Jeffrey M. Carp (July 6, 1948 – January 1973)[1] was an American bluesharmonica player. He was best known for his work with Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Howlin' Wolf. He played harmonica on numerous charting blues albums. He was also for a period of time, a side man in Earl Hooker's band.
Early life
Carp was born in New York City.[1] As a teenager, he led the Jeff Carp Blues Band, a group that included violinist Joel Smirnoff.[2][3]
Career
Carp joined Sam Lay's band[4][5] with guitarist Paul Asbell and the group recorded three songs for the LP Goin' To Chicago, released in 1966 on Testament Records.[6]
He also recorded with Muddy Waters, Earl Hooker,[4] John Lee Hooker,[11] The Soulful Strings,[12] Patti Drew, and Marlena Shaw.[citation needed]
He appeared on the 1969 Muddy Waters album, Fathers and Sons.[8][13]
In April 1969, he was at the recording session for Fathers and Sons by Muddy Waters. Other musicians present were Paul Butterfield, Mike Bloomfield, Paul Asbell, Otis Spann and Donald "Duck" Dunn.[14][5] In May, 1969, he played on the Lightnin' album by Lightnin' Hopkins which was produced by Chris Strachwitz.[15][16] Also that month, he played on Earl Hooker's Funk album. Carp also contributed vocals to the album.[17] Carp had actually been sitting in with Hooker for while from late 1968 to early 1969. After some of Hooker's side men left, Carp and guitarist Paul Asbell were brought in as band members. Carp filled in the missing ingredient for the group that had come about due to Carey Bell's departure.[18]
In May 1970, along with Howlin' Wolf, Hubert Sumlin and Chess Records producer Norman Dayron, Carp travelled to London for a recording session.[19] He was playing at London's Olympic Studio, in the recording session that took place between the 2nd and 7th of that month which would result in Howlin' Wolf's London Sessions.[8][20]
Critics and producers described him in superlative terms. A reviewer of the reissued London Howlin' Wolf Sessions said "the late Jeffrey Carp provided fireballs of musical punctuation via his blistering shots on harmonica."[8] Norman Dayron described him as "the most important talent I've worked with".[21] Writing about a live concert by Earl Hooker in San Francisco in 1969, a reviewer said, "Mouth harpist Jeff Carp ... is magnificent - for my money better than Paul Butterfield (more musical, more inventive)".[4]Rolling Stone wrote of Fathers and Sons "talking about harmonica playing, there’s superlative chromatic work by Jeff Carp ... he does a hell of a job".[5]
Carp died by accidental drowning in January 1973 after jumping from a boat in the Caribbean, where he had been on vacation with his girlfriend Scarlet Grey. He was 24 years old.[24][21]
^Rudis, Al (May 29, 1970). "Where You Been So Long, Earl Hooker?". Press and Sun-Bulletin. Binghamton, New York. The Press-Chicago Sun-Times. p. 44. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
