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From: James Hanson
Date: Tue, 16 Jan 1996 00:16:08 -0500
Subject: Re: Basic Set / Minor Key

The quote "You should know better than expect to play blues in a minor
key" comes from an old book by Tony "Little Sun" Glover - it's called
either "Blues Harp" or "Blues Harmonica". I recently acquired a CD by Mr.
Glover and two other Minneapolis based musicians (I forget their names)
called "Blues, Rags, and Hollers". Recorded in the early 60's (62-64),
this was a very early part of the 60's blues/folk revival. The book in
question has a copyright not much later than the recordings, and
probably represents Mr. Glover legitimately using his new "fame" to make
an extra dollar or two. As I remember, the book has quite a lot of useful
information, but Mr. Glover admits to little expertise on the chromatic (or
he might have recognized the common use of 3rd position minor on that
instrument) and the discussion of positions is archaic: rather than first,
second, etc., the positions are "straight", "cross", "slant", etc.: some of
the more exotic ones are presented as techniques that he had
"happened upon while just messing around". The book can still be
bought in music stores and through mail order - it wouldn't be a bad
purchase, even just for the "feel" of the era that it provides, when a
white boy learning about the blues was out on the radical fringe, and
many of our favorite harp players were still playing and near their prime
(Little Walter, Jimmy Reed, Sonny Boy II, etc).

If my memory is serving, Harv Andruss and Chris Michalek (spelling?)
have said that Tony Glover is still active in the music scene in
Minneapolis.

J.Hanson