Discovery; Robert Nighthawk live on Maxwell Street album.

By pure chance I discovered this album in a charity shop.

What is unique for me is that the recording was a live event recorded out on the street in 1964. Maxwell Street in Chicago was the venue for blues buskers, all the famous names put some time in there. But Robert Nighthawk (1909 – 1967) was perhaps the most enigmatic. 

Nighthawk was a contemporary of Robert Johnson and allegedly taught Muddy Waters how to play guitar, but failed to make a name for himself; maybe because of his itinerant lifestyle, maybe because what he did record was under different names.

The recording was put together by Mike Bloomfield and features an interview with the taciturn Nighthawk reluctantly answering questions posed by Bloomfield.

Robert Nighthawk on Maxwell Street during the recording.

Carey Bell brilliantly plays the harmonica on some tracks.

The whole album is a pure inspiration; not only is the naturalness of the performance but the raw spontaneity and the feeling of the street comes through. There’s a clear interaction with the audience, with shouts yelps and encouragement. I love playing this at high volume – makes me feel like I am actually there!

A short Youtube film records some of the event. Namely, ‘Cheatin’ and Lying Blues’.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0K4qJfa9qLc

Peg Leg Sam Jackson. 1911 – 1977.

Peg Leg Sam Jackson’s life reads like a fabricated blues ballad. Jackson lost his leg in 1930 while hoboing on the railways – an accident under the wheels of a train.

The scarring around his jaw, cheek and eye was as a result of being shot in the face during a dispute. He was an itinerant Piedmont blues musician who spent many years as part of a travelling medicine show, with an Indian ‘chief’ as a companion. He had an amazing catalogue of authentic Piedmont blues to hand, as well as comedy pieces. He played tricks with the harp, playing it stuck in his mouth like a cigar.

Short version of a documentary about Peg Leg featured on Youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9fFuEHa0l8

‘Trouble No More’.

Muddy Waters and Little Walter.

Currently I am really getting a buzz from listening to Muddy Waters’ upbeat blues piece ‘Trouble no more’.

It has been lurking around in my subconscious for a very long time and then I started listening to it more carefully. The supporting  line-up features Little Walter on harmonica, Willie Dixon on bass, Otis Spann on piano, Jimmy Rogers on guitar and Francis Clay on drums. All were part of the house set-up inside the Chess studios; a dream team if ever there was one.

Not only is this a foot-tapper but it’s got attitude. Little Walter’s amplified harmonica lurks underneath and occasionally burst forth to strike a specific emphasis. This to me shows how a skilled harp player works with the music without jostling for precedence.

 Muddy Waters version

Then I discovered an earlier origin for this piece. Muddy recorded it in 1955, but twenty years earlier Sleepy John Estes recorded his version of the same song under the title ‘Someday baby blues’. Estes version is slower and to some degree more soulful and mournful; it’s a lament, a howl in the dark. Whereas Muddy Waters almost makes it a celebration.

Estes version is very ‘country’ based blues, but the harp plays a prominent role in setting the tone. You can feel the hurt all the way through it; the vocals and the harp hit exactly the right tone. (Harp player is Hammie Nixon).

Sleepy John Estes version.

I always set up to listen to these contrasting tracks back to back.

Of course there is the Big Maceo version of 1941 but again that is recorded under another title.

Mississippi Fred McDowell also has a wonderful version.

Harmonica playing hero.

Trenchmouth Taggart.

It’s is rare for the hero of a piece of contemporary historical fiction to be a harmonica player. So it is with the novel ‘The Ballard of Trenchmouth Taggart’ by M. Glenn Taylor.

The eponymous hero rescues the harmonica from a corpse buried underneath the outhouse of the shack where he is raised.

Later in the novel he retreats up into the mountains with his rifle and his Hohner Marine Band harmonica and hides himself away from civilisation until he masters the instrument. Couldn’t help wondering how his reeds lasted over such a prolonged period of practice?

Moses-like, Trenchmouth descends from the mountain as an amazing harp player and hooks up with other musicians and becomes a sensation.

The book is very much an homage to ‘Little Big Man’ and for me was an enjoyable read.

Harmonica, instrument of the people.

Here is a Flikr page dedicated to ordinary people playing the harmonica.

Enjoy.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/10043599@N04/galleries/72157622892995231/

Dilemma over Harp Brands.

Harp enthusiasts have left their old harps on top of the gravestone of the original Sonny Boy Williamson as a tribute to the great man.

It’s confusing:

One of the benefit of the harmonica as an instrument is that, compared to other instruments they are so cheap. But really which one to buy?

At the moment I am struggling to find a harp that suits me. My current policy is to read reviews and then purchase a different harp as needs indicate – but always a different make.

I started with a Lee Oskar and then felt the overwhelming urge to explore Hohner, but here’s the weird thing about Hohner - as virtually the only pioneering harmonica makers since the 19^th century they are producing instruments which are almost intended to be throw-away!

I wonder, would it be a fair comparison to say that Hohner are to harmonicas what Gibson are to guitars? But, wouldn’t you expect to pay big bucks for a Gibson (to some degree you are paying for the name) whereas this clearly isn’t the case with Hohner.

