Having just had the chance to listen to my teaching partner Ronnie Shellist live in Denver--a 70 minute set--I'll admit that I'm prejudiced in his favor. He's one of my favorite living blues harmonica players--and I'm not just saying that because I work with him. I think he's got a magic combination of tone, intensity, creativity, poise, rhythmic sense, and phrasing. He's got a lot of chops, but he knows how to leave space. He's always pushing the edge--but never too aggressively modern. Everything he plays is in the pocket, makes sense, and is slightly different than the line you THOUGHT he was going to play.
Here he does all that--and then he makes a seamless transition from a Green Bullet to a vocal mic. Seamless.
In other words, a great player who should be a model for many. AND he overblows on that 6 from time to time.
Here's a just-uploaded video that has 4 views. Push it out!
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Jan 26, 2016 8:30 PM
Very cool - thanks Adam. Going to YouTube to see this there are some other great videos of Ronnie Shellist including one I loved where he, Adam Hamill and Little Joe McLerran do "Fattening Frogs for Snakes." Great stuff!
This looks like it was from the Dunneville Harmonica retreat last summer. What a fantastic show! Suzie Vinnick accompanied Roly Platt, Ronnie and Carlos Del Junco. I felt a little guilty because I was enjoying Suzie more than the harp players!
I hope some more video of that night can be posted. The three harp players jammed together and effortlessly traded eights, fours and twos! Nobody was stepping on anyone.
Ronnie Shellist is a powerhouse. He plays with deceptively light breath.
Over two days of teaching sessions, he seemed to have an unlimited amount of things to teach. It never got boring.
That's from the week-end harmonica retreat I host here in Dunnville Ontario. I have Ronnie and Roly Platt lined up for this year and tentatively Mike Stevens to boot. June 24th, 25th and 26th. That's Suzie Vinnick on guitar. A ridiculously good guitar player with excellent vocals to boot. She also doe's a guitar workshop for a week-end here on the farm in August along with vocal training and songwriting workshops. Rita Chiarelli is the other instructor. I'll make an announcement for the Harmoinca Retreat and The blues guitar, vocal, songwriting once tings are firm. Can't wait!
Ronnie's set at Spah this year was some of the most creative blues playing I've ever heard. I saw him at the Hohner traveling roadshow at a music store down the road from my house. He's really a great presenter. If I was'n already a harp player, I would've left the show with a harp and a lot of inspiration to become a [player.He's a really nice guy. too. Definitely one of the greatest living blues harp players.
Ronnies the man. No Doubt. He s got the harp, the voice, the whole deal.
In breaking down a couple pieces of his music I realised just how simple yet inovative alot of his licks are. I don't mean simple in a bad way. Just not over complicated for the sake of being flashy. Simple, Fits the Bill, but does so with some outside the box note choices and switching back and forth between TB slaps and single note runs and cool licks.
Also as Adam said he leads you to expect a lick and plays it slightly different. His use of spaces, even tone and just his playing style in general. Excellent, never gets old. Studying Ronnies playing has taught me Alot.
Can't wait for a new full solo Album. ---------- "Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
Last Edited by Killa_Hertz on Jan 27, 2016 11:06 AM
Cool. I was there for this. Can't recall which amp Ronnie was playing through but that's Carlos' rig behind Ronnie (with the red light blue box thing). Lot of amp/mic flipping around going on.
As usual, I'm on the opposite side of opinion. I hear zero groove, zero pocket and zero musical chemistry between the duo. It reminds me of one of those YouTube videos where someone jams endlessly on top of a backing track. ----------
In my meaningless opinion they are both wonderful players== just seemed like they hadnt played together before. He lost her a couple of times when he took off on the solos. She was also outgunned volume wise- but I liked her rhythm chops
Jinx i tend to agree with this specific video. As much as i love ronnie n all. Not the best. There clashing quite a bit. It seems Ronnies just playing hoping she ll form to him.
But no disrespect to the guitar player, but most of the people in that crowd were prolly there to see him.
They just prolly never played together b4. As GB said. I'm glad nobody's watching and critiquing my playing. That's for damn sure. 8^)> ---------- "Trust Those Who Seek The Truth. Doubt Those Who Say They Have Found It."
Well, aren't they just playing in a very informal setting, for a bunch of harp players? Showcasing the harp? Sounds great to me! I really like his playing, especially on the vocal mic. ---------- For every moment of triumph, every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled. HST
I heard plenty of groove, plenty of pocket, and apparently Suzie wasn't feeling too disrespected as she let's out a little "yeah!" , at the completion of one of Ronnie's long breaks.
