Little Walter

[danasgoodstuff]

You know, they can put Madonna in the R 'n R hall of Fame - my only real prob with that is it makes me feel old. But now the've gone and done it - the're gonna put Little Walter (Jacobs) in BUT ONLY AS A SIDEMAN! WHAT'S THE MATTER THEY DIDN'T LIKE HIS RECORDS AS A LEADER?

[Harold_Z]

They always miss the point , don't they?

It would be funny if it weren't so FUCKED UP !

[JSngry]

I think that Walter should have taken over when Jeep left Duke. They were a lot more alike than not.

Ok, I exaggerate. But not as much as you might think.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Indeed. A few weeks ago, I bought a cheapo comp of Walter's early recordings as a leader, 'cos I only had one LP of his stuff. Much injoyo! But particularly a track called "Lights out", which I've never heard before.

I hadn't thought "Johnny Hodges!" before, but more like many of the more bluesy sax players around at the time. But I can see what you mean.

Could Hodges sing?

MG

[Harold_Z]

Indeed. A few weeks ago, I bought a cheapo comp of Walter's early recordings as a leader, 'cos I only had one LP of his stuff. Much injoyo! But particularly a track called "Lights out", which I've never heard before.

I hadn't thought "Johnny Hodges!" before, but more like many of the more bluesy sax players around at the time. But I can see what you mean.

Could Hodges sing?

MG

It would be funny if he sang just like Little Walter.

[AllenLowe]

Little Walter was a major musician, though the blues guys never get it right - they always try to describe him as a bebopper, though his playing was quite the oppposite - he was clearly influenced by the swing tenor players, and he himself swung more than any other blues guy who ever was, particularly harmonica players; you can hear this in virtually every note he played, he thought of himself as a lead, horn-like swing voice. There's also a very good bio of him available -

[jazzbo]

He totally rocks . . .no swings. . . well he was amazing.

[BeBop]

Was just listening to "His Best" this morning. Great stuff.

In fact, I was on my way over to the Blindman Blues Forum to post something.

[John L]

...he himself swung more than any other blues guy who ever was, particularly harmonica players; you can hear this in virtually every note he played

Little Walter was incredible, maybe the greatest blues harpist of them all. But I don't still know about that conjecture, Allen. If it is pure Swing that we are talking about, you have to also consider Sonny Boy "Rice Miller" Williamson. Now he could REALLY swing his ass off. Just he and his harmonica were as much Swing as you could ever ask for.

[Chuck Nessa]

I can't listen to Walter without being haunted by my last encounter with him. Very near the end of his life, he was "partying" at Theresa's and was in no shape to walk. I got him in my car, drove him to his apartment building and helped him inside. I can't shake that last image in my brain.

[AllenLowe]

well, there's different kinds of swing - and I always felt it was clear from Little Walter's playing that he had listened to the kind of post-bop swing tenors that played like Jacquet, Big Jay McNeeley, Prez, etc - I find his time closer to a jazz/swing feeling than any other blues harmonica player -

Chuck's experience is doubly sad given how young he was when he died -

Edited December 21, 2007 by AllenLowe