I say, Geneva Red is my favorite blues harmonica entertainer. She performed at our 3rd Diamond Teeth Mary Blues and Art Festival. She made a good impression on everyone.
My friend Bob Brown, a piano player from Charleston, WV said, "probably the best live performance I have ever seen"
I moved my seat to the front row and took the video below with a handheld camera. I think it captures the fun Geneva Red and Jackie Five and Dime can generate.
If you get a chance to catch her show, just go. Nobody doesn't like Geneva Red.
---------- theharmonicaclub.com (of Huntington, WV)
Last Edited by on Sep 08, 2012 9:32 PM
I'm getting the "This video is private" message too. What's the difference between private and locked? Wouldn't you need to have a password either way? Let us in Jim, the suspense is killing me. Female harmonica players are my great weakness in life. ;)
Nice person, but an average harp player who makes the most of her looks. Still, she has an endorsement from Hohner, which I attribute more to Hohner trying to expand markets to women than for her harp skills. Sorry, just my opinion. Have seen her more than once, she is no great shakes. Entertainer first, singer second, harp player last.
You gotta love an ol gal that'll hop up on a bar an honk out some blues harp. Yea I'd pay to see her. Maybe not the greatest player in the world but when I go out for a good time I want to be entertained and she seems to do a good job of that. Endless boring I IV V progressions from hairy legged boys get old.
I agree with your statements, and that's what I feel is the important lesson. We spend a lot of time talking about tone, scales, amps, etc., but not much on how to entertain. It may sound strange, but a lot of us do not know how to have fun, or how to make it fun for the audiance. ---------- theharmonicaclub.com (of Huntington, WV)
It's a good topic of conversation. Every performer needs to figure out how much of the sexual instigator they want to be--or are capable of being!--during their show. There are a range of ways that one can entertain. Albert Collins was playful and had fun. Albert King was more into the epic sound of his Flying V and he grimaced a lot. Tab Benoit can get very mellow. Women, for the most part, can do certain things that guys can't get away with. Tall pretty women can do certain things that short stumpy women can't really do without drawing attention to the fact that they're short stumpy women. Old men with glasses can TRY to sell themselves as Sex Machines, but it's a risky proposition and risks getting oneself condescended to with folks patting the air and saying things like "Slow down there, grandpa."
Now if you're a one-legged woman, especially a cute one, there are things you can get away with--heck, pictures you can put in a man's mind--that I won't even begin to mess with. In fact, I quit. If I'm forced to lose a leg and wear a bikini just to qualify as a bona-fide blues entertainer, I might as well just smoke some crack and disappear into the night.
Jim began by saying the Geneva Red was his favorite blues harmonica entertainer. He suggested in a subsequent post that a lot of us do not know how to have fun. I took his challenge seriously--which is to say, I tried hard to respond in a madcap spirit. There is no method to my madness. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
Last Edited by on Sep 09, 2012 3:28 PM
Well, as the Paralympics are wrapping up today in London I’ll just consider Adam’s post another tribute to the amazing human spirit. And to men’s ability to invent flaws in women so we can justify why they might be wiling to be seen in public with us :)
And I agree, Geneva Red is a great entertainer and a talented performer.
Rick Estrin is on a whole other level…however, the fact that we had to play that card shows that she does have something going on…
Let me take just one point and talk about it, the way she dressed.
She wore a long back-less gown, high heels, ear rings, necklace and bracelets. She dressed close to elegant. How many times do we show up at a gig in blue jeans, t-shirts and sneakers? She looked the part of an important entertainer. She looked the part of a star. A good quote from a previous thread on dress is, "always dress better than the people in the audience". A successful entertainer will have members of the audience projecting themselves on stage in place of the entertainer. If that person in the audience says, "I wish I was that person on stage", then the entertainer has done their job.
I believe her wardrobe helped her reach the women in the audience. She showed that you could be feminine and still have down to earth fun. More than once, I have heard women object to trying to learn harmonica because "it doesn't look lady like." I say the reaction from the women in the audience shows that Geneva proved the harmonica could certainly be a woman's instrument.
