|
Pete Pedersen is one of the (if not the) best jazz harmonica player(s) on the planet. He is nowhere near as widely known as Toots Thielemans (a contemporary of Pete’s) or Howard Levy (a much younger man); the former had the great good luck to write a hit song (Bluesette) and play with George Shearing and Quincy Jones early in his career (when he was one of only a few harmonica players who could really play jazz), and the latter has developed a remarkable overblowing technique for chromatic playing on the diatonic harmonica that has made him notorious among harmonica players. Pete’s career began in the harmonica world of Borah Minevitch, and he has remained well-known mostly to harmonica afficianados. His playing is (at least) on a par with either of these musicians (or almost any others you might name). He is an amazingly funky and funny guy; you cannot imagine (sight unseen) the casual authority with which he leads a band onstage, the power and drive in his stance and playing. He looks at first sight to be much like any other senior citizen: a little overweight, casually dressed, white-haired, bearded. He smiles most of the time, and dispenses jokes frequently and funnily. I saw Pete’s performance with “Good Company,” a Cincinnati-based jazz rhythm section, at the 1997 SPAH Convention in Detroit, and he blew my mind. He opened up with his own arrangement of a Scott Joplin piece; two minutes later my wife said to me, “That is one funky old man,” and she knew whereof she spoke. His movements on stage were something between a prowl and a dance. He plays chromatic harmonica with a big, driving tone, not a diatonic blues harp sound, but a sound with a fullness and power rarely heard in chromatic players. His single note lines are fast and hip, and his power chording on the chromatic lifts the whole band into a new level of groove. His latest recording, “Groovin’ High” (recorded with the same band), displays Pete’s abilities very well. You can find information on that recording (including how to order) at Pete’s homepage. Pete resides now in Memphis, Tennessee, and I presume the good citizens of that city have opportunities to hear him more frequently than I do. Anyone living in or passing through Memphis is well-advised to check the local newspapers for jazz club listings; Pete might be doing his thing when you’re in town. Anyone else is advised to keep Pete in mind; if he does pass your way, you want to be there. （Pete Pedersen是这个星球上最好的爵士口琴演奏家之一（如果不是）。他远没有像Toots Thielemans（Pete's的当代人）或Howard Levy（一个更年轻的男人）那样广为人知。前者有很好的运气来写一首热门歌曲（Bluesette），并在职业生涯早期与George Shearing和Quincy Jones一起玩（当时他是少数能够真正演奏爵士乐的口琴演奏家之一），后者已经发展在全音阶口琴上进行色彩演奏的一种非凡的吹奏技术使他在口琴演奏者中臭名昭着。Pete的职业生涯开始于Borah Minevitch的口琴世界，他一直以口琴afficianados而闻名。他的演奏（至少）与这些音乐家中的任何一个（或几乎任何其他你可能会说出的名字）相提并论。他是一个非常时髦和有趣的家伙;你无法想象（看不见）他带领乐队在舞台上的随意权威，他的立场和演奏中的力量和动力。他第一眼看上去和其他老年人一样：有点超重，穿着随意，白发，胡须。他大部分时间都笑了，经常和有趣地分享笑话。 在1997年底特律的SPAH大会上，我看到了Pete在“好公司”中的表演，这是一部以辛辛那提为基础的爵士节奏部分，他引起了我的注意。他自己安排了斯科特乔普林的作品;两分钟后，我的妻子对我说：“那是一个时髦的老人，”她知道她说话的地方。他在舞台上的动作是徘徊和舞蹈之间的事情。他演奏的是具有大音色调的半音阶口琴，而不是全音阶的蓝调竖琴声，但是在彩色演奏者中很少听到充满力量的声音。他的单音线条快速而时尚，而他在色彩上的力量提升将整个乐队提升到一个新的凹槽水平。他的最新录音“Groovin'High”（用同一乐队录制）很好地展示了Pete的能力。您可以在Pete的主页上找到有关该录音的信息（包括如何订购）。 Pete现在居住在田纳西州的孟菲斯，我认为那个城市的好公民有机会比我更频繁地听到他。任何居住在孟菲斯或通过孟菲斯的人都应该查看当地报纸上的爵士俱乐部列表;当你在城里时，皮特可能正在做他自己的事情。建议其他人记住Pete;如果他确实通过你的方式，你想要在那里。） At SPAH 2014, in St. Louis, the Society for Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica presented the Pete Pedersen Lifetime Achievement Award to Peter Madcat Ruth. A Grammy award winner, Madcat is possibly the most longterm recognized living diatonic harmonica player on the planet. His unique style, energy and legitimacy, coupled with his warm and giving personality have graced the stages and hallways of the SPAH convention longer than any diatonic harmonica player in history. Congratulations Madcat! （2014年在圣路易斯举行的SPAH上，口琴保护和进步协会向Peter Madcat Ruth颁发了Pete Pedersen终身成就奖。作为格莱美奖得主，Madcat可能是这个星球上最长期认可的生活全音阶口琴演奏者。他独特的风格，活力和合法性，加上他温暖和给予的个性，使SPAH大会的舞台和走廊比历史上任何全音阶口琴演奏者更长。 祝贺Madcat！） |
|
|
