Gary Primich - Just A Little Bit More... With Omar Dykes (2012)

once tried to describe the Sixties. But, as old-time mandolinist Yank Rachel once said when asked if he could breathe life into the old South for us, "It can't be did." So it is with Gary Primich. He's gone. No more will we hear that barrelhouse laugh, roll our eyes in disbelief at the chaos he could make of a hotel room, or fall silent at how easily he made the harmonica sing and moan. Personally, Gary was a walking explosive devise - a bumper car in a world of sharp edges. Musically he was a sponge with a voracious appetite for learning. He would absorb all he could and then, through some mysterious internal remix, re-birth it in a sound uniquely his. He learned styling and phrasing from jazz saxophonists Gene Ammons and Lester Young; befriended blues harpist Jerry McCain; sought to incorporate the "feel" of steel guitarist Jerry Byrd; threw down country gleanings from Ernest Tubbs and George Jones; and stole licks from Tiny Grimes and Louis Jordan. He loved Jazz Gillum, Hammie Nixon, Will Shade, and Robert McCoy. and harbored a secret hope to elevate harmonica's poor image as a musical instrument. He was all about sound and feel - from his characteristic meaty, fat tone, to the sweet trills of "Sailor's Hornpipe" which he played to make children smile. And he went after guitar too - developing a chunky, single note sometimes uneven attack so soulful that mistakes seemed moot. and he never stopped working to improve his singing skills. His trueness of tone and phrasing - always focal points of playing and teaching - were impossible to deny, but for me the feeling behind each note is his highest distinction. I loved John "Juke" Logan's description of playing with Gary: "We're low tech - high grease. The most important piece of equipment we've got is soul." Cathi Norton, Blues DJ Bloomington, IN For the many people who have asked, "How can we preserve Gary's music and legacy" can do so buy getting this package, listening to it and sharing their thoughts about it alongside his full catalog. Through doing this, Gary Primich will continue to generate interest through many listeners and musicians worldwide. He is not only unforgettable as a musician and a teacher but most notably as a genuine person who cared about the future of Blues music and the harmonica as a serious instrument. Finally, for the record, even when he was on tour in Europe, Gary Primich without fail, made sure the van had its oil changed every 3,000 miles ! Patrick Recob, Bass Player Gary Primich Band