I played trumpet in high school and was a big fan of Louis Armstrong. After being musically idle for 25 years, I picked up harmonica 3 years ago but never thought about giving Satchmo another listen until recently.
When I start listening to his licks, I hear Jason. The runs, the attack, the tone, and even the warbly vibrato that he puts on longer notes.
Wonder if Jason ever listened to Satchmo? Surely his trumpet playing has influenced a few harp players.
The intro to the song I am posting is a pretty good example. To play a very similar lick on harmonica, it would take a dynamic lip purser that can not only overblow and overdraw, but also bend and squeeze these notes....not to mention play them well as a fast passing note....and on the high end of the high harps.
There's no question about Satchmo's influence among those playing any instrument, let alone harmonica. His Hot Fives And Sevens recordings are basically an introductory textbook in improvisation. There's no doubt in my mind guys like LW and Papa Lightfoot definitely listen to him quite extensively. His most basic of tunes, "West End Blues," is easily playable on a diatonic harp. ---------- Sincerely, Barbeque Bob Maglinte Boston, MA http://www.barbequebob.com CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
I agree. We get trumpets and sax at our local blues jam. They love playing blues. Sax guy hates when the band is in E. Puts him in F# or something.
I read Satch's biography in high school. I remember an influence he had named King Oliver (I think). I'm sure he knew many great players when we was young that were never recorded.
Yeah..understandable. I suppose I would prefer Bb if I could get it when I play trumpet, but I take whatever is easiest for the band (like at a jam). Guitar players may or may not care what key it's in...mine doesn't.
That might be one small hazard of the jam if a trumpet player shows up and insists on Bb. So far, all the horn players I've jammed with have no trouble playing in whatever gets called. They just play chromatic licks/runs and have a blast.
Sirsucksalot.....Satchmo is the nickname for jazz/blues trumpet player Louis Armstrong. Lots of stuff on youtube
From Wikipedia...
Louis Daniel Armstrong[1] (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971)[2] nicknamed Satchmo[3] or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an "inventive" cornet and trumpet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence on jazz, shifting the music's focus from collective improvisation to solo performers. With his distinctive gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He was also greatly skilled at scat singing, or vocalizing using syllables instead of actual lyrics.
Renowned for his charismatic stage presence and deep, instantly recognizable voice almost as much as for his trumpet-playing, Armstrong's influence extends well beyond jazz music, and by the end of his career in the 1960s, he was widely regarded as a profound influence on popular music in general.
ok. i wonder why it was his nickname. anyway i know who Louis Armstrong was. i just wasn't sure if you were referring to him or using him as an example OF satchmo. but thanks. iv aways liked his stuff.
