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What are you listening to?

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17,597
It's Friday & I'm digging deep!



IMG_2634.jpg
 
Messages
11,173
Location
Alabama
We've got tickets to see Gary Allan tonight. When SHE ordered the tics she said it was a Friday night show but no, it's tonight while Bama vs LSU is on, causing a bit of contention around here. She knows that on football Saturdays I don't do weddings, funerals or any social event that doesn't involve large TV's, adult beverages and like minded people. She's looking for a date, shows at 7:00 PM, ticket's on me. Hit me up.
 

Peacoat

*
Bartender
Messages
6,313
Location
South of Nashville
Back in the late 40s and early 50s, blues harmonica player, Little Walter Jacobs was Muddy's harp player in the Muddy Waters' Blues Band out of Chicago. In 1952 Walter's first single on Chess Records was released, a harmonica instrumental called Juke. At that time the amplified harmonica hadn't been much heard outside of Chicago and in clubs on the Chitlin' Circuit where Muddy toured.

Juke was a nationwide hit. It was the first exposure most people, including musicians, had to the amplified harp sound. Early one morning the musicians from one of the big band orchestras, maybe Duke Ellington, Erskine Hawkins or perhaps Dizzy Gillespie were having breakfast after finishing their gig for the night in NYC. Back then juke boxes were a popular fixture in many restaurants.

Walter's Juke came on the juke box. The horn players crowded around the juke box, playing the song over and over, trying to figure out what type of horn was playing the lead. They all made their guesses, but none got it right. In fact no one in the restaurant had any idea that the lead instrument was the lowly "Mississippi Saxophone," also known as the "Mississippi Lickin' Stick."

When a standard diatonic harmonica is placed against a microphone and cupped in the musician's hands, a full bodied amplified sound is created, not unlike the electric guitar sound. When the same technique is applied to the chromatic harmonica, a swooping saxophone like sound is created. Walter Jacobs, (AKA Little Walter*) used the diatonic harp on Juke with good result. If I remember correctly Walter is playing an A harp in the key of E.

So, here is the harmonica instrumental, Juke.

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* To distinguish him from "Big Walter" Horton, another excellent Chicago harp player. Big Walter is generally considered by harp players to have the best tone of any of the early Chicago harp players: "The high compression sound of Big Walter." Unfortunately, while he achieved critical acclaim, he never enjoyed the success and the fame of Little Walter.


 
Messages
11,173
Location
Alabama
When the same technique is applied to the chromatic harmonica, a swooping saxophone like sound is created.

Interesting observation. I experienced sort of the opposite of this. When Fingers Taylor left Jimmy Buffet's Coral Reefer Band I wondered who was replacing him as I was going to see them live soon after. The band just covered Taylor's parts with various horns.
 

Cornshucker77

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,691
Location
Northeast Nebraska, USA
We've got tickets to see Gary Allan tonight. When SHE ordered the tics she said it was a Friday night show but no, it's tonight while Bama vs LSU is on, causing a bit of contention around here. She knows that on football Saturdays I don't do weddings, funerals or any social event that doesn't involve large TV's, adult beverages and like minded people. She's looking for a date, shows at 7:00 PM, ticket's on me. Hit me up.
Even though we aren't having a very good year football always comes first here in Nebraska too. Thumbs up!!
 

Peacoat

*
Bartender
Messages
6,313
Location
South of Nashville
Interesting observation. I experienced sort of the opposite of this. When Fingers Taylor left Jimmy Buffet's Coral Reefer Band I wondered who was replacing him as I was going to see them live soon after. The band just covered Taylor's parts with various horns.
Except that Fingers didn't play much, if any, chromatic, certainly not with Jimmy. I was friends with Fingers for almost 40 years, went to numerous Buffet recording sessions as well as live shows, and spent many an afternoon and night at his place or mine playing music, and never saw him touch a chromatic. He was strictly a diatonic harmonic guy. I don't think he even owned a chromatic. He certainly didn't carry one in his harp case, and I never saw one at his apartment.

I think there is a failure of communication on my part in the original post to adequately explain what I meant.
 

Eyeofsauron

One of the Regulars
Messages
143
Location
Pittsfield, Ma

Blind Guardian, Wheel of Time. Picked that as I just put my whole collection on scramble and off I went. If you're a fan of fantasy they are worth a listen. They also have songs based on Milton and a while album based on Tolkien's Silmarillion.

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
 
Messages
11,173
Location
Alabama
I think there is a failure of communication on my part in the original post to adequately explain what I meant.

Not really. I just made a measured response based on my limited understanding of an instrument that you obviously have a commanding knowledge of. Not to mention my lack of a relationship with either musician other than listening to both since the early 70's. As usual, cops write bullet points and lawyers write briefs. I'll slink back to my corner and strum open chords on my Guild DV-6.
 

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