In part I am convinced that this quality is what defines the harmonica as ‘the people’s instrument’.

My first Hohner was a Special 20. I liked working with it; the plastic comb was a neat design feature, it reminded me of the best of the Lee Oskar. But regarding the ergonomics, I struggled to get on with it. Maybe because this was early in my harp playing, I found the grip needlessly uncomfortable.

 It was only when I purchased the banana-shaped Hohner Golden Melody that I realised what could be achieved with just a small amount of consideration of how an instrument should feel in your hands. A definite step in the right direction.

(I currently also have harps by Seydel and Suzuki.)

Pet hates; cheap, plastic, lightweight, tinny and nasty sharp edges.

Me and Eric (Clapton).

B B King and Eric Clapton.
I really never ever connected with anything Eric Clapton did. To me he was just one of those crusty institutionalised Brit cultural icons (see, Elton John, Pete Townsend, Paul McCartney).

Ask me to name anything by Clapton and I would probably plump for ‘Layla’ or ‘Tears in Heaven’.

The surprise came when a friend introduced me to Eric’s blues tributes. I had to revise my views of him as a musician when I heard the ‘From the Cradle’ album. My respect soared.

I have a curiosity about Clapton the musician, though I must say Clapton the man still falls somewhat short. Though to be fair, many of my Blues heroes are not exactly model citizens. Oh well.

I still try to maintain an open mind on the subject of Eric ‘slow hand’ Clapton.

Woodshedding.

I like this concept. Woodshedding is a common phrase in Jazz circles. It alludes to taking yourself off to an isolated location (the woodshed), so that you are not disturbed or disturbing other people and just practicing.

The most iconic woodshedding story relates to Bebop sax legend Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker. In his early days he was laughed off stage in a Kansas City Jam session prompting the Bird to sequester himself away for a year practicing, by his own admission, between 11 and 15 hours a day at the exclusion of all else. That is a phenomenal amount of practice by anyone’s standards.

Besides the sheer discipline and dedication I find myself attracted to the monk-like dedication of Charlie Parker and the determination to achieve a specified objective or die trying. There are similar stories about Jazz supremo Miles Davis.

Charlie Parker and Miles Davis together.

Tongue blocking with the Harmonica.

Now I put this off for ages. I spotted that if you want to nudge closer to the Chicago Blues sound you have to tongue block, you can’t just continue with lip pursing.

In a Youtube interview with Brazilian harp player Tiffany Harp she says (at 3.00) in that if you want to play Chicago Blues you definitely have to tongue block.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HCxU5iRMpE

So this summer I set myself the task to make significant inroads into tongue blocking.

I’d tried it before, with only very limited success. I looked at Lee Sankey’s videos on Youtube and I wrestled and struggled and ended up disheartened.

My way round the problem was to look at the way different Youtube tutorials approached the problem. By examining the amalgam of ideas I finally came up with a middle way that was workable for me. In all it took me about three weeks to crack it - not that I fully understand what is going on, but now I find I am tongue blocking notes naturally; in fact I prefer it! And through tongue blocking and tongue slapping there’s a whole world of blurred, chord-type, bluesy riffs and licks to tap into.

Now listening to the various blues harmonica legends I’m hearing it everywhere. I can hear where Sonny Boy is pulling/pushing his tongue off/on the harp. Paul Butterfield's use of the tongue is particularly impressive.

First Open Mic experience.

Little Walter.

A few months back I made a decision to take the bull by the horns and walk in on an Open Mic night unannounced and just have a go.

I’d picked this event up from a Facebook contact and the venue was close enough to me but also far enough away that nobody would know me if I made a complete pigs ear of it.

This was an important jump for me. I’d jammed with a few musicians before, but only in a very domestic setting.

I’m sure I felt like a reluctant virgin walking in on a hot date, because this was certainly virgin territory for me. Maybe I could blag it, front it out, and nobody would guess I was a rookie first timer?

There was only one person there that I knew; I think he was surprised to see me. Barry was the organiser and I’d taken a handful of harmonica lessons with him and to his credit he’d set me up with some excellent resources to learn from.

Barry scribbled my name down on a playlist and I nervously waited my term. There were some very competent musicians up there; this made me even more anxious. Barry said he’d accompany me on the guitar, another guy was recruited to play bass; it was agreed that my first song would be ‘Key to the Highway’. I felt comfortable with this; I had practiced this by listening to Little Walter and Taj Mahal.

As the time got closer I excused myself and went to the men’s room. Within the empty echoing space I whipped out my ‘D; harp and had a swift run through the basic riff, just to warm up. This did nothing to dampen my growing nerves and calm my thumping heart.

Then came my moment!

Two valuable lessons came at me point blank. The first being that you really need to agree to a tempo with your guitarist; for me Barry ripped off at 90mph and I had to peddle hard to keep up. His version of ‘Key to the Highway’ was much more upbeat than mine; mine was slow, mournful and bluesy, Barry’s was less Little Walter more Chas and Dave – or at least it seemed from my perspective (maybe he has the Clapton model in his head?).

