"Pro Player Gear Page"

What the pros use to get their signature tone by Steve"Big Daddy BluzHarp"Harvell

(Blues harmonica) James Harman "Lonesome Moon Trance"Pacific Blues Records www.pacificblues.com

I did a review on James's cd here a few weeks back but check out some kool info I received from him (2-27-04) about the gear he uses to get that big fat tone with.Read below the short interview and the cd review follows.

Hi James, Hey Steve...
(Steve) I am a big-big fan of both your music and your harmonica playing,for many years now.

(James) Thank you, I appreicate all of it.

(Steve) I just love anything from the fifties and early sixties and you carry that feel right into todays blues so fine.

(James) Well, I started singing for money in 1962 right out of the church, so I never had a 70's, 80's or 90's feel, if there is one.

(Steve) Hope things are good for you in life, it can be a struggle sometimes but good music and friends make it all worth while.

(James) In an interview once, a guy asked me, "Why all this work, why not just punch a clock?" I told him, "A clock don't punch back!" I guess I don't have the perspective to answer that question, I've only had one job, in my adult life. I write songs, record them and then tour to reach the most people I can.

(Steve) If ya can email me with your gear list and how you are getting your tone, I will put it on my website as a update and I will put your review again in my upcoming March section.

(James) In 1963 I bought a new Fender amp. It was the brown Vibroverb amp. It was the first amp with reverb built in. It had two 10" Oxford speakers. I had always played a 1958 Fender Pro Amp with one 15" Jensen speaker. I loved the sound of the new amp, but I didn't care for the two 10" speakers. I had used a 1956 Fender Super amp with two 10" Jensen speakers but didn't care for the 10" speakers. I had the idea to plug the 15" speaker out of the Pro Amp into the '63 Viboverb Amp... I liked the combination of '63 Vibroverb amp with one 15" Jensen speaker.

So...I built that as a stock appearing combo amp. I've played it ever since. I changed it to a blonde amp with blonde knobs and oxblood grille. During the past forty years I have tried everything I've seen, but always come back to this rig. I have bought all the '63 Vibroverbs I've found for sale. I have four fixed up the same way. I carry two on the road and leave two in the studio. I play through two on a big stage and only use one in a small club. I have used this amp on all my records. If I want a more ratty sound for a song, I add another small amp. I sit a 1947 Newcomb school room record player next to the Fender and record them both with the same mic. We just move the mic around until I like the tone.

I must own a hundred old small amps to record with. But I have to admit, the '63 Fender Vibroverb in combination with another smaller amp is really what works for me. I use the same old Astatic JT-30 mic I've always used. There again, I must own a hundred old cool lookin' mics. Billy F. Gibbons has given me two dozen through the years. I helped my friend Joe develop his Shaker Mics, they are great, very light weight, good tone and brand new. You don't have to work on them all the time. I take them to Europe with me sometimes and sell them at the end of the show. It was a way to help the fellows over there get a good mic, help Joe sell a few and it kept me from having to carry mine around .

PS=After James read what he had told me about his gear,he sent me the additional info listed below.

Studio: an old Fender reverb unit, my old grey (blonde knobs) Echoplex and my custom made pre amp that gives me a touch of EQ so I can dial in any room.

Live: a digital reverb, a Chandler Digital Delay (sounds just like an Echoplex) and my pre amp.

When flying: a Dan-Echo purple echo pedal works Ok, no problems.

http://bluzharp.tripod.com

(Blues harmonica) James Harman "Lonesome Moon Trance"Pacific Blues Records www.pacificblues.com

Check out James Harman's website at www.jamesharman.com
Press/Publicity & Radio= Christine Vitale www.ChristineVitale.com

Well,if you have not heard of James Harman,harmonica player-singer,well either you are new to the blues scene or you have been living in a cave.James has had over 29 releases and performed in 18 counties to great acclaim and worked with some of the best blues artist in the world.All 12 tunes on this new release("Lonesome Moon Trance") were penned by James himself and they are about the world as he sees it thru his eyes and mind.Be it about bad politicians-unfaithful women-or liars,James Harman still keeps it tongue & cheek mixed with humor to make for some of the best song writing of his career!

In 2000 James Harman became a single parent with two teenage sons to care for and as he said,"You can't do that from the road".So with the label that he was signed with in 2000 secretly going out of business and the deal with the next one not jellin',well,he decided not to release the proposed cd.Since he was a single parent and not able to tour,James decided not to release anything at the moment!But meanwhile,Jerry Hall,engineer and co-producer for most of James cds,started his own label,Pacific Blues Records www.pacificblues.com,so James had a chance to stay home and do the dad thing and put out a cd that possibly is his best yet.

To tell you how much I like James Harman,since William Clarke has left us to play for the angels in heaven,Mr. Harman is now my favorite harp player and singer.James's tone on the harmonica is as easily recognized as that of Kim Wilsom-Rod Piazza-William Clarke-Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson.His humor and sharp satire in his songwriting is as good as it gets too!His tone on the amplified harmonica is so fat and deep and his acoustic playing is so clean and pristine that it is primeval in it's approach!The songs are listed below.

Double Hogback Growler
Lowdown Grown-up Jive
Skeet-a-little Taste
Piece Work Politicians
Alibi,Reason Why(sounds like a lie to me)
Miss Bessie Mae Blues
My Secret Escapade
Bad-luck Life
Love Stuff
Time Will Tell
It's Yo'World
Lonesome Moon Trance

Check out these cats playing with James Harman a blowin' acoustic and amplified harp and singing!
David"Kid"Ramos and Bob Margolin on guitars
Stephen Hodges/"Big Al"West/Paul Fasulo/Steve Mugalian on drums-percussion
Thomas Mahon/Steve F'dor on piano
"Brother Miles" Reed/Buddy Clark/Jeff"Big Dad"Turmes/Joseph Leaon on acoustic/electric bass

James Harman has been in show business for 41 years now and that is plemty of time to pay your dues for playing the blues and you can hear it in his music and songwriting.This new cd,"Lonesome Moon Trance",by James Harman gets a very well deserved (7) Harp Salute from ol' Big Daddy BluzHarp along with both the "Nasty Harp" and the "Sweet Harp" awards to boot.James will give some of the ol/ nasty-amplified harp in some tunes then turn it out with some very tasteful acoustic harp that takes the acoustic Sonny Boy 2 sound into the new millenium.This cd also gets into my "Favorite CD Section" as well as the "BluzHarp's Best CDs of 2003" !

I will go so far as to say that this is the best blues harmonica cd that I have gotten in the year of 2003.On the tune,"Skeet-a little Taste", the fat tones on James's harp will give ya chill bumps even in the hottest weather.Harman has the ability to meld together the ever so slight 1950s blues-rockabilly-early rock with todays more modern version of all three(I hope that makes sense,it is so important for me to convey what a milestone recording this is!).On the song,"My Secret Escapade",hell ya even hear a slight tinge of surf music in a section or two and it falls seamlessly into the whole scheme of the cd.And "Bad Luck Life" reminds me of the early Muddy Waters recordings when he was still living on the plantation.And if you want to hear that new age Sonny Boy Williamson 2 sound then check out the tune "Love Stuff",Top Shelf stuff boys and girls,the harp sounds like angels singing,REALLY.

This is possibly my most highly recommended release of 2003 so take this review very seriously and get this new cd,"Lonesome Moon Trance",by James Harman and become one with the Bluz Universe,music will heal ya and set your soul and mind free.



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