Tuesday, October 12, 2010

What Did You Miss This Week? (Week 194 #237)

Careless Love!!!

This week Joe taught the classic Walter Horton song Careless Love. Looking over the transcription you'll notice it is not a 12-bar form. Careless Love is a 16-bar song, similar in some ways to My Babe but with the addition of a quick V and a minor IV chord over bar 12.

This song is more of an old-time folk/blues tune, but it is extremely well-known so it is good for your repertoire. It is melody driven, so learn the melody and notice that Horton himself does not stray far from it.

Like the Papa Lightfoot tunes we've studied recently, this is also a 'crooked blues' meaning Horton drops beats. If you are going to play this way, be sure your band is alert and expecting it and also make certain that you skip an even number of beats. Skipping an odd number of beats will definitely derail the song.

Amanda's Rollercoaster!!!

Thanks again to Tall Paul Sabin and Scott Dirks for such wonderful reviews of Amanda's Rollercoaster last week. If you missed it, here it is in our archive.

Here's a fun photo from the event (L to R: Big Jim Themelis, Joe Filisko, Frank Rossi):


And if you want to catch some video of the event, it's all over youtube. Here's our friend Dennis Gruenling playing some killer slow blues. While you're there, type "Amanda's Rollercoaster" into the search bar and you'll see tons of great video of the weekend from most of the performers.

Windy City Harmonica Club!!!

Invitation to Visit and Participate

The Windy City Harmonica Club loves to show off the versatility of the harmonica by performing music from blues to Bach. A variety of harmonicas are used during performances ranging from the Little Lady to the chord harmonica. The group features professional musicians, many of whom have performed on stage, screen, TV and radio. Our program consists of music from the 30s through the 60s.

Founded by Al Fiore, one of the original Harmonicats, the club meets every Wednesday from 7-10pm at the First Congregational Church of Elmhurst, 235 S. Kenilworth Ave. Everyone is welcome! Call 630-963-0675 for more details.

Harry Garner in the Chicago Blues Challenge!!!

The Harry Garner band has advanced to the second round of judging in the Windy City Blues Society competition. Winners will go on to compete in Memphis this spring at the International Blues Challenge. Get out to Rosa's this Thursday October 14 to support B1's friend Harry Garner! Full details on the calendar at youmissedmonday.com.

Class Notes
  • Recital date announced: Friday, December 10 at the Harlem Avenue Lounge. As always, all Joe's group and private students are encouraged to perform. Due to travel schedules this fall, it is important for Joe to have your recital sign-up sheet much earlier than usual. Fill it out for him, whether you're playing or not, by October 18, next week!
  • Shoji will not be in classes Monday...but Grant will be there playing guitar for you. Be nice to him - not the best night for your most complicated arrangements.
  • Harmonica Einstein is announcing another great new invention. Even the B1 newsletter staff could not be trusted with details, so you'll have to wait until next Monday when he unveils it. Touting the tool's amazing qualities, Einstein put it this way to Joe:
"How did you get this far without my help? This is what amazes me!"
Grant Kessler, B1 Blues Crew