the real lee oskar video was fabulous. perhaps that is not what a blues nazi would consider to be blues but that is top notch first class modern blues harmonica right there. certainly belongs on a top ten list somewhere.
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i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica "but i play it anyway" ----------
i get a lot of request when i play my harmonica "but i play it anyway"
I agree: That Oscar video is just terrific. I find Lee to be so musically centered that he transcends the instrument per se and is pure music. Years ago I was at a Hummel harp showcase in NYC listening to a bunch of Olympians blow their instruments. When Lee had his turn I looked at my friend and how engaged he was by Lee's clarity. Lee took me to dinner in California some years ago and shared some then unreleased classic songs he had recorded. What an affable guy with more enthusiasm than my 5 year olds ---------- Facebook
Lee doesn't play blues. Most of his stuff is jazz centered. I've been a big fan for a long time, but his work is not widely known. Better known for clean pure tone than fast riffs. In fact, some have criticized him for his simple play. bigd is right, his playing touches me more than a lot of other players, he puts a lot into it. Of course he can play anything, including blues, it might sound a little cleaner than we are used to:
Last Edited by rbeetsme on Oct 09, 2013 4:56 AM
BTW I love Lee's playing...that clean hard attack! That is one heck of an infectious riff on Soul Prayer, simple yet very effective and as for the solo...wow!!!!
Played on a C harp in 5th I think, just had to tab it out as a reminder. Going to play it every morning, it cheers me up:)
I got to see Lee on a Hummel show and it was a real pleasure to watch and hear him in a very small intimate club...What he played was mind blowing and heart inspiring...his body language was unique too - he seems to feel the music in all parts of his body and reacts according to the sensations :)
Last Edited by Frank on Oct 09, 2013 5:25 AM
I remember a phone conversation we had once where I asked him why he never visited NYC as performer (he has since been here as part of the Hummel ensemble and had been decades ago as part of War) and he told me he could sell out large venues in Japan (or the East in general) but had no national offers here that were generous.....and another memory: He and Sonny Jr doing a spontaneous duet on a slow 3rd position thing - with Lee on his Natural minor. It was Seriously haunting!!
I talked to Lee on the phone then he called back to talk more! He had me play for him, Lee said "I'm sorry, I can not help you" I was crushed. I asked "why not". Lee said, because you are doing everything right!! It was like BSing w/ Leo Fender...BN
Thanks to all who've posted clips here. I saw Oskar only once, many years ago at a small upscale nightclub in L.A., and he was playing note-perfect studio stuff--smooth jazz, basically. So I've always thought of him NOT as a blues player. But when I listen to these clips, I hear a guy who has crafted his own very distinctive minimalist take on the blues, and he certainly deserves inclusion on this website's honorable mention list.
If Lee Oskar had had a fit and DIED right after his solo on "Mother Earth" (Burdon & War, 1970) he should still arguably be included on a whole lot of these lists you obviously find important. (I don´t mind them, just don´t get the need for them. "My problem" it can be said.) And that was long before he saw the light, coming from an array of effects pedals; this is clean and every note is right:
Martin: I believe in helping young blues harmonica students--and the young at heart--find their way pretty quickly to the good stuff. That's the declared spirit in which I formulated the three lists of top players on this website. You apparently don't share my altruism. That's OK. This forum makes a space for all kinds.
It's really interesting!!! On "Mother Earth" (Martin's youtube video post above) Lee has a Butterfield-ish sound ( the music behind the solo has a "drifting and drifting"-ish backdrop to it too) ---------- Facebook
Martin: You wouldn't want those young students listening to harp players in the wrong order, or maybe even hearing an unapproved player, would you? That way lies madness, anarchy, dogs and cats together, the end of all that's true and altruistic.
Adam: Altruism is (mostly) a good thing and I commend you for the spirit. But list are lists, and perhaps not very "reasonable" entities in their rather arbitrary in- and exclusions. We live in a time of lists, they are so nice and easily surveyable -- but as I said, it´s my problem that I don´t care for them so don´t get sore, I have a curmudgeonly streak in my character and I´ll try to rein it in.
timeistight: I never use those smileys, but if I did, here would be one. I´ll treat you to a pint next time you´re in Gothenburg.
That 'So much in love' song has got me hooked. Still shaky on theory and am figuring it out by ear. It seems to work ok on an Ab harp and I'm taking a guess at the song key of Bb which would make it 3rd pos.
