Last Thursday I went to a great Jim Messina concert here on Kauai. Most baby boomers will remember Jim from the duo
Loggins and Messina. He was also part of
Buffalo Springfield and
Poco.
This concert was particularly fun for me, because I performed on the song
Whispering Waters on his
Messina solo album back in 1981. He played
Whispering Waters in Thursday's concert and I sang my harp part under my breath as I sat in my seat in the audience.
I was able to speak with him for a few minutes after the concert, and it was fun to reminisce with him about that day in the studio 35 years ago.
I have played on lots of other people's albums over the years. And I must admit that I don't remember most of them. However, I still remember every note of
Whispering Waters. The reason is that I've used this song in workshops at harp conventions for many years. I have the original lead sheet and "scratch track" that Jim gave me before the recording session, and we play along with these in the workshops. So, if you've ever taken one of my "How to Read a Lead Sheet" workshops, you've played this piece, too!
Jim has made several re-recordings of
Whispering Waters at various times. You can listen to the original one from
Messina by clicking this
YouTube link. First, you'll hear me playing glisses for the sound of the wind. Then I play a duet with the flute player on a variation of
Morrison's Jig. I remember that Jim told me to "play something Irish-sounding" and
Morrison's seemed to fit with the chord progression. I also play chords throughout the rest of the track, but I'm pretty much drowned out by the other instruments. I love this song, and I hope you enjoy it, too!
