Record Review: PT Gazell, “2 Days Out”
“2 Days Out” is PT Gazell’s latest jazz record, and it’s a lot of fun to listen to. The music is traditional but subversive; the dozen pieces on the CD are mostly mid-tempo jazz standards, and the treatments would be familiar to any small ensemble…
Video of the Day 11 October 2011: Joel Andersson, Irish Reels
Joel Andersson seems pretty young, but he’s certainly a very strong player. His Youtube page says he’s twenty and has been playing for seven years. He’s obviously acquired a lot of skills in that time. This solo performance has plenty of power and color in…
Record Review: Filip Jers, “Spiro”
Spiro is the first commercial release by Swedish composer/arranger/harmonica player Filip Jers. It’s an ambitious project in many ways: in addition to composing, arranging, and performing all 13 pieces on diatonic, chromatic, and bass harmonicas, acoustic guitar, acordian, jaw harp, and a few other instruments,…
RP Tip #12: dealing with zipper noise
The RP250/255/350/355 and up allow you to assign the footpedal to any effect parameter you like, which gives you a lot of power to change the sound. (The RP155 doesn’t have a footpedal, though you can add one, which would make it about as expensive…
Video of the Day 1 October 2011: Little Walter
This live 1967 performance by Little Walter, backed by two guitars and drums, is on Youtube under the name “Walter’s Jump.” It’s in the same vein as Walter’s classic “Boogie,” and it rocks great.
SBS365: an original solo piece
I improvised this piece in my kitchen, recording live into the Zoom H4 from a couple of feet away. The recording quality is surprisingly good, and the piece hangs together well enough, with a couple of themes and a little bit of development. It’s always…
Record of the Day 8 September 2011: Dean Landew with Miguel Weissman
I just heard Dean Landew’s new record “Indestructible Voices,” which features NYC-based Miguel Weissman on harmonica. Weissman is heavily featured, and this record plays like Springsteen with Magic Dick in the lineup. If you like rock harp, you’re going to eat this record up. Attaway…
RP Tip #11: It’s a very good delay and reverb box
Most people who own the Digitech RP250/255/350/355 don’t think of it as a delay and/or reverb device, but the fact is that both the delays and the reverbs in these RPs are really very good, better sounding than many dedicated devices and most amp modelers…
If You’re Not Using Natural Minor Harps Yet, Why Not?
A poster wrote to the Harp-l internet mailing list today to say that his band is doing a lot of stuff in A minor, he’s been playing these tunes in 3rd position on a G harp, and he’d like to try something else to freshen…
Video of the Day 31 August 2011: George Schroeter and Marc Breitfelder at Bluesfest Eutin 2011
Schroeter (piano) and Breitfelder (harp) lay down a very cool slow blues on this number. Breitfelder’s tone and lines are equally beautiful. So far as I can tell, he’s playing a low F harp in 3rd position. Don’t know if Breitfelder was influenced by Charlie…
