Greg Szlapczynski has acquired a small notoriety on the French harmonica scene by taking over Jean-Jacques Milteau’s harmonica school in Paris. For those who don’t know him, he is a young diatonic player whose sound is sharp and precise, and whose musical aspirations are vast. His first release 'Ternaire Madness' flirted with blues, jazz and country but stayed well within the realm of the acceptable for the often close minded blues afficionados. His second album, 'Gregtime', was a live recording of a similar vein. On both these albums, the astute listener would distinguish, through certain of Greg’s compositions, a will to break down the ‘harmonica=blues’ straightjacket, but neither went as far as Greg seemed to want to go, most likely for fear of alienating his usual public. He is from Poland, but lived from the end of 80's in France.
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Album:
ROAD MOVIE(S)
Styles: Modern Electric Blues, Harmonica Blues
Recorded: 2007/2008
Released: 2008
Bitrate: 320k/s
Size: 85.93 MB
Time: 41:36
Art: Full
1. Wedding Theme (Opening) (4:28)
2. Who's Gonna Take My Damn' Soul? (3:59)
3. Paris, Texas (3:51)
4. Sleepless Night / Calling You (4:12)
5. The Right Spot (5:43)
6. Knocking On Devil's Door (0:42)
7. Mo's Better Blues (2:14)
8. Moon, River (2:20)
9. The Harmonica, The Devil & The Chaplin Piano (1:49)
10. Ascenseur Pour l'Echafaud / Night Road (4:02)
11. Now I Am The Blues (3:45)
12. Long Way Home (3:05)
13. Wedding Theme (Closing) (1:26)
Personnel: Greg SZLAPCZYNSKI - Harmonica Vocals
Ian Siegal - Steel Guitar, Vocals
Seb Martel - Guitar, Banjo
Johan Dalgaard - Keyboards
Daniel Yvinec - Bass, Guitars, Percussions
Toma Milteau - Drums, Percussions
Note: Road Movie(s) is his new opus released last week in France. It follows a jazzy release, 'Varsovie' which had some excellent playing with the harmonica firmly at the front, but failed to completely convince me for reasons I could never quite put my finger on. If Varsovie was a proud harmonica album, Road Movie(s) is its antithesis.
I understand that 'Road Movie(s)' is a hybrid project. It started as a concept album with movie soundtracks as its inspiration and got injected a dose of raw downhome blues as Greg's collaboration with Ian Siegall intensified. The end result is an album that oscillates between two fairly divergent soundscapes, and suffers a little as a consequence.
Individually, nearly every track on 'Road Movie(s)' is excellent. The three songs with Ian Siegall are amazing. 'Who's gonna take my damn soul' and 'Now I am the blues' are fairly straightforward downhome blues pieces where Siegall's gruff vocals and raw guitar do wonders, supported by Greg's subtle playing. 'Moon River' is a much more surprising (and romantic) choice that works wonderfully, in a similar style to Tom Waits' cover of Sometime on Blue Valentine.
Most of the soundtrack covers shine, especially 'Paris, Texas' and 'Ascenceur pour l'Echafaud' which both capture the haunting atmosphere of the originals but with different instrumentations and arrangements. I'm slightly less convinced about the Baghdad Café soundtrack 'Calling You' which is really bare but ultimately lacks the vocals that made it such a striking piece, no matter the musicianship. The rest of the record is filled with good to excellent originals, including the great opening 'Wedding Theme' and the deep and jazzy double-bass/harmonica duet 'Mo' Better Blues'.
I can't say much against Road Movie(s) since I really enjoy most of the songs on it. One thing that might surprise you as well is that I would say there's not enough harmonica, or that it's not forward enough. I tend to think that most records featuring harmonica have too much of it, but in this case I really feel that Greg is too withdrawn. It's laudable: at last a harp player who can put his ego aside and produce great music by just contributing where it's needed. But Greg's playing is never in your face and always tasteful, so a little more of it would not have been too much.
Road Movie(s)
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Album:
LA PART DU DIABLE
Styles: Modern Electric Blues, Harmonica Blues
Recorded: 2001
Released: 2002
Bitrate: 320k/s
Size: 130.87 MB
Time: 54:10
Art: Full
1. 1962 (3:24)
2. Serve You Well (7:13)
3. La Boite (4:11)
4. Rue Des Lions (3:19)
5. Vamper Boogie Jam (1:35)
6. Blue Mountains (4:25)
7. Faster Pussycat (4:31)
8. La Part Du Diable (3:36)
9. Cafe Des Anges (4:02)
10. Czas Wyleczy Z Ran (4:40)
11. Valse A 30 Ans (4:51)
12. One My Way (3:41)
13. Mateo (4:42)
Personnel: Greg SZLAPCZYNSKI - Harmonica, Vocals
Pierre Durant - Guitar
Marine Bercot - Piano
Sophie Bourdon - Bass
Toma Milteau - Drums
with guests
Notes: With 'La Part du Diable', Greg has crossed that particular threshold, and the record is all the better for it. Not only does it resolutely walk down the jazz road, it does so with a significant electro touch : samples, effects of other noises abound. Which is not to imply that there is no band: drums, bass, keyboards, guitar, vocals and harmonica flirt around the electronic samples, who end up being complementary rather than dominant.
Stylewise, Greg’s jazz owes more to popular music than bop canon. 'La Part du Diable' features a jazz waltz, (Valse à 30 ans), a spanish-y jazz tango (La Boîte), and several sweet melodies that are given the jazz treatment through arrangement rather than theme. The role of guitarist Pierre Durand is crucial here, through clever chord substitutions and a few improvisations that make him sound like a cross between BB King and John McLaughlin.
If you’re like me, the word ‘sample’ probably gives you an itch, so I guess I should expand on that. This album is not a collage of samples like Us3, St Germain or Moby may have done (with uneven artistic success), but rather an interaction between the band playing and the samples. Several intros start as samples and seemlessly move into the band playing, a number of evocative solos are enhanced by background samples, etc. Much as it surprised me, I love it.
From a harmonica point of view, 'La Part du Diable' is by far Greg’s best effort to date, a superb demonstration of his talent both as writer and player. His playing here is undoubtedly more mature than on his previous albums, and he shows his capacity both for fiery lyricism, like on the opener 1962, and this rare talent of integrating silence in the music, as on Serve you well.
The magical thing about Greg’s playing is that it all sounds so easy until you grab your own instrument and attempt to replicate it. Then you understand that his delicate phrases use all the resources of the diatonic, vibratos, bends, overblows, with such finesse and fluidity that it all sounds ‘natural’. As an illustration, Rue des Lions is a moving guitar / harmonica duet with a simple industrial rhythm in the backdrop. It’s beautiful, haunting, and an absolute bitch to play.
La Part Du Diable
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