Here is a video compilation I made of Johnny Hewitt from a recent Harmonica Festival in the UK.
I was wondering if you guys had any thoughts as to the tone and playing ability level.
I strive evrey day to get tone, timing and phrasing like this.
Adam I was wondering what you thought and who can you hear who influenced Johnny in the past. Could you share your thoughts on the vibrato I am struggling with. you can hear my efforts at about 16 minutes.
I hear William Clarke mostly but the tone for me is fantastic.
I Know its a long video but its worth watching all the way through.
Hope you guys find this interesting. ---------- Oxharp
Last Edited by Oxharp on May 27, 2017 10:02 AM
add another name to the list of harp greats I had no idea about.
I thought the amp'd playing example just after the 3 min mark was just about the epitome of what I like to hear in the chicago blues style.. he's got that round, bell-like William Clarke tone but just a tiny bit of grit and such relaxed, fluid, melodic and effortless blues phrasing. not a single wasted note. That to me is the art right there, beautiful acoustic tone that's broadcast through just the right amp/mic with the right touch.. It's sublime, I could listen to that all day.
---------- 4' 4+ 3' 2~~~ -Mike Ziemba Harmonica is Life!
Sorry, I've been busy on many fronts. I wasn't familiar with Johnny Hewitt, but I'd like to thank you for putting him on my screen.
I don't actually hear William Clarke in his playing at all. I hear a lot more Kim Wilson, with some Ronnie Shellist (especially the way he rolls off the 2 draw, a stylized thing) and a little Jason Ricci.
He's got great tone and a great sense of timing. I haven't listened to the whole video, just the first three or four minutes and then bits and pieces here and there. I don't like to give my opinion on something I haven't fully investigated, because then somebody always pops out of the bushes and says, "Wait, what about this?" or "You're an idiot."
He's dead-center in the tradition. I like what he's doing, but I don't hear a lot that makes me sit up and go WTF--as I do, for example, when I listen to Aki Kumar or Jason Ricci or Pierre Lacocque or Lyndon Anderson.
But you guys know where I'm coming from. I think he's got all the pieces in the right place; he's got a beautifully balanced approach. ANY harmonica student would have a lot to learn by listening, watching, and speaking with him.
The question I ask is always: If I heard him on the radio, would I know very quickly who he was? If you heard Johnny Hewitt on the radio, would you know very quickly, from his playing alone, that it was him? If so, please point me towards the passage in this half-hour video that, for you, accomplishes that. I will listen to it and tell you what I think.
Any player for whom you can answer a resounding "Yes!" is somebody I want to know about.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Jun 07, 2017 4:55 PM
I should add that although I'm fully capable of appreciating a polished, robust, flawless talent like Hewitt, I've got a soft spot in my heart for folks who push the boundaries somewhat more than he does. Giles Robson is that kind of talent. He's not as polished as Hewitt; his sound's not as big. But he's edgy, inventive, and I don't quite know what he's going to do next. His recent CD, which he gave me when we met in Bristol, impressed me in that way.
Please note: I don't regularly volunteer my opinions of players in this way. Oxharp forced my hand by starting this thread and reiterating his desire that I weigh in. I've done so, with the qualification that I haven't watched the entire video. Please don't waste your time getting pissed off at me. By this point, I trust that you've all figured out what I love, like, appreciate, and don't like. My opinion is merely one opinion. Everybody has one.
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Jun 07, 2017 7:03 PM
