmonica player, black or white. He was playing unamped into the vocal mic. His tone was as good as it gets, and his vibrato was deep, rich, slow, and full. Every note contributed to the overall effect; he used lots of repetition, but it was the kind of repetition that contributes to the overall emotional effect, not the kind that suggests a lack of imagination.
Not since Nat Riddles have I heard that sort of music. He's a superb singer, too, but I'm talking about the harp playing. It was deep, serious playing.
He told me later that he'd never actually performed the song before. That just adds to the remarkableness of what I heard.
The reason I'm going on the record with this is the same reason I sat with Kim during dinner last night and urged him to put together a tour at some point in the next few years. We're all familiar with the names of the top touring pros, and we're all familiar with the names of the best players who don't tour much (I'll put Grant Dermody in that latter category: he's not out there on the road with bands, although he does get around the teaching circuit.) But although many of us are familiar with Kim Field's name and book, most don't realize just how gifted a player he is. His rep is more like Joe Filisko's was ten years ago: he's thought of as an historian, a chronicler, not a big-time show-player. Just as Joe has helped revise public estimates of his quality as a player by getting out on the hustings in various ways over the past decade, Kim is now in a position to share some of his gift with the world
He's a well-known quantity out here in the Pacific Northwest, but he probably hasn't played a blues club near you. But that could and should change. What he did--the intimacy and high-wire element of that duo performance--has to be heard live. It's possible that one of the forum members got the performance on video, and it would be great to see it here. But, as they say, you really had to be there. I hope y'all get a chance in coming years to hear him live.
Last Edited by on Jan 09, 2012 8:40 AM
He's a terrific player and a good guy. He used to live in the Worcester, MA area and I used to run into him a lot. I still have a first edition of that book that he personally autographed for me. It originally was supposed to be another 500 pages thicker but his publisher forced him to severely edit it down. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
It sounded like a great time Adam. I must be getting old- Paul Green was a local bay area harpman when I knew him. Now he is a seattle legend. Man does time fly. Seattle has a great music scene, or at least it did the last I played through there- Hwy 99 I think was the name, gasworks park, and connor byrne. ---------- walter tore's spontobeat - a real one man band and over 1 million spontaneously created songs and growing. I record about 300 full length cds a year. " life is a daring adventure or nothing at all" - helen keller
I was there and it was a really great show. I hope this does become annual event. The first time I saw Kim was a couple of months ago, him and Paul Green and Jay Maybin opened for Musselwhite in Tacoma. It was good to see Adam in the flesh.
So it's 6:30 Friday evening in Port Orchard, just west of Seattle across Puget Sound and I'm ready to sit on the couch and do nothing for the evening. I decide to go online to check the date of an upcoming band's performance at the Highway 99 Blues Club. And what did I see? Tonight at 8pm, Adam Gussow performing live!!! So my wife and I sucked down dinner and were on our way. just over an hour to get there, but sooo worth it. We had just sat down and I noticed Adam standing just 5 feet from me listening to the opening band. I got up and introduced myself. he was amazingly friendly and genuine. And what a show... I still can't believe I got that lucky... All the way from Mississippi for one show, and I nearly missed it.. Thanks for a great evening Adam, it was a treat to meet you... Russ in Seattle
Good to meet you at Hwy 99, Adam - I picked poor timing amongst dancers and high volume to say hi while the band was playing. I hadn't heard Kim play before this, and was truly impressed with his tone and style, and his band. Your set was great, and had the women back to your right up and dancing along with it. I hope this event was encouragement to stop by Seattle on future tours.
I was there, Adam--I said a quick "hi" when you came in, but you were really busy with getting set up and we didn't really connect.
I agree completely that Kim's performance of "Mighty Long Time" was the high of the night--absolutely wonderful--the video above (at least on my speakers) isn't near as great as it was to hear it live--of course, that is the case with most music.
I couldn't stay for the last part of the show, so Adam was the last act I saw. It was great to hear Adam live too. I think Blues music is just so much better when you can hear it live.
I hope this becomes an annual event. . . ----------
Dear Professor, Thanks so much for coming to our town! I really enjoyed the show and hope you can make it back here many more times. I hope you got your car fixed... As for Kim, he is among the best of many Seattle harpers. A small portion you got to see in the last number of the night. I've seen Kim several times and he never fails to deliver. And as he did with the SBII song he is apt to pull a number from out of nowhere. Case in point is the time I saw him at the Triple Door and he sang a Frank Sinatra tune for his parents who were there. Yes, he does play the harp with the upper and lower register holes backwards. I've asked him about it and he said that he is left handed and just started out that way. He had been playing a while before he found out the reverse and just decided to stick with it. Finally, kudos on the Southbound disc. I hope you sell a bunch of them. ---------- snakes in Snohomish
