Re: Subject: [Harp-L] Damien Masterson - Chromatic Harmonica Blues

[Joe and Cass Leone <leone@xxxxxxxx>]

On Jul 1, 2006, at 2:32 AM, EGS1217@xxxxxxx wrote:
> YES, YES, YES, and YES!  I'm SO freaking tired of people  arguing with 
> me
> about Stevie....some guy who's parroting something he read  somewhere 
> claiming
> that SW's "only" a pop player rather  than a Blues or Jazz or Soul 
> (enough)
> player...that he's purely  "Motown"....(whatever that's supposed to 
> mean), "lame
> and schmaltzy" were  two of the descriptions used.  I don't know what 
> part of
> their  anatomy those folks were listening with...but they didn't seem  
> to be
> with the same kind of ears as mine....so Thank you! for  that.

 I would sure like to know what building that guy was walking by when 
the safe came down and hit him on the head.

>   I don't care if
> people don't like his music -  that's  fine... they shouldn't buy his
> CD's...change the channel if his music  comes on their radio 
> stations...but the
> constant dissing of his  inventiveness and talent just annoys the heck 
> out of me.

Steveland is an innovator, everyone else are imitators. Just listen to 
singing styles these days. While he wasn't the first, Steve has a knack 
of warbling AROUND the notes while actually hitting same AND he doesn't 
over do it. Lately, singers do this style and DO over do it. They can't 
stay on a note for more than a milli second and even then rarely hit 
the true notes at all.
>  "There are other players who have risen above the norm and  really 
> said
> something
> for a minute, but as far as that "one note" that  moves you inside and
> puts your eyes all watery, there aren't many  chromatic players doing
> that on a regular basis.

Rob Paparozzi ( A Christmas Song). Robt. (le bon vivant) Bonfiglio 
(Send in The Clowns). Bob McFarlane (most all)

>  That's my goal. Tell  me when I get there."
>
> I should make something clear, with  my apologies...I thought I had 
> specified
> in my original post  that I meant in person when I talked about 
> hearing "that
>  sound".  It makes a tremendous difference to me when I can hear  a 
> musician
> delivering it Live.

Damien did Chega de Suidade (no more blues) at Columbus in 02. Pretty 
much the same style as I would do it. I will be bringing a CD with some 
of his stuff to Denver. You'll have to wait 6 1/2 weeks. Mostly 
original stuff and in the 'West Coast' ('bay area' to be precise) style 
along the lines of Gerry Mulligan, Bud Shank, Chet Baker (which AIN't 
bad). This should be no surprise as Damien plays other instruments (as 
I do) and I hear a lot of 'other instrument' influence(s) in his style.

>   Technical wizardry can do a  lot to provide a lot of
> aural satisfaction on a CD from the  studio...but I really like 
> hearing a
> musician/performer in a small club  set-up - the real deal.  While I 
> might attend a
> big, crowded venue  just to support an artist I care about, I'd rather 
> not.  Too
>  much noise and the people really don't go there to listen.

I can dig it. Hendrik Muerkens used to come to Cardillo's Club Cafe or 
the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild in Pgh. There were always some slobs 
there who were just on a night out and between all the bull-s**tting 
and hoodlums trying to put the make on trophy babes, I would get 
aggravated. I was there to hear the Master.
It was much better when my buddy the D.J. at the Duquesne Univ. radio 
station would get him to come up to our Pgh Jazz Society to play. 
Classier crowd. Hendrik would start to play, the room would go 
completely dead. Ahhh, Nirvana. I so miss those days.

smokey-joe



>   Hope I do get to hear you play in person one of these times..and  
> thanks for
> adding me to your mailing list...much appreciated.
>
> Elizabeth