[Harp-L] re: Rick Dempster, Respectfully Contextualizing Michalek's opinins on blah, blah

["Rick Dempster" <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Rosco;
                Thanx for your response. First, I just want to point
out that I was responding to Roger Boyce's post, which sprang from
discussion about placing Chris Michalek's opinion (and by implication,
as I read it, opinion generally) in context.
                It was a pretty broad kind of post, with general
opinion's about musical trends in general. I certainly have nothing to
say about Chris, as I have not heard him. My server blocks just about
all MP3s, so I have to buy stuff, unless it's on Myspace or Youtube 
(even then it get's blocked sometimes)
                However, I've heard many examples of players using OBs
and generally trying to take the diatonic into new territory, and I was
talking about that general trend.
                As to the example of 'Body & Soul', I chose this number
as an example of a jazz ballad that calls for some long, sweet sounding
notes, which are always a challenge when playing OB/Ds. I could have
chosen any number of tunes; I wasn't choosing it because I regard it as
some kind of benchmark of difficulty (not to say that it's easy)  I have
had a crack at it in 12 keys on the diatonic (and the chrom, too, I
might add). The bridge is the hardest part.
               I've noticed a tendency to be taken literally on this
list, when I'm speaking metaphorically. Perhaps I'll have to get used to
adding 'smilies'.
               I am not saying either, that playing OBs must
necessarily be proven in the field of jazz to be acceptable, either.
Perhaps I could have said; "the day I hear someone play - on a diatonic
- a  credible version of, say, 'Wildwood Flower' in Eb on a C
harp"..............now I haven't tried it mind you....perhaps Tinus will
run us up an MP3 showing that this is in fact the best possible position
for the entire Carter Family songbook, I don't know.
               All I'm trying to say, as a fellow struggler who has a
healthy respect for everybody's efforts in reaching for the next rung, I
continue to have doubts.
               Even 'true believers' can have doubts; it's a way of
trying and affirming one's faith.
Cheers,
RD


>>> <Roscoharp@xxxxxxx> 9/09/2006 0:00:32 >>>
Rick Dempster writes:
"The overblow thing seems to be an important ingredient; damn
things  sound so awkward and ugly that it's easier to get away with it
in
freak-out  type material, or takes on eastern scales that most
westerners 
expect
to  sound weird anyhow. The day I hear someone play - on a diatonic - a
 
credible
version of, say, 'Body and Soul' perhaps, with good improvisation a  la

Lester,
perhaps, and with the tone of Charlie McCoy playing 'Ruby', that  will
be the 
day
when I can feel that all this messing around with overblows  has
amounted to 
more
than an outlet for idle curiosity. Somehow I doubt that  day will come.
(I'm 
sure
I won't be the blowing at its dawn either)"
 
Hey List, 
 I guess Rick doesn't like the sound of overbends??
 That's okay, anybody can like or not like anything they want.
 
 But...um... Rick, FY I -  improvising over the chords to  Body & Soul
(I 
think it's Eb,D,Dm,-just about the hardest modulation  to play  on
diatonic!) is 
not why I play overbends. It's easy to  set up that kind of  straw
horse 
argument to try to make a point, a  la: "The day I hear Toots play a
convincing 
version of Roller Coaster on  chromatic is the day I'll accept it as a
blues 
instrument."
 
You'd have to listen very carefully to tell where the overbends are on 
my 
recordings, which are plain old rock/pop. (Not " freak-out type 
material".) No 
one has ever said they sounded awkward & ugly, but it's true  I can't
play the 
changes in B&S. (Yet.) So what? How did using  overbends get
intrinsically 
mixed up with playing jazz or playing in all  twelve keys? I can play
pretty 
comfortably in seven or eight positions  (depending on the tunes,) &
overbends 
are necessary to make the scale &  interval ideas I want to use in the
music I 
play. I have way more trouble  getting half step bends to sound right
than I do 
overbends.  
 
 When you say you haven't heard Michalek yet, well, then, you haven't 
heard 
him. Like the other poster who slammed Michalek the other day, how can
you  
criticize something you haven't heard? (See my long post #45003, near
the end)  
Next to Howard Levy, I would say Chris is the best OB player out 
there. His 
overbends don't stick out to me. 
 
 Incidently, I've personally heard  Levy play the s**t out of  Body &
Soul. 
Raised the hair on my arms.  Rick, maybe you wouldn't dig  it, but I
sure did! 
There are probably a few others who can play B&S. Maybe  even Chris.
Maybe 
George Brooks. Maybe one of those South American whiz kids.  Maybe a
bunch of 
folks. .
 
 BTW, I've been enjoying harp-l a lot lately. Thanks to all the 
posters & 
especially to the administrators (you sexy boys).
Later,
Rosco
_may.be  au.gust_ (http://www.maybeaugust.com/) 

download or stream live recordings: _may.be au.gust_ 
(http://www.maybeaugust.com/Live.aspx)  
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