A veritable
encyclopedia on Celtic music & blues (he's Sing Out magazine's harmonica expert
and also writes for Acoustic Guitar), Wieser has accumulated a vast repertoire
through his travels from 1950's New Jersey: fingerstyle classics of the '20's & '30's
made famous not only by Jefferson, but Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson, and others.
As a youth studying classical guitar ("the rich cultural tradition of the New
Jersey suburbs," he deadpans), Weiser gradually converted from Baroque and Spanish
music to steel-string fingerpicking after hearing "Separation Blues" at a 1967
peace rally. He knew the transition was complete after witnessing the rip-snorting,
low-down soulful blues of John Fahey and Mississippi John Hurt.
He was part of the Music Generation that spawned the Beatles, and Weiser experienced
the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix and Richie Havens at Woodstock ("It was raining
paisley," he remembers). After he marched in the 1969 War Moratorium in Washington,
the largest anti-war demonstration of the '60's, Weiser's grinning image appeared in Life
magazine and won its independent photographer an award.
Weiser has appeared on the same bill with Tony Trischka, John Herald, Junior Wells, and
Koko Taylor, and has jammed informally with Pete Seeger, John Hammond, Danny Kalb, Willie
"Big Eyes" Smith (Muddy Waters' drummer), Archie Edwards and many others. His
harmonica playing graces Anne Hills' and Cindy Mangen's recent Flying Fish release
"Never Grow Up," a classic collection of traditional folk favorites.
He also teaches guitar, mandolin, banjo, harmonica and fiddle, and has performed
with The St. Regis String Band, Mojo Hand Blues Band, and as a duo with Celtic
musician Greg Schaaf.
In addition, he's authored several books, including "Fiddle Tunes for
Harmonica," "The Minstrel Boy-85 Traditional Fiddle Tunes and Airs for
Solo Guitar," " Blues and Rock Harmonica," and "Celtic Harp Music of
Carolan and Others for Solo Guitar." His book on Carolan won the following
praise from Guitar Player in a June '96 review: "Traditional Irish
Harp music sounds ravishing on acoustic guitar. ...you can thank Glenn Weiser for
collecting 45 of the finest harp melodies...and arranging them for fingerstyle
players...Weiser's results should please both classical players and folk purists alike,
and introduce this rich tradition to a new audience of guitarists."
The Associated Press covered him for transcribing dozens of the harmonica solos of
Little Walter Jacobs, seen by many as the world's greatest blues harmonica player--as
Weiser will remind you, Jacobs played with Muddy Waters during its Chicago beginnings in
the early '50's.
But whether he's at Caffe Lena, The Eighth Step, Fiddle & Dance Weekend at Hubbard
Hall, Old Songs or a host of other regional acoustic music venues, he seamlessly mixes
anecdotes on origins of tunes (and the musicians who made them famous) with soulful
ballads, wailing blues harmonica, and maybe a bright and beautiful jig.
Samples of Glenn's not-so-trivia
Two of the greatest Texas bluesmen froze to death during the same winter: Blind Willie
Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. Lemon in December of 1929 and Johnson in February of
1930 - the two greatest blues guitarists in Texas, who were often seen playing
simultaneously on different street corners on the same towns. ("Imagine the feast of
music!")
When "Eileen Aroon" was played on the harp for George Frederick Handel in
Dublin in 1742, he exclaimed that he would rather have been the composer of that one tune
than all of his operas and oratorios.
"MacPherson's Lament" was composed by condemned robber-fiddler James
MacPherson on the night before his hanging. The town fathers pushed the clock ahead 15
minutes, to beat a pardon coming by hourseback courier from the King of Scotland, who
liked MacPherson's fiddle playing.
E-Mail: celticguitar1@nycap.rr.com
Snail Mail: P.O. Box 2551
Albany, NY, 12220 USA
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