I got to meet Shane Sager this summer at NEHI in Newburyport, MA and was pleasantly surprised to see he was sitting in with Erin Harpe and the Delta Swingers this past weekend. I'm amazed every time I hear him go off on a solo. I could feel what was brewing so I got my phone out to capture this vid. Watch what happens once he pulls the mic from the stand. He delivers one of his best solos of the night!
now, remember, I'm a bit more critical and analytical about music, so I'd say he's a "Stevie Wonder" style player - was slightly disappointed that he stuck with the basic simple pentatonic Stevie style solo over all the changes instead of playing directly head on into the chord changes over the chorus, reflecting their new possibilities. Don't know much about this guy, but this was a nice introduction.
Am a bigger fan of musicians who develop their own approach/voice, although those that copy someone like Stevie always please the audiences - it's almost a given! ---------- The Iceman
All i know is "I really liked it" I liked it so much, Im gonna learn from it. -it sounded like blues on the chromatic
--Not just chromatic notes over a blues song, which is not as gritty.. thats the level Im at -I can hit notes that fit, but lack what he had soulful bluesy sound Thanks I found yet another harp player to listen to and to learn from. Cool post
Sounds pretty good to me. Guys, perhaps some of you are being slightly picky - we don't know the context... I hear you and generally I prefer the kind of playing that Iceman mentions but the OP says "sitting in" so it's well probable that the band played a form & changes he hadn't rehearsed (you can hear the song has #IVdim and I7/iii etc) and he had to wing it, and then safe options & well known scales work in that context - so he did well! We've all been there.
Last Edited by blingty on Dec 16, 2019 12:20 PM
Personally, I feel that if Sting chose this guy as his go to harmonica player, Shane should be a notch or two above us "we've all been there" guys and have the knowledge and ability to hear/respond immediately to whatever comes his way, but I don't know why Sting chose him....maybe he just likes that "young guy" look for stage purposes... ---------- The Iceman
I know Will Galison was once considered-- I'm just glad Sting is carrying a chrom player--I once fixed his harp (a Sirius) (it was Sting's harmonica, I dealt with one of this managers)! This guy sounds fine to me, good control of those single reed bends.
William Galison flew to England to audition for Sting back in the 90's. He was a bit disappointed that he didn't get the gig.
Don't know how many of you know his playing...I used to book him at SPAH's during the good ol' Golden Years. He was instrumental one year in helping bring Charlie Leighton out of his NYC apt and into the public for his final time at a SPAH in 1999.
Galison, IMO, was second only to Toots. He is amazingly creative, original, musical and has great tone.
Unfortunately, with all his talent, luck did not favor him over the years... ---------- The Iceman
I recently began reading about Jaco Pastorious and learned that Will Galison was playing with him. That must have been some interesting music!
I said Shane was "sitting in" but he was a special guest harp player. I'm not sure how much rehearsal time, but I know he didn't have his own amp (for when he played diatonic) and his main axe, the new super 64x, is being serviced by JA harmonicas. Shane seems humble despite his big name boss, and I'm excited to watch his star continue to shine. It was awesome for me hearing a good chrom player in person.
They have one more show tonight in Somerville, MA if any massholes are interested.
This young guy has definitely come a long way in a short time. Yes he sounds like Stevie now, and that’s a great accomplishment I think...and over time, he’s likely to get his own voice. My take, after doing some simple web research, is that he seems to be a family friend of Sting, who sort of apprenticed him to be his harp player. What an exceptional opportunity.
I liked it. It’s cool that he played a blues without using the typical 3rd position tricks. Yeah, he sounds a lot like Stevie but SRV sounded a lot like Albert King and he turned out Ok, didn’t he?
Shane is a good player, though my first impression with this solo when listening with a critical ear is that he mishandled the note choices both times that the diminished chord came around, and also at the end on the II chord (B7). C# and E aren't the best note choices over an Eb diminished chord and he seemed a little lost over the B7, again playing an E which clashes somewhat with the B7 chord because it's a 4th.
That being said, to a general auidence it sounds great and overall I thought it was a really good solo.
I will also agree that William Gallison is phenomenal chromatic player. But, it's not always the best players that get lucky and get the big gigs. A perfect example is Mickey Raphael. He's certainly not as good or technical as some of the other Nashville players, but he is a good player and happened to be in the right place at the right time. And, I think his sound meshes well with Willie Nelson, and apparently Willie thought so too.
I'm happy for Shane and perhaps this experience (playing with Sting) will help him further develop his ear and his skills. It will be exciting to follow his progress.
Last Edited by Lyle on Dec 25, 2019 4:19 PM
Are we actually butthurt about Shane's playing? If Sting chose him he had a legitimate reason to do so and we shouldn't be arguing over the merits of that choice.
As a community, we should be celebrating and supporting having a young, capable player out representing our beloved instrument to a broad audience.
