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I first saw Harper when he opened for Anne McCue in 2004 at FitzGerald’s and made a note to see him again. While top-notch bluesmen are common around these parts, it’s not every day that you see someone play a didgeridoo.

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Well, it was a long time coming, but I finally saw Harper again Friday at the Berwyn roadhouse. I wasn’t the only one marking time, either. “Welcome to FitzGerald’s, everybody,” Harper said after his first two numbers. “It’s been too long.” By then, the Australian musician had already reminded me why he so impressed me on the same stage seven years ago.

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Harper may hail from Down Under, but everything about him is a cut above – from his songwriting to his harp playing to his singing to his vibe to his rapport with the crowd. And then there’s the didgeridoo, a wind instrument developed by the Aboriginal people of Australia’s Northern Territory some 1,500 years ago. Harper played three different didgeridoos, each measuring between four to five feet long. The longer the length, the lower the key.

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The didgeridoo is so unique that it could come across as a gimmick in lesser hands, but what’s remarkable about Harper is how he seamlessly blends the wood instrument into his soulful blues. He incorporates the didgeridoo’s droning sound naturally.

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Looking like he just returned from a journey into The Outback, Harper opened with “Love = Peace = Freedom,” a song from his 2010 album Stand Together. “Love, love, love, love,” he sang, “equals peace equals freedom.” The song was a melting of equal parts Australia, ‘60s San Francisco and Chicago blues. The idealism continued in “Not My Brother,” which featured a big harp closing. “I was born in Chicago,” Harper joked after the song. “I have that accent.”

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While the didgeridoo’s visual presence can overshadow Harper’s mastery of the harmonica, there’s no doubt that Harper can stand tall with the town’s standout blues harp players, and even teach some of them about the value of restraint. His playing is never showy, but comes from deep in his soul to serve the song. “Chill Out” and “Last Cup of Coffee” featured his flowing harmonica. Then it was time to break out one of his unique instruments on “I’ll Go Home.” “I feel like some didgeridoo,” Harper said. “I just can’t get enough of it. Who can, especially on the weekend when you have time on your side?” He switched between the didgeridoo and the harp during the song, and it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. The fun “Gimme The Money” saw Harper toss in a couple lines from Barrett Strong’s “Money (That’s What I Want).”

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A three-piece band from the Detroit area backed Harper. He used them much like Hendrix used his bands – as percolating and kicking frames to his exploratory playing. Harper said he, too, is living in Detroit these days, but that shouldn’t come as a big surprise. The guy is unique. I’ve made a note not to wait seven years to see him again.            

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The setlist:

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Love = Peace = Freedom
Glass on the Steppin Stone
Not My Brother
I Never Want
Chill Out
Does Anybody Really Care
Last Cup of Coffee
I’ll Go Home
Gimme The Money
Do What Is Right
What Are You Gonna Do
Don’t Have To Explain

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Start: 10:29 p.m./Finish: 12:01 a.m.
Totals: 12 songs, one hour and 32 minutes

 

past reviews

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