Posted: Wed Oct 23, 2002 7:37 am
My whistle teacher here in the Chicago area, James Conway, just completed a project dear to his heart: making a CD that demonstrates the versatility of the Irish harmonica and its “blendability” with other traditional Irish instruments. The CD—with an impressive array of guest artists—is called Mouth Box, a name the late Gwen Sale gave to James because of the way he could make his harmonica sound like an accordion. (She died shortly after the CD was completed and the project is dedicated to her.) In fact, James makes his harmonicas match the other traditional instruments as well, proving the blendability of this humble instrument beyond question. At the same time, he shows the instrument’s unique abilities and its deserving place in ITM. It’s a great CD. I want to share my impressions of it here, partly just to give it some well-deserved attention. Since I’m not a harmonica player myself, though, I’m also hoping to coax out of the woodwork any harmonica players on the board who might be interested in sharing their experiences with this instrument, which, according to Brendan Power, is “very much a new kid on the block in a style dominated by the fiddle, flute, whistle and pipes….”
Each instrumental pairing on Mouth Box showcases a slightly different side of the versatile harmonica (also called a harp) and the way it can borrow from and blend with the style and conventions of the other instruments. For example, in the robust jigs (Young Tom Ennis, Brendan Tonra’s) with Keiran O’Hare on uilleann pipes, James mimics the pipes’ characteristic bleat with rhythmic cuts on his harp and meets O’Hare’s finger slurring with blow bends. His harp also mimics the pipes’ drone in another set of jigs (Tatter Jack Walsh, Knights of Saint Patrick, and Cook in the Kitchen) played with Gwen Sale on fiddle, Dennis Cahill on guitar, and Jackie Moran on bodhran (listen for the fresh sound of the Jaw’s Harp as well). And in a set of reels (Earl’s Chair, Humours of Ballyconnell, and Flowing Bowl), James creates an accordion-like sound by blowing from both sides of his mouth for octave richness. “I thought he forgot to list the concertina player in the credits only to find out it's all harp,” wrote Paul Davies, member of SPAH (Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica).
But imitating other instruments, or at least picking up some of their stylistic conventions, is only part of the story. In a set of polkas, with nothing more than his tapping foot to accompany him, James shows the harp’s widest range, in my opinion: he becomes a whole band— complete with melody, boom-chucks, drones, and a good sense of humor—all with one diatonic harmonica in G and a block of wood to tap his foot on. In another jig set (Humors of Ballyloughlin and Mooncoin Jig), James picks up his bubbly whistle and turns the harmonica playing over to the incomparable Howard Levy, who leads off with a fun and bluesy introduction suggesting still more of the harmonica’s range.
In his liner notes James acknowledges that it was Chicago great Sugar Blue’s style—which to James sounded like a fiddle and accordion together—that got James “blowing Irish music on the harp,” but there’s no mistaking the traditional Irish roots of this CD. It has rhythmic bounce and swing; driving melodies “played as one” with the guest artists and enriched with the harp’s harmonic and droning possibilities; graceful, moderate ornamentation; lyrical sadness and bubbly joy. Through all the tracks, James blows a mouth-watering sound from his harps, crisp with Irish reediness yet surprisingly creamy as well. That remarkable bright sound, the satisfying couplings of the harp with other traditional instruments, and James’s virtuosity, swing, and musical bigheartedness, make Mouth Box a real treat for the ears.
CDs are available at http://www.jimmyconway.com and http://www.celticgrooves.com. For a full listing of tunes and guests, and another review, see http://celticgrooves.homestead.com/CG_Conway_James.html .
James has offered a few free review copies for harmonica-playing C&F’ers who would like to share their reactions to his CD with the board. If you are interested, please send me a private message on the board or an e-mail to carolski@aol.com.
--Carol
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: cskinner on 2002-10-23 09:37 ]</font>
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: cskinner on 2002-10-23 09:39 ]</font>
Each instrumental pairing on Mouth Box showcases a slightly different side of the versatile harmonica (also called a harp) and the way it can borrow from and blend with the style and conventions of the other instruments. For example, in the robust jigs (Young Tom Ennis, Brendan Tonra’s) with Keiran O’Hare on uilleann pipes, James mimics the pipes’ characteristic bleat with rhythmic cuts on his harp and meets O’Hare’s finger slurring with blow bends. His harp also mimics the pipes’ drone in another set of jigs (Tatter Jack Walsh, Knights of Saint Patrick, and Cook in the Kitchen) played with Gwen Sale on fiddle, Dennis Cahill on guitar, and Jackie Moran on bodhran (listen for the fresh sound of the Jaw’s Harp as well). And in a set of reels (Earl’s Chair, Humours of Ballyconnell, and Flowing Bowl), James creates an accordion-like sound by blowing from both sides of his mouth for octave richness. “I thought he forgot to list the concertina player in the credits only to find out it's all harp,” wrote Paul Davies, member of SPAH (Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica).
But imitating other instruments, or at least picking up some of their stylistic conventions, is only part of the story. In a set of polkas, with nothing more than his tapping foot to accompany him, James shows the harp’s widest range, in my opinion: he becomes a whole band— complete with melody, boom-chucks, drones, and a good sense of humor—all with one diatonic harmonica in G and a block of wood to tap his foot on. In another jig set (Humors of Ballyloughlin and Mooncoin Jig), James picks up his bubbly whistle and turns the harmonica playing over to the incomparable Howard Levy, who leads off with a fun and bluesy introduction suggesting still more of the harmonica’s range.
In his liner notes James acknowledges that it was Chicago great Sugar Blue’s style—which to James sounded like a fiddle and accordion together—that got James “blowing Irish music on the harp,” but there’s no mistaking the traditional Irish roots of this CD. It has rhythmic bounce and swing; driving melodies “played as one” with the guest artists and enriched with the harp’s harmonic and droning possibilities; graceful, moderate ornamentation; lyrical sadness and bubbly joy. Through all the tracks, James blows a mouth-watering sound from his harps, crisp with Irish reediness yet surprisingly creamy as well. That remarkable bright sound, the satisfying couplings of the harp with other traditional instruments, and James’s virtuosity, swing, and musical bigheartedness, make Mouth Box a real treat for the ears.
CDs are available at http://www.jimmyconway.com and http://www.celticgrooves.com. For a full listing of tunes and guests, and another review, see http://celticgrooves.homestead.com/CG_Conway_James.html .
James has offered a few free review copies for harmonica-playing C&F’ers who would like to share their reactions to his CD with the board. If you are interested, please send me a private message on the board or an e-mail to carolski@aol.com.
--Carol
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: cskinner on 2002-10-23 09:37 ]</font>
<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: cskinner on 2002-10-23 09:39 ]</font>