Baker
235 posts
Aug 03, 2012
3:50 AM
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A few years ago another harp playing friend of mine played me a couple of tracks (Fixin' to Die and Get up off that Jazzophone) – by a band called The Sugar Kings – They had some amazing diatonic harmonica playing on both tracks, especially "Jazzophone" which I was told was played in 9th position – I don't know enough to either confirm or deny this – I'd never heard of them before and all google searches returned results for another Salsa band, also called the Sugar Kings.
I came across this today, (http://www.clinthoover.com/SugarKings.php) which talks about the album the tracks were from. Apparently the harmonica player is a guy called Clint Hoover. A Youtube search didn't turn up much except for this – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwVSNz9_9hs – Which demonstrates his chromatic playing - and a few very low quality live recordings.
You can hear the "Jazzophone" track at the link above – well worth a listen.
Anyone heard about Clint Hoover or the Sugar Kings before?
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cliffy
14 posts
Aug 03, 2012
5:20 AM
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I don't know about the Sugar Kings, but Clint Hoover also plays jazz harp on a CD called "Dream of the Serpent Dog" and it is off-the-charts incredible. He's really an amazing player.
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HarpNinja
2604 posts
Aug 03, 2012
6:51 AM
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He was my teacher for years. I have all his studio work, it think. His stuff with Bill Geezey and Papa John Kolstad rules.
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
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Tuckster
1107 posts
Aug 03, 2012
8:11 AM
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About a year ago,I contacted him because he was moving to my area(Pittsburgh) and I was hoping to get lessons. Alas,at that time,he wasn't interested. Maybe I should contact him again,now that he's settled in.
HarpNinja- What does he do for a living?
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robbert
109 posts
Aug 03, 2012
2:59 PM
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Clint is a wonderful player, and Sugar Kings and Serpent Dog are two great albums. He plays with great facility on both chromatic and diatonic harps. He's pretty much a jazz player with a great feel, and he's fantastic at 1920s era blues...Also, lots of his original stuff on Serpent dog is really lyrical and just plain cool. Of all the players that I love to listen to, he's right up there at the top of my list. As a matter of fact, I'm going to give him a listen right now I think...
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HarpNinja
2606 posts
Aug 03, 2012
8:56 PM
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In the Cities he was a fulltime musician...he did lessons at several sites and performed. I know the move to PA was for his wife's work and not music.
He's one of nicest guys out there and a fantastic teacher. He had me overblowing pretty much immediately, although we didn't do much with overdraws. He can play just about anything and is criminally underrated. His bread and butter is chromatic, but he can play anything on diatonic.
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Mike
VHT Special 6 Mods
Quicksilver Custom Harmonicas - When it needs to come from the soul...
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easyglider
1 post
Mar 01, 2014
7:24 AM
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Yes, Clint is an amazing player. He is one of the best jazz chromatic players in the world. And as was said, he is unmatched in the 1920's jazz horn/blues playing; he can make his harp sound like louis armstrong blowing a great jazz/blues break. He is a musician's musician and as also was already said, a very humble super nice guy. He has a nice web site at clinthoover.com. Check it out.
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Tuckster
1399 posts
Mar 01, 2014
8:50 AM
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Clint is now actively teaching in Pittsburgh. As Mike said,he is criminally underrated. The most accessible CD from a blues perspective is the Papa John Kolstad one. He continually amazes me with what he can do on a diatonic. Although he's not primarily thought of as a blues guy,he cut his teeth on blues first. He can toss off a Big Walter style and not break a sweat.
P.S. After much coaxing,Adam has added him to the teachers list. (Thanks,Adam)
Last Edited by Tuckster on Mar 01, 2014 8:55 AM
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robbert
290 posts
Mar 01, 2014
1:46 PM
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Funny this thread should re-emerge, as I was just listening to Clint's "Dream of the Serpent Dog" album.
I've never heard any amplified harp from Clint, but his beautiful tone, meticulous phrasing and soulful playing make him one of the best acoustic jazz and blues players I know of on both chromatic and diatonic harps.
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easyglider
2 posts
Mar 02, 2014
6:18 PM
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Clint prefers to play acoustic and when you hear him play, you'll understand why. The nuances of his playing are so subtle and expressive that I don't think amplified can really capture it. That being said, he can blow the doors off with either diatonic or chromatic when called for. I really think he is one of the best there is.
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