Name: Open Harp Blues
Brand: Various

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

US0532

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Discs

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2022-02-04

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Shellshock

Tax rate GB

UPC / Barcode

4015698965780

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1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Various

Genre GB

Folk

Label GB

Trikont

Christoph Well: How the Open Harp Blues came into being "About 5 years ago I was driving home after a New Year's concert with the Giessen Synfonieorchester. While there, I listened to one of my relaxation plucks on the harp, which I record from time to time just for me after the daily practice program. 

<br>During a blues improvisation I thought to myself that it is actually a pity if a blues is always over after a few minutes. How I would love to blues'n for half an hour or three quarters of an hour, quasi never ending ... and best of all play together with musicians I personally appreciate and admire. At home, the first thing I did was to call G. Ringsgwandl. He encouraged me and agreed to participate. At the same time I saw a documentary on Arte-TV about the OpenHeartProject in Sudan, where mainly children from all over Africa are operated on their hearts free of charge. This often involves valve replacements, since these usually break down because of the children's rheumatic fever. I myself received such a prosthesis at the age of 14 and owe 45 years of my life to this invention. Deeply impressed by the film about the great work of the people in this clinic, I decided to give the proceeds of my blues project, if it would come about, to this institution. After Georg Ringsgwandl, I asked Willy Michl, who as far as I know was the first to sing the blues in Bavarian, Conny Kreitmeier and Barbara Dennerlein, Nick Woodland (lead guitar), Manfred Mildenberger (drums), Luke Cyrus-Gˆtze (lap steel) and Tom Peschl (bass), as well as my friends from the Toten Hosen. 

All agreed enthusiastically. Inspired by this, I called Helge Schneider, Stefan Dettl, Alan Bern, Konstantin Wecker, ZitherMan and Herbert Pixner. Each of them immediately agreed to record a contribution of two to four takes, without pay! The last ones to join were Christiane ttl and Andreas Rebers. With my siblings and relatives, as well as my long-time companion Gerhard Polt, everything was clear anyway. I thought to myself that a 12-bar blues, like a country dance, is a fixed form that can meander through all the keys like a brook. Each of them has a certain character that suits the musician or musicians best. The idea was to string the individual contributions like beads on a necklace. The continuous harp part would be the string that holds and connects everything together. To support the harp, Nick, Manfred, Luke and Tom joined in, more or less as The Band, preparing a foundation on which the players could then build their numbers. I was left with the very nice 'work' of playing various instruments on the respective takes, which is what I love to do anyway. But I needed help for that, because playing and recording at the same time is very stressful. I asked Beate Dichtl if she, free of charge like everyone else, would like to help from time to time. The recordings with her were so harmonious that she is now called Beate Well :-) The O-H-B begins in E-flat major with a variation of the premiere Arabesque by C. Debussy, which for me represents an interface between jazz and classical music. It ends with it again after a 40-minute trek through the keys in E major. Finally, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the participants! Now I wish you as much fun while listening as we had while making music. Emergency provides free, quality health care to victims of war, poverty and landmines. Emergency builds and operates hospitals and trains local doctors and nurses Since its founding in 1994, more than eleven million people in 18 countries have been treated. Today, Emergency is active in Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, the Central African Republic, Uganda, Iraq, Sudan and Italy..

Open Harp Blues

Music GB