Yeah, another Levy thread. Say what you want, but this guy is truly one of my 'harmonica heroes.' I'd say him, Jason Ricci, Paul Butterfield, and Chris Michalek have all been a major factor of what I am trying to do with this instrument. Jason for performance, music; Paul got me to play and try amplified harp; Chris is a motivator to learn the scales and keep studying and to explore music, nothing is radical to him if you like it. Listen to this, rather, watch it:
Now, I know this is somewhat of a lesson, but aside from that, this is beautiful. For so many years the harmonica was playing blues and jigs, it is incredible to know that the harmonica can be beautiful now. Of course, there are other examples of this, most notably for me anyway, Shawn Starsky's "Sonja." I was chatting with another young guy, Zhin (obviously you know him) that I am happy to have been born in this time period. The ground work has been laid by all of these guys, but it still hasn't even been touched! Think of ALL the possibilities! Orchestra, Jazz, Rock, Pop, Electronica even! Not to mention amplified harp is becoming much more than an amp and mic thing. I always wondered how harp would sound through certain effects, and lets be honest, ten years ago that was a little more radical. Today, it's actually becoming accepted and even a thing that is becoming a mainstay. I've been shopping for a pedal board as I got some pedals now and I want to get out there and do weird sounds and add a little more to the very small repertoire of this style of harmonica music.
Okay, back to this video. I think even blues purists, jazz purists, overblow haters can or COULD appreciate this. I don't know how to explain it, but it is seriously as if he is playing a horn. It's like watching Coltrane or Bird blowing in a smoky basement slash club in New York. Except, it isn't. Of course, that is how I see it, anyways. Truthfully, this is not a person trying to make blues sound beautiful, this is a person playing beautiful music. No longer is the harmonica the one sided instrument it used to be. I am very very very eager for the years to come because I am sure much more of this will come and it will be quite eventful. I am interested to see, also, not what the INNOVATORS have to bring to the table but also what some of the new players will bring, such as Jay Gaunt, Brandon Bailey, Zhin Wong, Nic Clark, J.D. Miller, even myself. I watch those guys and I can already see the sound shaping, especially in Brandon.
I'll end my rambling but I just had to post this. I'm excited to hear harmonica players play beautiful music. This is not your basic second position wailing over a jazz track, this is stepping away from that; this is almost like a new era, I think.
Hi Zack. Man that has put me in a sublime mood and I feel lighter than air. In terms of music that was one hell of a feel good hit for me and it sounds great. I love Georgia and would love to know the chords for that song that include the fMaj7th in there so I can have a go with a keybord player I know. Is there a well known jaz tune that is good for playing a C harp in 12th pos using the Fmaj7th. I guess I have fallen in love with this beautiful music and want to know more. anyone got any ideas. I bet Chris M could get the ball rolling. Great post BTW
Ox, I can't name any at the moment but I do know lots of tunes are in F. I can't find anything for you right now, but I'm sure someone will help you out. I know the tunes but I can't tell you the keys. I think something to do is look for some Jazz blues backing tracks, so it's still blues but it has II-V-I turnarounds so it is more Jazz oriented.
I have a bit of a weird history with the harp. I played casually for about 5 years. then put down my harps and didn't touch them at all again until just last year (15 years..no harp, played banjo). I am back at it with a passion I never had before.
I mention that because way back when I used to play the first time someone suggested Levy to me and I had a listen, I am pretty sure it was with fleck. I didn't really get it or relate to it.
Now everytime I hear him I am blown away. Guess my tastes have changes. Also having played music for the last 15 years gives me a different perspective. But I have been fooling around the last month or so with 12 position after seeing a video of Chris M playing.
You bet man. I wonder what the majority of people thought about Levy in 1990 or so. Not Chris, Adam, or Jason, but the layman and the proletariat, so to speak. I want to believe the theoretical musicians probably thought it was cool, but then I also have to think they probably scoffed at the sight of harmonica. Average people that aren't musicians I could imagine didn't say much, as many people are astonished by guys who play worse than Bob Dylan. Either way, that was twenty years ago, and it's not so much HARMONICA?! as it was then. Which, I think, is a good thing, but I'm sure there are some people out there scoffing it still! Any idea if Larry Adler ever commented on Levy's playing? I know he had a distaste for the diatonic except for Sonny Terry, but Levy was more in his ballpark.
You know what I think. I think his playing is great.
If I thought I wouldn't get shot down I'd put together a video mix of small parts of various tracks from the CDs I got with some landscape images & post it on youtube but I don't even know that they'd allow that nowadays. Hmmm, maybe I could host it elsewhere...
Honestly, I don't have the music theory but I'm trying to learn it. I'm actually getting pretty good at reading sheet music :) . That being said it doesn't seem to me that someone without the theory will have an easy time learning from Howard's online harmonica lessons. Unless I'm wrong??
---------- ~Ryan
"I play the harmonica. The only way I can play is if I get my car going really fast, and stick it out the window." - Stephen Wright
Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
Ryan, I checked out the site, and he goes through lots of theory. I think you should probably get a general idea of major scales, but other than that I think you'd be fine watching those videos and occasionally studying some theory.
had i not seen it for myself,i would have sworn i was listening to chromatic.what a master the guy is. howard mentioned bossa nova music,i'd love to hear him play some antonio carlos jobim's music. as i'm not going to live long enough to get anywhere near howards level,i'll stay with chromatic for anything other than blues. having said that,i do feel inspired to put more time into getting better with the little harp. btw,great thread.
I knew he was a harp genius, and I knew he came from a piano background (his interview at Harmonica411), but I had NO IDEA that he could play piano and harmonica AT THE SAME TIME! And play complicated stuff on both of them... Truly amazing! And, yes, very beautiful too... ---------- ------------------ The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
