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Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Rollo Markee, Liam Ward, Eddie Martin, and more
Rollo Markee, Liam Ward, Eddie Martin, and more
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kudzurunner
6014 posts
Jul 31, 2016
5:45 PM
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When I finally make it all the way back to Mississippi, I'll write more about my UK trip--I'm marooned in a Newark NJ hotel lounge; my Memphis flight was canceled--but I'd like to go on record now as saying that I'm powerfully impressed by the UK players I've been sharing stages with.
Rollo Markee is somebody I apparently crossed paths with at the Guiness Temple Bar Blues Festival in 1996, but I didn't really remember that when I met up with him again in London a few days ago at Greg Miller's London Harmonica camp. In his two-hour talk at the bar where the camp took place, he talked about being not just a harp player but an actor and dancer, and how all those things work their way into his stagecraft. And they do. He was a wonderfully strong presence on stage later; he reminded me that being a harp player fronting a band is NOT just a matter of being a great harp player, but of occupying the space, relating to the audience, and moving well. We talk about somebody being a "natural performer," and he was that, but what we actually mean is that somebody has had so much earned experience on stage--so much culture, not nature--that it just works. It takes a lot of work to look that natural on stage. He had that thing. He certainly knew how to leave space, how to phrase, and that, too, is a part of his gift. I won't post YouTube clips, because a quick search tells me that none of them get at what I saw.
Liam Ward, who played second (or third??) at the Edinburgh concert, is younger than Rollo--a late 20-something, not a late 30-something--but he was very solid as a vocalist and amped player, and I didn't hear a false note.
Eddie Martin is a quadruple threat on harp, vocals, guitar, and foot-drums. One of the best rack players I've heard. He's coming from the John Hammond school of rack harp, but there's nothing derivative about Eddie. He's a world class player. I knew this before seeing him live or sharing the stage with him, but actually being made me a bit of a fan-boy, I'm sure. His fourth or fifth song of the night was a Mississippi groove that immediately brought a smile to my face. It just felt good. And then, before you knew it, two young women were up and dancing, and a third woman, older, quickly joined them. When your blues pulls women onto the dance floor, whether you're banging it out at the Gallimaufrey in Bristol, England or at a juke joint somewhere in the Delta, you're doing something right.
The guitarists I was paired with--Sandy Tweeddale, Davide Mazzantini--were exceptionally good blues players. Either one could be working a lot in NYC or Chicago or New Orleans. They're that good.
I didn't get a chance to hear Pierre Lacocque play, but he showed up at the bar on Friday morning and we hung out all day. Nice guy! I hope we get to spend more time together.
Tomlin Leckie deserves huge props, not just for putting together the Edinburgh Harmonica Workshop, but for making it work so smoothly. Free lunch on both days. Coffee and cookie breaks three times a day. Everything in the inaugural eve80 registrants. His opening set on concert Friday was excellent, and he had one hip hop inflected song that struck me as exactly the sort of thing that could make a younger crowd find its way towards the blues.
Greg Miller, whose English name belies his French origins (and accent), impressed me by putting on his workshop entirely in a basement bar in center city London. It just had the right subterranean vibe. No muss, no fuss, no tab sheets. Just a bunch of guys (and a woman or two) in a dark cavern, talking harp. I did the sort of long-form preaching thing that I don't often get the chance to do, talking about the journey more than (for example) the notes or the scales, trying to remind people that it what we're talking about is BLUES HARMONICA, then we can't get too music-school about it without violating some essential aspect of the instrument and the idiom. When you systematize blues harmonica instruction past a certain point, you're missing the point. Greg gets that, and he encouraged me, and Rollo, to tell our stories and draw some lessons from our experience. On stage, Greg is a fine player who has definitely earned the students that he's accumulated.
Quite a 10 days over in the UK. That's my report. I'm sure there's more and I'll add to it as it comes to me.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Jul 31, 2016 6:01 PM
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essexdelta
1 post
Aug 01, 2016
11:43 AM
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Hello all. This is my first post at MBH...
I was lucky enough to catch Adam's talk and set in London. Others giving talks and sets included: Will Wilde, Rollo Markee, and Pierre Lacocque.
I spoke briefly with Pierre and said something like... I don't know your stuff. I've only been playing a year or so... Which Mississippi Heat CD do you recommend I start with?
Pierre didn't blink. Didn't patronise me. He smiled and with real warmth, said... start with my newest one, Warning Shot.
I've listened to Adam's Kick and Stomp, and Throw Down, many, many times. Really glad I caught him live.
What a great experience. Thanks to Adam, Pierre, Will, Rollo, and Greg Miller (the organiser).
Cheers,
Jim (essexdelta)
Last Edited by essexdelta on Aug 01, 2016 11:54 AM
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