[Harp-L] Re: Casual harmonica players ...
Bob Loomis
Reasons are many but mostly boil down to time and preferences. My favorite music activities are:
1.) Singing and playing, which pretty much limits me to some form of stringed instrument -- uke, guitar, autoharp, plectrum banjo -- unless I use a rack. I am working up some tunes using rack that I'd hoped to have ready for our SF Bay Harpers Quarterly Jam on Wednesday, but because of the holidays and other complications, that ain't gonna happen. I'll play guitar as backup for Peter Sproul, the harp player in our band Awed Ducks tmorrow night at Armando's in Martinez, CA.
2.) Flute playing ... my best ax, really ...
3.) Harpin'
With a limited amount of time, I've been busy since retirement in 2001 trying to memorize tunes so I don't have to use cheat sheets at gigs ... I now know around 80 songs by heart and am working on polishing them up instrumentally and vocally, while still adding new tunes. I have a folder of about 30 to learn. My goal this year is to polish up my guitar playing so that I'm comfortable beyond fret 5 ... and to use electric rather than acoustic guitar most of the time. So I will have that as a practice priority no matter what my other favorites are. Ideally, I'll channel Jerry Garcia ... ;^)
That said, I still do play some harp, always take 'em along when traveling, a set of Celeste tremolos, a chromatic and a set of diatonics ... Got a nice little case for all of them ... wife and I are heading up to WA and OR to visit family and friends on our annual trip to Wintergrass at the end of February, so I'll take 'em along for that one. Normally I also carry a uke if flying, but we'll be driving so I'll take an acoustic guitar. And a rack (but I have to be careful not to drive wifey crazy with too much playing on vacation time) ...
I am playing also with two wonderful people in Berkeley about once a month and there are two tunes I play tremolo harp breaks on, both ballads, On My Way to You and (oops, I forget the other one). So I try to keep my hand in, however much I can.
One of the best players I know is a casual player by his own limitations, which have to do with fear of performing. He plays best in his own home ... I love playing tunes with him there because he comes up with great stuff ... but if you put him in front of an audience, he is prone to freezing up ... I've given up trying to change this after almost 15 years of futile effort ... So he's a casual player, but I love to hear him play, just as I love all harpin', casual to virtuoso, anywhere along the scale. I get as great a kick out of hearing a kid take his first try at harp as I do out of hearing Winslow Yerxa or Damien Masterson play masterful tremolo or chromatic ... I always remember what a thrill it is to play harp for the first time and realize you can actually play something on it without 10,000 hours of practice.
My favorite players? Sonny Terry, Larry Adler, Big Walter, Sam Hinton ... and Winslow with his trio ... sorry if I left anyone out ...
My favorite casual player: Me.
OK, that's my harpin' .02 worth ...
Cheers, Bob Loomis
SF Bay Harpers (Casual Mode)
Concord CA USA
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Larry Marks
You are NOT what I mean by a casual player. I have seen you play several
times, and I can hear that you have learned a significant amount of
technique. Even though you treat the instrument causally, you at least
treat it as a musical instrument. That's all I ask...
-LM
Bob Loomis wrote:
> Hate to admit it, but I'm one ...
>
Bill
everybody called him slimeball steve
Could this be a lyric, all contributions gratefully accepted
sw...@charter.net
And here I thought they had quit calling me that.
Steve Webb in Minnesota (gotta get a new shinier suit)
Bob Loomis
QUOTE
Bob, You are NOT what I mean by a casual player. I have seen you play several
times, and I can hear that you have learned a significant amount of
technique. Even though you treat the instrument causally, you at least
treat it as a musical instrument. That's all I ask...
Wow, thanks and the same to you! See you tonight at Armando's! I'm told Byron Allred of the Steve Miller Band is joining us on keys ...
Cheers,
Bob Loomis
Concord CA
Bob Loomis
7th Quarterly Jam Report
If you weren’t there last night – and a lot of you weren’t,
maybe because of the weather? – you missed the best session yet for blues
lovers. It may even have been a blessing that not many signers-up were there,
as that expanded somewhat the time slots for the great featured players who
attended.
Beth Kohnen made SF Bay Harpers history when she became the
first lady harper to play at one of our jams. What a player she is! And she
sings, too. She, in fact, has a gig at Armando’s the details of which I don’t
have at hand, but surely she will post here and let us know. It was a pleasure
to meet and hear her. I apologize for not getting the gig details.
There was only one jam signup player, Rick Baskin, and he
was the night’s big happy surprise, blowing some incredible fast licks along
with his other blues chops with the house band, Brett Cosby on drums, Kelly
Back on guitar, and Kennan Shaw on bass. We were also joined by keyboard
players Byron Allred (a veteran of the
Steve Miller Band and Norton Buffalo) and Regi Rockinelli, two incredible
players who helped lift things to another level.
Anyway, here was the playing order:
Awed Ducks with Peter Sproul on harp and vocals, Jim
Brunelle on bass, John Gallagher on Dobro and myself on guitar, autoharp and
vocals. Certainly the first time autoharp has been heard at one of our jams.
House drummer Cosby joined us and it was great fun!
Mark “Fenny” Fenichel, with Regi Rockinelli on keys, Doug
Burns on harp, and the house band. Beth Kohnen joined them for one tune. They
rocked!
Rick Baskin with the house band joined by Allred. Rick was
this jam’s surprise of the night, playing some hot harp. He has a CD out, and
you can e-mail him at r...@rjbaskin.com
for information.
Charley Wade Saavedra and the house band, another rockin’
set with IIRC the house and plus Allred.
Beth Kohnen and the house band. Already said what happened
there. A great first time for me seeing her perform live.
Joe Lempskowski with his guitar buddy Don Yonder, joined by
Shaw, Cosby and Rockinelli.
Paul Palizzolo, Martinez’s own favorite harpin’ guy, with
the house band plus Allred, who was his guest at the jam. A great set to close
things out.
Hopefully some videos of these performers will be posted
here (or elsewhere). And we’ll be announcing future jams ASAP. Many, many
thanks to everyone who came out and made this the best SF Bay Harpers jam yet,
at least blues-wise.
Cheers,Bob LoomisSF Bay Harpershttp://bayharpers.ning.com/
Beth Kohnen
night. The house band was superb-- like driving a Cadillac. I'll most
definitely come to the jam when you have it again.
My gig at Armando's is on Feb 27th at 8:00pm. I'll coming as a duo with
Levi Lloyd, a fantastic blues guitarist from Sonoma County.
I'll post this on the SF BAY Harper's site as well.
Beth