RJ MIscho is on our coast for a string of gigs this week. I saw him Sunday night - he invited me to sit in with him for a few tunes, and then we all "materialized" at the jam up the street later that night. I was already there when RJ walked in with his guitar player, "Johnny Cat" - a great guitar player and one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Robi Bean was RJ's drummer - another Bay Area "go to guy" and he got up on drums. The other guitar player is my band mate Vince - and sorry but I can't remember the bass player's name. I tried to leave the stage when RJ got up, but he insisted that I stay. So I tried to hang way down in the background until my solo - then he decided he wanted to try my mic and rig so he came over and we started to trade. It was TOO MUCH FUN.
Joe L was there too and did a great number as well.
Maaaan, I wish i could see this(at work, all 'good stuff' is blocked). Sounds like it was a fun time! RJ is a great guy. I hope he swings thru New Orleans again soon. ----------
Greg - That was a lot of fun to watch. You guys sounded great. Stan asked me to stick around and play some more. I should have, but I was really tired. I had been out three nights straight.
It's been nice to see the RJ Mischo aka King Of A Mighty Good Time. He's super cool and a great player. He's got some of the most beautiful harp tone that I've ever heard. I shot video of his Saturday night show. When I get that posted on youtube, I'll send out some links.
We did a similar thing at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company about a year or so ago. I've got a recording of it somewhere. Your stuff sounded better.
You both blow my mind! Its wild , that you sound different on the same mic. you both rock! ---------- Various Musical ramblings http://www.youtube.com/user/sjeter61?feature=mhum
plenty of bark and crunch there to go round. Excellent harpmanship...very creative, musical, and playful to watch. It is plain to see there is a great respect between the two of you. Your rig sounds great, too. Doesn't get much fatter and tone-full than that. K
@4:00 RJ does simple examples, for the listener to hear, a crunch and bark...could I be wrong? Well done! I also hear L.W., Rick Estrin, or Kim W. and maybe some Gary Primich influence, too> It's moments like those that keep the passion alive! I have never seen a duet work so well. You two were enjoying the playfulness of trading off, and how each had something new to say.
Last Edited by on Nov 10, 2010 7:28 PM
I don't really listen to much of Rick Estrin's or Gary Primich's recorded works. I've only seen them perform live, so I can't comment on their influence.
When I hear RJ play, I hear a lot of influence by Little Walter, Big Walter, Rice Miller and Snooky Pryor. He's cited Mojo Buford as a mentor. He does some of Mojo's tunes. RJ's also a good chromatic player.
Don't forget RJ's been playing since the late 70's. He had access to a lot of the real deal guys that were on the postwar Chicago scene in the 1950's. Minneapolis was a pretty regular stop for a lot of the guys from Chicago during the 70's and 80's. Some of the Chicago players like Mojo Buford, Lazy Bill Lucas and Sonny Rogers lived up there. I think those guys and the people they played with were a pretty huge influence on his style.
Of course, I could be totally wrong. I'll ask him the next time that I see him.
yeah, that'd be cool, to know what he says. My lack of r&d is telling, in most of my comments. I try to stay away from sweeping judgements or uninformed opinions. I don't know much about RJ. Greg held his own...kudo's to Greg, eh? It must be a great high to mix it up with a Legend. And find yourself speakin his language...
Mojokane - if your a Blues guy, it never hurts to learn about the history of the genre. Sometimes it helps just to construct timelines.
Google RJ Mischo. You'll learn about him. His recordings are worth checking out.
Another thing that makes this track really work is the drummer and the guitar players. They are listening to what the harp players are playing and react accordingly. The tune is loosely based on a standard tune and they work off that. Listen to how the drummer keys off some of the stuff RJ does and how the guitar player (Johnny) throws in a lot of Robert Jr influenced fills. Additionally, the other guitar player (Vince) is lumping over the changes which adds depth.
Finally, Greg's a very good harp player. He's got a solid tone, phrasing and cool vocal style. He plays good stuff and he plays it the right way.
If you get a chance to see either of them, it's a good way to spend time.
All I know is - it was a helluva lot of fun. Joe's right too - the drummer and guitar player are both great pro players and having such a solid foundation makes it SO much easier to play! And Vince, the other guitar player is a great rhythm player. Vince is the guitar player in Bluestate.
"talkin' in tongue blocks" - LOL!!! ---------- /Greg
The other cool thing that came out of this, for me anyway, is that RJ finally decided he wanted one of my wood mics! He came to my house Tuesday and I helped him listen to a bunch of black label CR's. He picked a good one. ---------- /Greg
RJ is a prince of a fellow and brings the fun and knows when to enlist somebody like Greg--bravo Greg.
Joe L is right, RJ soaked up everything he could when Chicago stars came through the Twin Cities in the 1970s. There's an element of sheer joy onstage that RJ's got that reminds me of Cotton in his prime, and like Cotton he doesn't lack for gravity when that's called for.
Mojokane, find a CD from about twenty years ago called Ready to Go! by RJ Mischo and Teddy Morgan, with Percy Strother doing some of the vocals, IIRC it's on the Blue Loon label. If you love 1950s Chicago blues, it's a terrific session--those guys play it right but with sheer joy instead of pedantry. RJ's solo records are all worthy but Ready to Go! really caught lightning in a bottle, great group chemistry and you get to hear RJ backing up the other two frontmen as well as fronting songs. Gets my vote as the best place to start with RJ or Teddy Morgan.