Image is very important. If you look the part, a percentage of the audience will believe they are hearing a great harmonica player. Sometimes a couple will even come up and tell you so. It helps offset the ones that come up and tell you, "you suck".
Even at the noon workshop she held, she came dressed in pumps and a sequin tank top. She dresses the part. ---------- theharmonicaclub.com (of Huntington, WV)
More power to her. There is plenty of room in the blues harmonica world for people with her playing ability. She kept the audience engaged and entertained. She did her job and delivered the goods.
I wonder if she was a man with the same skill level both as a player and an entertainer we would be having comments as to whether his playing skill was the most important aspect of his performance to women? As a player she's no Kim Wilson but then who is? She none the less has good tone, does not overplay, and has more skill than I suspect most on this forum. I think Joe L has the most relevant comment, "She did her job and delivered the goods." ---------- LSC
Last Edited by on Sep 09, 2012 10:30 PM
On a scale of 1 to Kim Wilson, she's not even an 8. There are many, many pro harp players nobody's heard of who play harp better. But I agree with Joe - if the audience is happy, more power to her. Best harmonica entertainer? For me - not even close.
I like what Joe said..."There is plenty of room in the blues harmonica world for people with her playing ability".
And that's a good thing because people of average ability are what make up %99 of the working musicians that entertain us. The elite musicians like Kim, Jason, Adam, etc only come along once in a blue moon compared to the rest of us. I guess the point I'm trying to make is I don't like to value someone's worth as a musician/entertainer based on their comparison to someone else. Geneva takes average vocal and harmonica ability (which I think sounds good) and combines it with a little sex appeal, audience interaction and style. The end result is everyone has a good time and feels good.
Is she the best harmonica entertainer ever? That all depends on what your idea of a great entertainer is. I think Jim was just saying that he personally finds her to be the best he's ever seen and there's nothing wrong with that just as there's nothing wrong with someone who feels otherwise. Hell I rarely agree with anyone when it comes to who's the greatest or best at anything. Ever watch the Grammy awards lately? :)
You guys are echoing my feelings. There is more to a performance than just playing. Lets now look at audiance interaction. Another tune she did was Minnie the Moocher. She had everybody singing, "hiedi hiedi hiedi ho". Audiance interaction is not a product of good musicianship, it's about being a responsible entertainer. ---------- theharmonicaclub.com (of Huntington, WV)
Geneva Red has certainly got "STAGE PRESENCE" - She appeals to the audience...Her smile is genuine while she interacts with the folks, ask them how they're doing, and gets them to trust her enough to dance and participate. Red is Confident!
Here is a young lady that plays harp...She recently contacted me about a song I did on youtube - she has only played harp for 4 years.
I have received a comment off-line that thinks I have done a dis-service to Geneva Red by discussing her performance. I want to say that I have 100% respect for the woman and I like her style.
I understand that some people prefer a more "skilled performer", and I can respect that. I feel that it takes more than "skillful" playing. There is a recent thread on this forum about a person's 3-second pause in a solo. Even though the solo still sounded good, he was personally embarrassed about a solo that was still musically good. The only thing (in my opinion) with his solo was the expression on his face. I say, There is more to performance than just the complexity of the music. It is also how you deliver it. Like Frank said above, with confidence.
It also goes beyond appearance, though that is one of her strong parts. She also shows good the audience interaction. Now let me bring up the point that this is a duo act. It's a good example that you do not need a lot of instruments or technical effects to put out a good sound. Bigger is not always better. Put out a good sound that the audience can relate to, and you have done your job.
My goal is to share what I consider a good example of how to entertain and what good examples can be learned.
---------- theharmonicaclub.com (of Huntington, WV)
Last Edited by on Sep 10, 2012 7:17 AM
"My goal is to share what I consider a good example of how to entertain and what good examples can be learned."
Couldn't agree more,Jim. She entertained me. I let my harp critic take a back seat and just enjoyed her show.{The fact that she was a tall redhead had nothing to do with it lol.) The world needs more female harp players.No physical differences like the Olympics,but Annie Raines is the only one I can think of who is world class.
Frank- That girl was great,especially for only 4 years. Is she local?
Edit:Forgot Christelle she's world class,but not really blues.
