Ice-pick James Harman

Keith Parker, Editorial Team

Sadly, in May this year we lost James Harman, so I thought it only fitting that this issue’s Heroes of the Harp should be dedicated to James, who in my opinion was one of the best modern day blues harp players and singers. He was certainly a huge influence on me. His history, biography, and discography are well documented, and there is plenty of live footage of him on the net, so I will focus on my experiences around him. I have always been a fan of James’s playing and singing style and, having seen him live a couple of times, know he always had the knack of creating an infectious groove which his fellow band members always fell in line with, which is sometimes difficult to replicate. I first met him at one of Mark Hummel’s legendary harp blow-outs at a hotel in Paris in the early 2000s. Before the show he was sitting at the bar with a drink on his own, so I went over to talk to him, after I had introduced myself and we had exchanged a few harp related pleasantries he said, ‘Now you’re English - tell me what is a Geordie?’ Being slightly taken aback by this question, I did my best to explain my understanding of a Geordie, and apparently he had asked Mick Taylor (of Rolling Stones fame) the same question on an earlier visit to the UK and hadn’t understood. Mick and I, both being Hertfordshire lads, were probably not the right people to ask! We settled down for his show, and he certainly did not disappoint: it was a great performance with fantastic playing and singing, and there was that unmistakable groove. The next time I saw him was a few years later at the Blues Kitchen in Camden London guesting with a British band. This show had been put together with help from my guitarist and friend Pete. Before the show I was introduced to James while he was having his pre-show meal, and he said ‘Hi Keith, I met you in Paris, didn’t I?’ Top Man. The venue was packed with fans and harp players, and I’m sure some of our readership were in the audience that night, but it was here we all witnessed the more colourful side of his character. He was clearly not happy with the band’s groove or something else, but he walked off the stage, never to be seen again, and the band played on without him. It was slightly disappointing, but what we did see was a legendary blues singer and harp player at work - here was a man who had worked in the Blues all his life, who had worked with some legendary musicians both in his various bands and with others. If you look at pictures of him playing, he has one finger hooked over the end of the harp and I think that sums up his life: he cocked his finger to the world, a true Blues man, a one off and fantastic musician who went way too soon and, to use the title of one of his songs, It’s a Crapshoot.

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