I first saw Shun Ng perform early last year at a show that was called An Afternoon of Extraordinary Guitars. That moniker did not overstate the talent on stage that day, so I eagerly anticipated seeing him at The Extended Play Sessions with Magic Dick, the harmonica player with the J. Geils Band.

Magic Dick, Shun Ng

The last time I saw Shun was in the early days of his collaboration with Dick, who was supposed to play but was sick. This show was worth waiting to see!

Shun Ng

Magic Dick

I imagine that many people in the audience were there to see Dick and hopefully they were blown away by Shun.

Magic Dick, Shun Ng

It is unusual to see musicians who have such a difference in age perform together; Dick is 71 and Shun is 26. Despite being a relatively new performer, Shun has a tremendous grace that belies his years. Dick is thoroughly at ease on stage. Together they are powerful.

Shun Ng

Magic Dick

Shun has a unique (and possibly one-of-a-kind) way of playing guitar. At times percussive, at times melodic, at times harmonic, he can sound like he’s playing both a bass guitar and guitar simultaneously. He holds his right hand in a position that looks similar to a clawhammer banjo position; he never sounds like a banjo though!

Shun Ng

Dick had a suitcase full of harmonicas! I know very little about the harmonica, other than each one is in a specific key. Some are small, others fill his hands. And one called chord harmonica which appeared to be close to two feet long! It is apparently extremely rare and I know I have never seen anyone play one before this night.

Magic Dick on the chord harmonica

They played mostly songs they co-wrote. The songs gave them each multiple chances to take the lead. The set list included the J. Geils Band classic, “Whammer Jammer”, and Dick had the crowd jumping from the first notes!

Magic Dick

The interview portion of this show was particularly interesting to me; they spent some time discussing how their collaboration came together. It took one astute person to see the potential of this duo and the rest is history!

Magic Dick, Shun Ng

I did not have a conversation with Dick, but I was able to talk with Shun for a while. He continues to impress me with his maturity and sensitivity. He is engaging and open as well. Those traits should serve him well in his career with music.

Magic Dick

Shun Ng

If they are playing in a city near you, it would be worth your time to see them. There are not many – if any – duos in which guitar and harmonica (and voice) are the instruments. If you think this would not work well, you would be wrong.