Ethan Askey
BLUES HARP
Ethan Askey is a musician, singer, bandleader and collaborator based in the Canadian Rockies, who reaches audiences around the world with his original music.
An emerging artist in contemporary blues, and one who colours outside the lines into funk, rock, and alt country genres, Ethan’s versatility and virtuosity as a harmonica player has been recognized with awards, nominations, positive reviews and repeat invitations.
His debut album Walk When You Wanna Run (2022) gained the attention of radio program hosts around the world and sustained their keen interest, earning a Top 50 position in multiple radio play charts and holding there for over 150 weeks. The album was partly inspired by and dedicated to the late Junior Wells - legendary Chicago performer, recording artist, and blues harp collaborator with Buddy Guy and Muddy Waters Band – who was a key figure in Ethan’s origin story, as told in the album’s title track.
Since 1994 Ethan has played clubs, theatres and festivals throughout western Canada; he has performed on legendary stages in Chicago and Memphis; and he has completed two tours in Europe including headlining (with Jimmy & the Sleepers) blues festivals on the Baltic Sea and in Switzerland.
In addition to his live performance and studio session work with a wide variety of independent artists, he has supported on stage and collaborated with prominent artists including: John Mayall (Bluesbreakers), John Primer (Muddy Waters), Amos Garrett (Paul Butterfield Better Days), Russell Jackson (BB King), Robert Cray, Lil’ Jimmy Reed, Steve Marriner (Colin James, MonkeyJunk), Tim Williams, Jack deKeyzer, Suzie Vinnick, and others. Ethan currently fronts the powerful new band, Ethan Askey & the Elevators, who’ve been gigging in Western Canada, gaining an audience, and creating more fresh and funky music.
Workshops
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BEGINNER TO ADVANCED
There is a world of music hidden inside the “tin sandwich”, better known as the blues harp. A skilled harp player can coax many sounds from the tiny instrument, and with a set of harmonicas played in different ways there is almost no end of expressive possibility. This workshop will cover some history and the fundamentals of the instrument, and it will provide insight to the playing styles and techniques of some of the blues harp masters. We’ll explore concepts of modal playing and vocabulary, tone and phrasing, accompaniment, and soloing. Students will be able to make practical applications of this knowledge immediately.
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INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED
Dig in to the minor scales by deepening your understanding of playing third and fifth positions. Add huge colour and expressive range to your blues harp playing: third position comes in real handy for playing the chromatic harmonica as well as the blues harp, while fifth position also opens up more funk and reggae-oriented blues grooves. This workshop will be Illustrated by some close listening to Junior Wells, William Clarke, Rick Estrin, and others.
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INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED
This workshop will focus on first position or “straight” harp playing. It offers some fresh alternatives to the classic blues sounds of cross harp (second position), both on the low end using deep draw bends and up high using the blow bends. For students who also play guitar, first position harp playing lends itself well to playing harp accompaniment using a rack. We’ll listen to Jimmy Reed, Sonny Boy Williamson II, and John Hammond Jr. to get in the swing of it.
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BEGINNER TO ADVANCED.
This workshop will involve mostly playing and improvising within a group setting, to gain hands-on experience in how blues musicians come together to create sound that is more than the sum of parts, and to create meaningful moments of emotion and communication. We’ll jam the 12-bar blues for starters, and make sure all participants understand how the chord changes work and then explore the ways in which your harmonica playing can fit into those chord changes and different rhythms. We’ll listen hard and play soft!