Last Edited by on Sep 10, 2012 7:55 AM
Tuck, she is from another country - her name is Ana...She has great style, nice tone and can play that harp really well for doin it under 5 years...Her Juke rendition is pretty cool!
BTW...Geneva Red plays some excellent harmonica on that first video, I loved it - it was FAT, MEAN and felt GOOD! The guitar playing was nice and tight too...
Last Edited by on Sep 10, 2012 8:50 AM
Jim: I applaud your decision to start this thread and to post that video. After five years of batting around seemingly every harmonica-related topic under the sun--i.e, we, the members of this forum--you have come up with something new: a conversation about the role that "entertaining," broadly understood, plays in the working harp player's total package. It's an extremely important concept--and Geneva Red is indeed a fine entertainer, although her form of entertainment isn't entirely to my taste. But I greatly admire one element of what she does, as I note below.
Paul Lamb, George Smith, Rod Piazza, and Rick Estrin are great entertainers.
Annie Raines, Howard Levy, Carlos del Junco, and I are fine harp players, but we're not entertainers in that way.
Junior Wells was an incredible entertainer. He commanded the stage.
Geneva Red puts quite a bit of stress on the sexual aspect of her stage performance. Billy Branch CAN do this, as we know from one particular video posted here, but he's a skilled entertainer who tends to stress other elements of stagecraft.
Some performers entertain by working hard to break down the boundaries that separate them from their audience. As a former street musician, I also love to see performers--including Geneva Red--get down off the stage and mix it up with folks. Deak Harp can do this brilliantly. So can Rod. He does the bar walk, the crowd walk.
The key thing is, every performer needs to find out what works for THEM. Entertaining with a harp in your hand is not a one-size-fits-all proposition.
In fact, a certain amount of caution is in order. The harmonica is like a banjo: some folks, seeing one in your hand, expect you to roll your eyes and be a comedian, like the Harmonica Rascals. The instrument has had to work very hard to escape this association in the public mind with cheap, easy comic hilarity. I personally don't want the comic thing--the putting-the-whole-thing-in-my-mouth-while-bugging-out-my-eyes trick--to be a part of what I do.
But that's just me, and others make other choices. The key thing, again, is that performers need to explore various options and figure out what works for them.
Last Edited by on Sep 10, 2012 9:33 AM
And here is a master entertainer from the old school at the height of his powers. Sing, dance, tell a story: that's the core of the entertaining tradition. Watch this and you'll see where Regis Philbin gets his whole approach:
Last week Me, my girlfriend and my harp teacher went to se a gig of Gonzalo Araya (OMG what a tone!!). The show began and he start playing like he do, the band was having a good groove to. So far so good, but at one point he climb down the scenario and start to play (wireless) while walking arround the club. He even get out of the bar, take a walk, and the come back in. People love that trick, I bet that 99.9% of the audience remember that show for that solo.
If a want to listening music I put a cd and press play. If a want to see a show, I go to a bar. Therefore, there is no point in just playing music (audience wise) if your out there playing live.
I prefer performers who are animated and seem to exude some sort of "life vibe" that makes me feel MORE alive! Even subtle animation of a performer can speak volumes and helps tell the story - whether speaking, singing, or playing and instrument. Eddie Cantor is certainly ANIMATED :)
Last Edited by on Sep 10, 2012 10:21 AM
I think the title containing “Best” heated this discussion up a bit more than the norm…and that’s ok.
Someone asked if would we having the same discussion about talent and showmanship if this was about a man. Well, yes and we have…just look back at all of the discussions about Steven Tyler, Mick Jagger, Robert Plant and others on this forum.
As for her over sexualizing her show…come on…really…she’s in a long skirt in one video, long pants and a tank in another…go to almost any club with a band featuring a female lead and unless she’s twice the size of Geneva Red you’ll likely find her covering half as much skin. Rachelle Plas has popped up in this discussion…how many times have we seen her in skin tight leather or latex (not enough for me)…
She puts on a good show and one I’d happily go see.
i saw kim wilson in the early 80`s and he wasn`t that good ,that was after steve guyger blew the house down.......so let the lady blow !
Last Edited by on Sep 10, 2012 11:19 AM