The second lesson was the Mic….. For God’s sake take it out of the Mic stand! It just felt so awkward!

Also, the screech of the ‘D’ harp - I suspect my sound was a little too full on for my audience, though they responded politely.

 I have since realised that the Mic and the PA need to be set up differently to deal with the harmonica.  

Another thought only occurred to me much later – I suspect I felt a need to fill every available gap; maybe I hogged the music too much, I’ll never know. I asked Barry afterwards, what did he think? His answer was that it didn’t matter; I’d automatically scored 8/10 for having the balls to get up in front of everyone!

This was a great experience and Barry was an excellent MC, but for me it was a ‘back to the drawing board’ thing. I need to work on my repertoire and really, in a perfect world its Blues musicians I need to work with – hence this blog.

I didn't realize such things really existed!

http://www.dortel-harmonicas.com/

Knowing what vulnerable throw-away objects harps are I wonder why anyone would pay over 200 Euros for a harmonica - but you have to admit they do look beautiful!

I have always been a sucker for a nice piece of design; these Dortel harmonicas are gorgeous!

Jake Bugg and Skip James.

In the Observer newspaper today Jake Bugg makes a passing reference to his recent discovery of Skip James (I say ‘recent’ because Jake Bugg is only 20 years old, so for him everything has to be recent).

He describes Skip James’ work as ‘dark’ – spot on there.

It’s always a good thing when musicians who are on the rise make reference to the old bluesmen.

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/oct/05/on-my-radar-jake-bugg-cultural-highlights

Mystery Guitar.

A rather unusual guitar came into my possession a few months back.

Sadly, clearing out my father-in-law’s house after his passing, I literally fell across this old guitar wrapped in plastic in his loft. In my opinion it is a beautiful instrument, and I’m not a guitarist.

I cleaned it up and had it re-strung. 

I showed it to a few people, guitarist got excited about it, everyone is puzzled as there is no makers label.

Finally I took it to an expert who, at one level, were still puzzled.

Their best guess is that it is a guitar probably made in the USA in the first decade of the 20^th century; it’s either based upon an early Gibson or the earliest Gibson is based upon a design similar. Any guitar geeks out there, take a look, what do you think?

Harmonicas and airport security.

Honestly I never thought this would be a problem, but….

Coming home from Amsterdam on a Sunday night bound for Stansted I was stopped by security at Schiphol airport. My Suzuki Promaster ‘C’ harp was in my jacket pocket. 

The security guy insisted I show him the content of my pocket, he opened up the harp case and thrust the harmonica at me and ordered, “play it”!

Well what do you do?

Other passengers stopped and gawped.

Okay, so I gave my best version of Nat Adderley’s ‘Work Song’.

The guard gave me my jacket and said nothing; his colleague standing next to him said, “cool”. Thank you.

I also got pulled at Poitier airport. The security guy suggested that on the x-ray they look like parts of an automatic weapon.

New Harp arrived yesterday!

I desperately needed a new harp in the key of F.

I decided to splash out and purchase a Suzuki Manji. I have another harp in the Suzuki range, the all-metal Suzuki Promaster which I absolutely love. I'd heard a lot about the Manji, so what the hell.

Definitely not disappointed. Although playing in the key of F is a very unusual experience in itself. The finish and packaging alone let you know that you are dealing with a top quality piece of Japanese design (why is it that that Japanese do these things so well?). I thought that the composite comb would give me problems, particularly on tongue blocking, but this does not seem to be the case.

Over the next few days I plan to run it through my usual practice routines to see how it performs.

Why the Harmonica as an instrument?

The advantages of the harmonica start primarily with its size, portability and cheapness.

Pity the poor guitarist who has to lug his instrument around with him, or the drummer who is essentially shackled to the unwieldiness of his kit; while the harmonica player can carry his harp around in a shirt pocket!

Some musicians will have to pay out hundreds of pounds for new instruments; with the harmonica the cost of a new instrument is almost pocket money!

Beyond that; it is without a doubt the coolness of the harmonica that acts as a big draw. When played skilfully the harmonica has huge versatility.  Just listen to Rice Miller (Sonny Boy II) or Little Walter and you’ll get it.

Of course there are drawbacks; on the diatonic all the notes are not available and when learning it is virtually impossible to see what the musician is doing, everything is hidden; either behind cupped hands or in the mouth and throat of the musician – surely this is unique amongst instruments?

Why I decided to set this blog up.

For many years I have had an interest in Soul music and Jazz and rather late in the game I discovered Blues.

Two years ago, by pure chance, I discovered the Blues Harp (Diatonic Harmonica) as an instrument and plunged into the complex world of learning to play.

I managed to gain a reasonable level of competency and on a couple of rare occasions I actually got to play with some very good musicians! I now have a yearning to expand on this experience and thought about possibly hooking up with other blues orientated musicians. Unfortunately the Internet failed to deliver (or I just wasn't looking in the right places). No matter how hard I tried I couldn't establish any connections with other musicians, there just didn't seem to be anything out there in the Essex area.

No doubt about it, the Blues is a niche genre and the harmonica is a niche instrument.