Deak
Harp
Gateway To The Blues
www.deakharpblues.com
www.myspace.com/deakharp
By James “Skyy Dobro” Walker
17 songs; 68:34 minutes; Library Quality
Genres: Acoustic and Electric Harmonica, Harmonica instruction,
Chicago Blues, Delta Blues
Thankfully, I finally get to review an actual
Blues album. So many of the “Blues” CDs that we get are not really
Blues albums. Instead, they are Rock albums marketed towards
an aging population of white middle-class Baby Boomers who miss the
sounds of the Sixties, but can't find anything in the wasteland of
commercial radio that bears resemblance in tone, texture, soul, or
feel.
As expected with a name like “Deak Harp,” you
get a blues album featuring lead harmonica with 17 studio-recorded
songs that cover three main areas. First, some songs could easily be
used for harmonica instruction. Secondly, harp fans will thoroughly
enjoy Deak’s inspired playing. Finally, there are some great Chicago
Blues numbers when joined by the band: Tom Holland – guitar, Eddie
Clark – drums, and T Bone Tom on Bass.
From Central Illinois, Deak started playing
harmonica at age 12. He listened to British blues until he learned
about a harp master named James Cotton. Possessing all the Cotton
material he could find, Deak finally met Cotton in person. At that
first meeting, Deak helped Cotton by trading harmonica cases with
his future mentor as James’ case was damaged at the airport. It
started a long-lasting friendship to this day. James asked Deak to
drive for him on the east coast tours. Deak learned directly from
Cotton who helped him with his tone on the harp. By February of
1992, Deak and Cotton were two of the featured harp players at a
show at the Berkeley Carteret Hotel in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
Today, Deak does guest gigs - some of which
with the legendary John Primer, performs solo, and appears with the
Deak Harp Blues Band all the while promoting this CD. All songs were
either written or arranged by Deak Harp; “John Henry” and “Davidson
County Blues” being traditional. Deak uses only Hohner Marine Band
Harmonicas including a Big C 364 and a Super 64 Chromatic.
Recorded at Twist Turners House of Sound
Chicago IL, and produced by Twist Turner and Deak Harp, this CD
contains solo acoustic and electric harmonica. It travels through
time up to the present Chicago Blues sound starting with the train
"hollers" of the 1930s. For example, tracks one and two, “Riding The
Rails” and “John Henry” are solo numbers heavy with a train rhythm
and train sounds. The next four keep the train a-rollin,’ nicely
adding drums here and bass there.
Starting with the seventh track instrumental,
“Old Soul,” the band gets more involved in the mix with some 12 bar
blues that is just wonderful. The full-band Chicago Blues shuffles
continue through track 17. Most of the tracks are instrumentals
including the unique patterns in the title track.
Track 10, “Yeah My Baby,” gives us the first
listen to Deak’s sharp register vocals and road-lesson lyrics. Tom
Holland plays a tasty lead slide guitar bridge half way through on
top of his double tracked steady rhythm guitar. More well-crafted
slide is found mid way through “Brocton Straight.”
Other standouts include the break neck tempo on
“Moving Soon,” a burn-the-house-down slow blues, “Midnight Blues”
with magnificent interplay between Deak’s chromatic harp and
Holland’s electric guitar, and “Cone-A-Phone-A-Boogie” which uses a
Gi Joe Communicator Helmet with a cheerleader megaphone duct-taped
to it. Deak says, “I call it a Cone-A-Phone; it runs on a 9 volt
battery and has got such a cool crunchy sound.”
So, if you, too, are looking for some real
blues content, and you just happen to love harmonica, look no
further. Let this CD show you the “Gateway To The Blues.”
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