You know, Kingley gave me a lot of heat a couple of years back when I insisted that Jason was a blues harmonica player and deserved to be considered as one of the greats in that specific category. Kingley insisted that Jason--a great harp player, he willingly acknowledged--had left the blues behind and therefore did not deserve to be considered in the same category with guys like Little Walter, Big Walter, Kim Wilson, etc.
Here's that old thread. Kingley and I have become loyal opposition by now and I mean no harm. I think he raises good points, and I think the argument is a fair one, worth having:
This clip makes me glad I stuck to my guns. I was listening to ROCKET NUMBER 9 the other day, and I will acknowledge that Kingley has a point about Jason having recorded a fair share of music that isn't blues. He's moved through some crazy s--t. But my claim remains valid: like Paul Butterfield, who also branched out into the craziness of EAST, WEST, Jason came up in the blues, has worked hundreds of blues clubs and dozens of blues festivals, has won awards in the blues, and remains a citizen of the blues. I don't believe that any young blues harmonica player who wants to be great can afford to ignore the sort of stuff JR is throwing down here. It's not just about speed. He knows how to take his time. I like the big spaces between blistering note-streams. That's a part of the blues discipline.
I love this video. Thanks, blueslvr, for posting that. That's some good ol' blues from a guy who has paid his dues. We're privileged to have Moon Cat as a member of this forum; I'm sure I'm not the only one who is genuinely glad to see him back on the scene.
Last Edited by on Apr 10, 2012 8:21 PM
He hung with me backstage before this set (I was fixing harmonicas). Things seem to be going well for him. There was a lot of good music that day. Jason fit right in.
Agree with you there, Adam. I've seen Jason perform live without a blues number in the set. But he absolutely, positively can play the blues like nobody's business. Didn't hurt to have Pat Ramsey as a mentor. ---------- /Greg
"We're privileged to have Moon Cat as a member of this forum; I'm sure I'm not the only one who is genuinely glad to see him back on the scene."
I agree it's really good to have Jason here. He is a great guy, an amazing player and I hope he's around in the music scene for a long. long time. He deserves great success. I really hope he manages to get over to the UK sometime soon.
Last Edited by on Apr 11, 2012 11:35 AM
OK, I'm going to ask. Please officially call me a Jason Ricci fanboy!
Mooncat, if you do check this thread out, can I ask about the harp switching? The tune is in Bb and I can hear the timbre of the Eb harp later, but in the beginning, are you using a Ab in 3rd? I've checked, but you may be using overdraws or a different key? I can't get one of the higher notes here.
Heee's Baaack - Great Video - thanks for shooting and posting. No taming the mooncat. Wild and ferel as ever. Great band and Gino is as noted - a perfect compliment . Excelent in his own right. ----------
Gino's got to get that pipe like Albert King,man he scorches shorts.I tried not to like Jason,now I think the world of him.His mentor Pat ramsey is a seldom mentioned harmonica virtuoso,mooncat also mentions blind owl of canned heat in a video,who died way young,while his music still chills you with a certain genius hard to copy.
