I don't know, I liked it and the crowd seemed to go crazy after you played. Nice restraint on laying out for most of the song. Sitting on stage without playing always feels akward to me, so I end up playing when I shouldn't.
Sounds great to me. I wasn't familiar with Fowler, which says much more about me than about him; he's a hell of a soul singer. Jazz guys used to say that the test of a horn player is what they do on ballads. The test of a vocalist is how they handle something this laid back; whether they can maintain feeling, pitch, and intensity, even while exercising control. He's GOT it. Whew. So it was great that you just sat there and let it be as quiet as it was for the whole first part of the song. I thought the solo worked beautifully.
Selwyn and Damon both local to the West Coast of Florida-been around for a while has Damon-as for Jason it boils down to one question-what kind of cake do you like?
Lotsa nice ideas - working a basic one in upper range of harmonica and then mirroring it down an octave was very cool. These ideas were simple and seemed to serve the song.
I will agree with you about the too many notes, but only at the end of the solo. Many Notes is part of your DNA, so it really comes as no surprise.
How many is too many? Everyone has their own litmus test. ---------- The Iceman
I've been fortunate enough to see Jason perform live several times over the past two years. I’ve seen him play with The Band Kind a couple of times, with JJ Appleton at SPAH, recently at the Pat Ramsey Hospice Benefit at the Bradfordville Blues Club playing with Major Bacon and Tuesday with Damon and Selwyn. It is refreshing to see him play with such a broad variety of artists and create a diversity of music. I have great respect for his talent, not just as a harmonica player, but as the consummate entertainer. ---------- Tom Halchak www.BlueMoonHarmonicas.com
I am willing to be the baddie here. I think there may indeed be some self-deprecation by Jason here and perhaps some jest in the title but actually I DO think he plays too loud and too many notes. Let me qualify, however. Loud is not necessarily bad, playing lots of notes is not necessarily bad. BUT it does depend on the setting. Here, the vocalist and guitars set up a beautiful, sensual atmosphere to relax in and really listen to the words and enjoy the melody. Truly lovely. Everything should be moving towards that purpose and the harp should do that too. Jason here overplays IMO and takes away from the song, lyrics and atmo. He doesn't ADD. And if you can't add anything, don't do it. Less really is sometimes more.
Of course, his playing is great. Lovely tone, great lines etc. I am not in any way criticising Jason as a player. Obviously! BUT here, in this tune, the way the singer and guitars set it up, it was a distraction.
And we all know that you can't go by the audience's reaction to a solo as it may have very little to do with the music of the moment.
Yeah, I agree with Little Roger. The solo was virtuosity not really serving the song. Damon's set up for the solo was for subtlety building to a finish (that JR did). I hear hear breathy saxophone tone, sustain and space. Sometimes it's not what you do but when you don't do it - build and resolve tension. No revelation there, just observation on this topic. "Now I'll get back to collecting everything I can from Jason's videos. Thank you Jason.
Last Edited by Littoral on Dec 16, 2016 3:59 AM
I'd call Jason's playing on this song "mellifluous fire". It was a distraction that stayed in context and made me lean into the song with an "Oh wow" reaction. I think audiences like this more than anything - fire that stays in service of the song. Pretty yet nuclear powered! ---------- Facebook
I also agree with Little roger Jason is a fine play but he overplays Way to much not just in this clip but a lot of the stuff he does..i prefer the slow tunes he does..the fast playing is ok now and then but a lot of people get bored with it after a while...sorry for my poor gramma
self effacing as usual, jason, but this is very fine work. Sweet countryish tone, and the elliptical phrase works very nicely, like the pauses in a conversation.
Just shows that everyone listens and enjoys music in their own way. Some feel Jason over played, some expressed it was perfect.
For me the playing was great but agree with Little Rodger..I was feeling the singer and was thinking to myself...What is Jason going to do. :) Play in the mood or power it. At one point I thought he was not going to play at all. :)
Edit: Just listened again and the first half of the solo and the end worked for me. Was just 1 or 2 runs that were maybe too much. I still loved it.
Last Edited by 528hemi on Dec 16, 2016 2:25 PM
I am an old man. I shall play my harp till I die, in about fifteen years. It's been a great ride.
Moon Cat, you are a young man, full of juice. It shows, always, in your playing.
I watched and listened to this video from start to end-- great performances by all. Like some who responded in this post, though, I agree with the heading you gave it, whether seriously or flippantly-- "too loud, too many notes".
Your skill, passion, feel, none of these can be denied. But...
Your playing, in this video, was a little too far over to the side that said, "look at me", instead of the side that said, "hear the singer and the message he is delivering".
Keep playing! Thanks for putting your stuff up for the world to see and hear, and don't let curmudgeons like me stop you. I respect your passion and ability.
Cheers,
wolf kristiansen
Last Edited by wolfkristiansen on Dec 17, 2016 2:54 AM
Jason put this up with a provocative title in answer to his critics who in the past have said "too loud, too many notes". But i think it doesn't resolve that question to any satisfactory degree..imo it confirms it..to me the harp didn't suit the song and was out of context in its style and note choice.The low range of the Harp would of suited it better. Just imo and (rightfully) Jason could care less what I think.
By now I would think that the musicians that choose to use Jason on their project realize that Jason brings a lot of "JASON" to the mix rather than a solid support from underneath of what the other musicians play.
His solos do get that instant crowd reaction - kinda like John Popper might get when he does his velocity thing. However, I'm sure that other musicians choosing to use Popper on their projects would do so only if they want to "Popperize" what they are doing.
On the other hand, listen to Kim Wilson in a supportive role. He is quite comfortable to step back and play in a style that respects the music project - in Jimmy Roger's Ludella, Kim does play a lot of notes, but it is in the spirit of that project. A contrast is how he supported Mark Knopfler in the "Privateering" project....minimalist note playing, lotsa space and total support and respect - no "dig me" here.
---------- The Iceman
Last Edited by The Iceman on Dec 18, 2016 11:06 AM
