Maggie Delaney-Potthoff | Henry Boehm | Sims Delaney-Potthoff | Doug Brown
HARMONIOUS WAIL IS A VOCAL, STRING ENSEMBLE whose energy fuses the line between folk and jazz. Their newest CD was recorded live at the Zelt Musik Festival (ZMF) in Freiberg, Germany and offers listeners the opportunity to both hear and see the Wail in action. Thanks to German television and new interactive technology, video footage of the Wisconsin-based band's energy-soaked performance in the Spiegelzelt is included on the CD. As an added bonus, personal interviews of band members were also incorporated to make, "Live at the ZMF" one of the Wail's most personal CDs to date. Whereas Harmonious Wail has been a familiar group on the midwest music scene and their lively Swing-Fusion sound is almost taken for granted, their popularity in Europe is accelerating due to their European tours in 1994 and 1995. According to Sims Delaney-Potthoff, the Wail's founder and spokesperson, the reception that the Wail received in Europe was more than a pleasant surprise. "One day," Sims mused, "we were playing at a pub in Waterford, Ireland to a packed house. We were almost finished with our first set when I looked down and saw this group furiously taking notes. Intrigued, the band approached the group during break and struck up a friendly conversation. As it turns out, these fans were actually a Harmonious Wail cover band. We couldn't believe it. These people were actually making a career playing our music all over the U.K. while we were back in the States. Needless to say, we were more than flattered." "It's not that the Europeans like us better than people in America," Sims persisted. "In America our fans are spread out in small pockets all over the country. In Europe our fans appear to be more concentrated. Lucky for us, the large crowd and enthusiastic reception we got at the ZMF made for some very memorable music." Without a doubt, the Wail's music is memorable but it's also hard for many fans to define. In Europe they actually have a niche for the Wail's sound. They call it Eclectic European Jazz, Gypsy Swing or American Roots Music - a mixture of contemporary folk and swing. Regardless of what you call it, the Wail's music is a good time. Harmonious Wail's distinctive Swing-Fusion sound actually defies someone not to have a good time when the band's on stage. As Sims points out, "We've been told by some people that our energetic music actually lifts people's spirits. And we're not just up on stage doing a performance -- we really like what we do. I guess this enjoyment often spills over to our audience and creates a kind of musical euphoria." "Live at the ZMF" is a mixture of classic jazz standards, swing, Latin, and blues tunes that have been uniquely "wailized" to give the CD their distinctive sound. Throughout the CD you hear sounds that have come to typify Harmonious Wail--the pure acoustic instrumentation of the mandolin, guitar and bass whose driving rhythms create a song's energy along with the Wail's tight three-part vocal harmonies. Many of the songs also feature the inspiring and embraceable vocals of lead singer, Maggie Delaney-Potthoff, who is also the band's percussionist. The bookend pieces on "Live at the ZMF" exemplify the Harmonious Wail sound. The CD opens with the lively Joel Mabus tune, "Swing That Thing," an acoustic jump swing number demonstrating Harmonious Wail's energy and cohesive vocal harmonies. Likewise, the CD closes with "It Ain't Right," a minor key jump swing tune inspired by violinist Stuff Smith and renovated by the Wail. The song, which is featured on the interactive part of the CD, again generates a high degree of energy from the acoustic rhythms of the instruments. Although led vocally by Sims, the song also contains a section where he and Maggie do some improvised wailing of "it ain't right." Other songs on "Live at the ZMF" show the band's musical versatility. For instance, "Eat at Joe's" is a slower, bluesy number that highlights the vocal strength of Maggie as she laments over being a hash-slinging waitress working for nickel and dime tips. Harmonious Wail gets its pure acoustic sound from the musicians who comprise it: Sims Delaney-Potthoff on mandolin, Doug Brown on guitar, Henry Boehm on string bass and Maggie Delaney-Potthoff on percussion. One way this sound comes together is in the instrumental cut, "Tico, Tico." This tune is a Latin "choro" that shows off the Sim's mandolin techniques and Brown's guitar prowess, which along with the underlying bass thread creates an instrumental frenzy of fun and festivity. "Exactly Like You" is a love ballad that features the expressive vocals of Maggie: The song also has a mandolin introduction that was transcribed from an original saxophone part in addition to very melodic guitar and improvised bass solos midstream. This instrumentation does a nice job of adding to the emotional voicing of this tune. "Live at the ZMF" is available through: Bufflehead Recordings
PO Box 14033
Madison, WI 53714-0033
or through the following Madison area outlets: B-Side Records on State Street and Strictly Disks on Monroe Street. CDs can also be listened to and purchased via Harmonious Wail's Web site at: http://www.wail.com To schedule a booking of Harmonious Wail for your event, contact Sims Delaney-Potthoff at (608) 221-3966 or via the Internet at http://www.wail.com