I've really not heard Larry(The Iceman)Eisenburg play in a show in several years. I've, of course, heard him jam a few times in some loose settings, or demonstrate "technique," but not play in a major show or serious jam setting.
That changed this week . . .
On Tuesday night, The Iceman played a set with Jim Schwall and Joe Filsiko in the Tuesday night formal concert at Augusta. Larry's solos were just exquisitely constructed and, beautifully played-just the best stuff I'd ever heard him do(and that covers a lot of stuff through the years). His tone was "bell-like," and ideas were some of the most "musical" I'd ever heard in a blues context . . . (Opie Wan, BTW, complemented him perfectly-playing a low-D harp for comping, then switching to a Little Lady at one point and blowing a surprise first position solo-a la Jimmy (Dumpster) Gordon) . . .
On Thursday night, Ice was of course right there at Phil's bachelor party, and it was just one great moment after another . . . but my final "high point" came on Friday night-during the "Instructor's" electric blues jam . . .
There, The Iceman blew a third position solo as Gaye (from the Uppity Blues Women)danced around him, that resolved from an 8th hole blow bend, that harmonized perfectly with the note that Gaye sang-truly memorable and exhilarating . . .
