News Flash: Lowlands 3rd CD Sessions Coming Soon
I got an email from my friend Ed Abbiatti, who wants me to know that he’s put a new version of his band Lowlands together, and they’re getting ready to mix their new CD down later this month. In the meantime, he wants me to…
Breakthrough Practicing: Recording Matters
I’ve been practicing a lot to get my new solo act together, and that means recording and listening a lot, too. I’ve realized that every breakthrough I’ve ever had in my playing, all the way back to the early days of my rock harmonica work…
Video of the Day 6 November 2011: Larry Adler and Oleta Adams, “Embraceable You”
Larry Adler had a strong affinity for George Gershwin’s music–they were young virtuosos in the same time and place, New York in the 1930s, making big waves in the world, and quintessentially American in their music and their bouyant, self-confident optimism. This piece was recorded…
Waka Waka Waka Waka: Sunset Sam
“Cruisin’ (Sunset Sam)” was written by Michael Nesmith of the Monkees, who also wrote “Mary Mary,” which Paul Butterfield covered on his amazing record “East/West” in the late 1960s. The piece has a head-bobbing groove that I’ve loved since I first saw the video in…
Big Noise: Mississippi Queen
“Mississippi Queen” was recorded by Leslie West and Mountain in the 1960s. I always loved the original, and when amp modelers came along to give me all the grunt I could want, I made sure to develop an arrangement for it. This version is played…
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.
