War in their prime weren't exactly overlooked, as they had hit singles and best selling albums galore. But it does seem as though they've been forgotten for the kind of wonderful blend of music they brought together, which were generous infusions of ideas from funk, jazz, Afro Cuban, blues, all of produced to an all encompassing groove that smoothed out the rough edges and gave the musicians space to apply their own ideas. They were distinct in an era when there was no shortage of bands drawing from eclectic sources. Lee Oskar was, of course, my attraction to the band--he was amazing as a player who dared NOT to be a ramped-up Little Walter/Paul B. imitator. He was bluesy enough to satisfy my limited view at the time, but there were tell tale signs of a man who'd been listening to a lot of horn players. His playing was lyric, spare, appropriate, blessed with the best tone on a diatonic I have ever heard. What a great band. ---------- Ted Burke tburke4@san.rr.com
Wondering if Hendrix video above was the last time Jimi was on stage playing. Apparently, his last public performance was sitting in with War. He died the day after this sit in. ---------- The Iceman
Lee Oskar's horn style comping had a big effect on me. I was primarily playing soul trumpet when Lee came along with War. I still use alot of horn tone accents on blues, rock & pop tunes that we play. I like the ability to contribute to the dynamics with that kind of stuff. You can't take the horn player out of the harper, lol.
Last Edited by LittleBubba on Oct 30, 2015 10:23 AM
