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From: "Richard W. Rinn"
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 1999 17:27:52 +0100
Subject: Re: Magic Dick vs. Jack Bruce (was Mick Jagger Harmonica: Who can resist?)

>ALEC DRACHMAN WROTE:
>
>I guess I respectfully disagree. Good is good but I think the term "same
league"
>implies that they are somewhat equally proficient. My guess is that Magic
Dick
>could play anything that Jack Bruce could play but not vice-versa. Still,
you
>make a good point and if Jack Bruce is better to your ears, then to you he
is
>better. I must point out, though, that there is much more to Magic Dick
than
>what you have heard on the Geils records. Of course, the same may be true
of
>Jack Bruce with regards to his Cream recordings.

I was thinking about this when driving home from work. I know why people
are arguing about my placing Jack Bruce and Magic Dick in the same 'league'.
I think I've figured out the way my brain is sorting the information:

TOP LEVEL:

Jack Bruce, Magic Dick, Lester Butler, Junior Wells, Kim Wilson, Sonny Boy
Williamson I+II, Mr. Bloe ;)

NEXT LEVEL DOWN:

Robert Plant, Mick Jagger, John Fogerty, Admiral Marmoset III.

FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD:

Keith Relf, Van Morrison (circa Them)

GENERIC:

Thousands of bands circa 1965 (I've got a lot of this stuff).


Right, to start at the bottom, the generic thing... I think of that when
someone sounds like they've learned to bend a couple of holes, and play very
simple riffs without much finesse.

The next category up can have some nice harmonica playing, and those people
have obviously spent a bit more time playing, and taken an interest in the
instrument.

Next up again, and it's those people who I think have some pretty nice
ideas, with regards to composition and sound, and their playing's a bit
better again.

Now is where I mention that I think a big influence on this sorting
procedure comes from my OWN playing (i.e. where I think I'm at in this
scheme). Generally, I find harp parts by these people very easy to play. I
therefore think that I base myself slightly above this level in technical
ability.

Anything above that though, and it all gets lumped into one big category of
'good'. Basically, players in my top category are people who play things
that I think I might have difficulty playing, but that I enjoy (i.e. John
'scapegoat' Popper doesn't make it in, because I wouldn't WANT to play one
of his parts). Generally, players who, to my ears, have pretty good control
over the harp (no hesitancy with bends or anything). Jack Bruce's harp has
an enigmatic quality to me because of his vibrato. I just hear that, and
think 'ooh, that's nice, if only I could vibrat that well' (throat vibrato
is just taking soooo long for me to get to grips with).

Incidentally, has anyone heard Jack's playing on the Graham Bond
Organization stuff from before Cream? Quite interesting. I've got a live
album from 1964, and he does Train Time on it. It's interesting to see how
far he developed in the four years between this version and the Wheels of
Fire one. At this time, he's more at a Keith Relf-like level (hey, maybe
you'd like it!, hehe - it is a good album, nice organic R&B, with some
balls).



>You've mentioned that you like Junior Wells and Howling Wolf. I'm quite
sure you
>would like Dick's playing on these albums. I highly recommend "Little Car
Blues"
>on Rounder.

Noted. I have been interested in hearing the Bluestime stuff, but there's
so much other music that I want to get, that anything with the slightest
hint of a question mark (quite a few people have harshly criticised his
singing) gets put on the back burner, sometimes never to be properly
reheated.


>You make some good points here. However, while things like articulation
don't
>necessarily add value, they certainly can when in the employ of a great
artist.
>To me, Magic Dick is such an artist, as is Rob Paparozzi who was the first
to
>suggest to you that Magic Dick was more than just "accomplished" on the
harp.

Hopefully my explanation of The Ways of the Brain of R.W. Rinn will clear my
stand-point up. I do know what people mean about Magic Dick being down with
all the fancy pants stuff, and how a good artist can sometimes make good use
of stuff like that, but bascially, anyone who sounds fluent, can do things I
can't do, AND manages not to sound soul-less, gets lumped into my top
category. There's probably a pseudo category in the back of my mind for
people who sound like total experts with their technique, but do as much for
me as a cold wet teabag being dropped down my back.




>On that, we certainly agree. I love Howlin' Wolf. His version of "Evil" is
in my
>top 5 list of all time great blues songs.

Some of my personal favourites are Forty-Four, Howling For My Darling and
Poor Boy.

Hey, maybe you can help me with something. I have the 7CD Complete Chess
Recordings box. I know he did recordings before being on Chess. Did he do
some after, too (the only stuff I'm aware of is the London Sessions thing)?
Any suggestions for pre or post Chess Wolf CD's?!





Richard.