What are the Stairwell Sessions? 

You might call them an "instrumental blog". It's not my intent to produce polished works of musical art here.  These clips will be more like quick sketches to try out ideas: An ongoing series of (mainly) harmonica bits and pieces recorded in the actual stairwell that leads to our front door. The overtones are spooky and the acoustic is a little funky, but atmospheric nonetheless.  If you listen closely, you will hear the sound of traffic as it passes down our busy avenue in Burbank, California.

I've got a real passion for pushing out the boundaries of what can be accomplished on a diatonic harmonica - an instrument that is most often overlooked outside of the relatively narrow genres of traditional blues and folk music.

I won't be adding too many comments to these tracks. Better to let the music speak for itself.  Those of you who may have questions regarding technique and the specifics of which harmonica I'm playing, et cetera, may feel free to use Questions and Comments. I want to hear your feedback. Really!

Some of you may have an interest in incorporating one or more of these clips in a project.  I'm very open to this provided the usual protocols of artist credit and payment are observed.  Please contact me through this website for more information.

And so, without further ado.....

Stairwell 01; Say Hey!  (04-14-06)
    a little hard-drivin' blues to get things going

Stairwell 02; Shorty 1 & 2 (04-14-06)
   these two just fit nicely together and well.....they're short!

Stairwell 03; Bizness as Usual  (04-14-06)
    sounds to me like a bureaucrat ranting, if a bureaucrat could be hip

Stairwell 04; If I Were a Bell Miles Ahead (04-21-06)
    Not my original, this is after Miles Davis' classic take on "If I Were a Bell".  This is from
    memory, I don't have the recording, just heard it a lot on the radio.  It's a CHALLENGE, man!

Stairwell 05; e z duzzit (05-11-06)
    If my daddy could only hear me now!  All that music from WAY back in the day must have
    seeped into my head and emerged as I was improvising after dinner with  just a little
    taste of wine.

Stairwell 06; e z duzzit jam (don't let the band have any more wine)  (05-12-06)
    This is made from bits and pieces of several of my takes on Stairwell 5.  Being unplanned,
    it's a little ragged, but that's kind of what I like about it

Stairwell 07; Thus Always  (05-26-06)
    While I'm having fun with slightly dissonant harmonies, here's another. Got to try this some
    of these days in the studio, where I can play to a click track and polish this act a little.

Stairwell 08; Take That  (05-26-06)
    Just a nice simple "A-part" waiting  for its "B".  Solos should be fun on this if I would do it
    some time with a piano or simple rhythm section.

Stairwell 09; Still So Much to Say  (05-27-06)
    Is there anything more humbling than struggling to play your own song?  But this thing is a
    bitch - go ahead, grab your harp and try it at home!

Stairwell 10; Huffin' (05-27-06)
    Hitting single notes on a harmonica is one of the first challenges a beginner faces.  But years
    later, it's important to remember that one of the most beautiful aspects of a harmonica is its
    ability to make full rich chords.  This little clip is a refresher course for me!

More will be coming as soon as the air conditioner is fixed!  (phewwww!)

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