Harmonica Masters

by HARMONICA MASTERS / VARIOUS

Overview

Continuing the label's exploration deep into the early vernacular music of the United States, Yazoo Records devotes this compilation to some of the finest harmonica players of the 1920s and 1930s. Harmonica Masters features performances by harp greats like DeFord Bailey, Noah Lewis, Jed Davenport, Jaybird Coleman, and 19 others. The smallest and therefore most portable of instruments, the harmonica took a place not unlike that of the violin in blues and jug band combos. As the musicians here demonstrate, it can also be a fine solo instrument. In the hands of an expert, the harmonic and melodic musical elements mesh so perfectly, it can sound as if they are occurring at the same time. In fact, they are being swapped at such a pace that the absence of neither is very noticeable at any given time. Alfred Lewis' fine playing is overshadowed only by his otherworldly falsetto on "Mississippi Swamp Moan." It takes on such a bizarre quality that it sounds more like an instrument than a voice and is matched beautifully with responsive harp lines. At the opposite extreme, "Touch Me Light Mama" is a wonderfully raw blues piece featuring George "Bullet" Williams' earthy baritone. Whatever Williams and his accompanist lack in technique, they make up for in the visceral quality of their unguarded performance. Gwen Foster's "Wilks County Blues" is an astonishing, vibrato-laden showcase of the musician's harmonica powers, reaching the upper registers of the instrument. On "Chickasaw Special," Noah Lewis expertly imitates the sounds of a train -- an example of a performance style probably introduced by Williams McCoy. From novelty to dance music to deep blues, from accompanist to soloist, Harmonica Masters demonstrates the fascinating tonal and musical possibilities of this underacknowledged instrument. ~ Nathan Bush

Product Details

Release Date:	04/23/1996
Label:	Yazoo
UPC:	0016351201928
Rank:	122837

Tracks

1. Ice Water Blues  - DeFord Bailey  -  Traditional
2. Lost Boy Blues  - Palmer McAbee
3. Mississippi Swamp Moan  - Alfred Lewis
4. Choking Blues  - Kyle Wooten
5. Chickasaw Special  - Noah Lewis
6. Pannsylvania Woman Blues  - Six Cylinder Smith
7. Take Your Foot Out of the Mud & Put It in the Sand  -  Bate
8. Don't Mistreat Your Good Boy Friend  -  Bubbling Over Five
9. The Downfall of Paris  -  Murphy Brothers Harp Band
10. Touch Me Light Mama  - G. Williams  - George "Bullet" Williams
11. Booneville Stomp  - Red Whitehead  - Dutch Coleman  - Red Whitehead
12. How Long Blues  - Leroy Carr  - Jed Davenport
13. East Virginia Blues  - Clarence Ashley  - Gwen Foster  -  Ashley & Foster
14. Goin' Cross the Sea  -  Crook Brothers
15. Just It  - William McCoy
16. Wilkes County Blues  - Gwen Foster
17. Man Trouble Blues  - Jaybird Coleman
18. I Want My Mama  - Salty Holmes
19. Gastonia Gallop  - David McCarn
20. Don't Let Your Head Hang Down  - Robert Cooksey  - Bobby Leecan  -  Leecan & Cooksey
21. Sisco Harmonica Blues  -  Carver Boys
22. Down South Blues  - Sleepy John Estes  - Muddy Waters
23. Medley of Blues  - Freeman Stowers  -  Traditional

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Red Whitehead   Primary Artist,Primary Artist
Dutch Coleman   Primary Artist
Dr. Humphrey Bate and the Possum Hunters   Primary Artist
Ashley & Foster   Primary Artist
Murphy Brothers Harp Band   Primary Artist
Leecan & Cooksey   Primary Artist
Jed Davenport   Primary Artist,Harmonica
Noah Lewis   Primary Artist,Harmonica
Gwen Foster   Primary Artist,Harmonica
William McCoy   Primary Artist,Harmonica
David McCarn   Primary Artist,Vocals
Bobby Leecan   Primary Artist
Palmer McAbee   Primary Artist
Alfred Lewis   Primary Artist
Sleepy John Estes   Primary Artist
The Carver Boys   Primary Artist
Kyle Wooten   Primary Artist,Harmonica
Clarence Ashley   Primary Artist
Freeman Stowers   Primary Artist
Robert Cooksey   Primary Artist
Salty Holmes   Primary Artist,Harmonica
DeFord Bailey   Primary Artist
Jaybird Coleman   Primary Artist,Harmonica
George "Bullet" Williams   Primary Artist,Harmonica
The Crook Brothers   Primary Artist
Bubbling Over Five   Primary Artist
Six Cylinder Smith   Primary Artist,Guitar
Lewis Crook   Banjo
Nobel Carver   Guitar
Robert Carver   Guitar
Herman Crook   Harmonica
Hammie Nixon   Harmonica
Sam Harris   Accompaniment
Matthew Crook   Harmonica

Technical Credits

Red Whitehead   Performer
Six Cylinder Smith   Performer
G. Williams   Composer
The Crook Brothers   Performer
George "Bullet" Williams   Performer
Jaybird Coleman   Composer,Performer
Don Kent   Producer,Liner Notes
DeFord Bailey   Performer
Jed Davenport   Performer
Leroy Carr   Composer
Robert Vosgien   Digital Mastering
Noah Lewis   Performer
William McCoy   Performer
Bobby Leecan   Performer
Palmer McAbee   Performer
Alfred Lewis   Composer,Performer
Traditional   Composer
Sleepy John Estes   Performer
The Carver Boys   Performer
Kyle Wooten   Performer
Clarence Ashley   Performer
Freeman Stowers   Performer
Muddy Waters   Composer
Ashley & Foster   Performer
Gwen Foster   Performer
Robert Cooksey   Performer
Salty Holmes   Performer
Richard Nevins   Producer,Remastering
Joan Pelosi   Art Direction