Trouble is although the pitch of the harp sounds ok to me and the high end stuff works, there's a problem on hole 5 with an ob required which I dont think Lee is doing. Also I'm doing whole step bend on the lower part of the riff and it doesn't sounds like Lee's doing this unless he's brilliant at them:)
Lee Oskar is extremely important to the diatonic harmonica we know today. his pioneering designs made harmonica companies stand up and take notice. His harmonicas were the very first diatonics to offer replaceable reed plates ( also any other component of his harmonicas) Suzuki, Seydel, and even Hohner followed suit ( not in that order)offering replaceable reed plates.. I'm not sure if LO/Tombo offered repair kits before Herring but LO certainly popularized them. Very few people were aware of Farrel Co. His Natural Minor harmonicas are an absolute first as are his Melody Maker models.
As far as importance to diatonic harmonicas goes i'd say the big three are Lee Oskar, Joe Filisko, and Howard Levy.
Oh, he's a great player too. ---------- MP affordable reed replacement and repairs.
"making the world a better place, one harmonica at a time"
click user name [MP] for info- repair videos on YouTube. you can reach me via Facebook. Mark Prados
Last Edited by MP on Oct 10, 2013 1:32 PM
@atty1chgo: Thank you for that. It´s been a long time since I listened to "Gypsy man", and it reminded me to return. His playing then, on stuff such as this, was a reason for me to hold on to the harmonica.
Lee can be hard to figure out. He is notorious for alternate tunings. I've never met him, but a friend attended a harp workshop he was teaching. He thought Lee was a genius, people were picking his brain constantly and my friend didn't understand anything they were discussing. My take on Lee is similar to Adams', clean pure notes, terrific timing. His blues playing is certainly his own take.
Frank! That's a great clip--the "So Much in Love Clip." I've only listened to the 3:02 point, but what's amazing to any blues player is how much power in reserve he's carrying. You can only appreciate this retrospectively, when he gets to the 3:00 point. He suddenly accelerates, blueses it up, and throws down. I know almost no living players with those chops who can hold back for three minutes. He's a master of melodic architecture for that reason. He places every note like a master. There isn't one moment of wasted effort or excess. I personally like the excess-stuff, but I can appreciate the minimalist who knows his bag and deploys it perfectly.
Thanks for posting.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Oct 10, 2013 5:11 PM
Iceman. Ah, that explains it. I am working through the piece at the moment on an Ab harp and it is do-able with the 5 OB. Of course this workaround will be slightly different in expression and tone.ie if Lee is drawing with vibrato on a certain note on altered tuning and a blow note is required on standard richter, then there will be a difference.
'So much in love' is one heck of a nice piece of music and superbly played.
@Grey Owl: "So much in love" is played on a Eb LO Melody Maker. I believe Lee has written quite a few tunes almost as a way to showcase his alternate tunings, and this is from the CD with the same name.
Thanks for all the information on Lee, guys. It's remarkable that we can see and hear so much now... when I and many other players were starting out, even being able to obtain a cassette tape or LP with harmonica on it was a rarity. Now is much better :-)
Anyway, back to the topic... it's great that back that far there was a harp player who was so integrated into a band. I wonder when Lee started using alternate tunings?
On the inside cover of Lee´s CD "So much in love" it says that on the track "Those sunny days" he is playing a MM in Ab. Of course that could be a typo -- or a prank, either intended to send Lee´s fans on a goose chase after non-existing harmonicas and really pissing them off in the process; alternately one could suspect that Lee, given his position in the company, maybe has access to harps in keys not on the market? (Also, as I recall, playing along with the track, it appears as if those extra notes on the MM is present in the melody.)
Personally I´m leaning heavily towards the first alternative.
Some time ago I read somewhere that he uses melody makers that not available for other customers. :) Grey Owl, I think it's again a melody maker. I love how Hal Walker use melody maker with banakulas
after 13.40 :)) btw This is the superb interview with Jelly Roll Johnson. ---------- my music
@ Martin it is probably not a prank ie he no doubt is playing a standard LO harp that he has retuned to MM tuning. Easy to do. I like the tuning but the range is limited to 5 ie A, C, D, G & E. I make my own & now have a complete set but not all based on LO's. Of the 5 Lee offers the A, G & E are great for everyday use whereas the D & C are a bit dark ie based on a standard G & a Low F. Nice if you want a low sound but not much good as a cut through harp if playing with others. Personally the one I get most use for is Bb ie based on a retuned Eb. Bb in MM is not available OOTB. ---------- HARPOLDIE’S YOUTUBE
