Masters of the Harmonica

[Atorresmd]

Just received and started reading a new book, “Masters of the Harmonica”, by Margie Goldsmith.  Chapter 14 features a Slidemaster member who has posted videos on the new Suzuki Bass harmonica.  I am honored to be part of this site.

ALfredo

[Gnarly He Man]

Yeah, I bet the book is wonderful--Margie does travel writing for a living, and is used to interviewing people.
I think a number of these interviews were done for Harmonica Happenings, anybody verify that?

[Scotty]

Just received and started reading a new book, “Masters of the Harmonica”, by Margie Goldsmith.  Chapter 14 features a Slidemaster member who has posted videos on the new Suzuki Bass harmonica.  I am honored to be part of this site.

ALfredo

Yes - I've followed some info about her book and thankfully it's entirely UNrelated to he who deems himself to be a 'master' of the harmonica on facebook and other places (when he's not). SHE is a good harmonica writer - is a regular submitter to Harmonica Happenings, attends SPAH and plays harmonica (though not chromatics). I understand, though --that 99% of those she writes about in the book are diatonic player/masters? So I suspect this post might be suited to the diatonic section? I was tempted to post it there but wanted to see more feedback about it. You can mention the Bass player who is a SlideMeister by the way...I hadn't any idea she covered someone who played Bass harmonica.  I suspect the reason we don't know much about you is that you never introduced yourself when you arrived a year and a half ago? I just looked and you began posting with nary a hint about who you were, or your background. It's required to post an intro and to read the rules and regulations which give you the specific info about how to go about joining the site. When you post an intro, at least a bunch of us say hello and post welcomes - and pay attention to your name thereafter. It helps give you some 'name recognition' when you post later on.

scotty

[Atorresmd]

Hi Scotty.  Chapter 14 of the book features Filip Jers, who recently introduced us to the bass chromatic harmonica.  (I bought one based on his beautiful playing)

I feel as though I have offended you or broken rules.  When I signed up I did read the rules and wrote an intro.  You and others responded and welcomed me.  I introduced myself as a physician, an amateur (very!) player, who hopes to one day be able to play some tunes for the Veterans at the Nursing Home where I work.  My sincere apologies if I have done wrong.

Alfredo

[Crawforde]

That bass chromatic looks very interesting. And Philip Akers made it sound great!
It sounds like you did everything correctly, it’s just been a while and we forgot.
We can be a bit forgetful so pop in occasionally and keep us on our toes!
As a veteran I thank you for the work you are doing.

[SlideMeister]

Hi Scotty.  Chapter 14 of the book features Filip Jers, who recently introduced us to the bass chromatic harmonica.  (I bought one based on his beautiful playing)

I feel as though I have offended you or broken rules.  When I signed up I did read the rules and wrote an intro.  You and others responded and welcomed me.  I introduced myself as a physician, an amateur (very!) player, who hopes to one day be able to play some tunes for the Veterans at the Nursing Home where I work.  My sincere apologies if I have done wrong.

Alfredo

Yeah, that IS kinda strange. I only have a record of 18 of your posts and you have 33 credited, which means I gave you the fifteen postings credits which means you musta posted an intro, BUT darned if I can find it. Hmmmmmmm!  Oh well!

Scotty's right about the content though; if that book is about diatonics, this thread is going over there jabba wonka! 

[Scotty]

Hi Scotty.  Chapter 14 of the book features Filip Jers, who recently introduced us to the bass chromatic harmonica.  (I bought one based on his beautiful playing)

I feel as though I have offended you or broken rules.  When I signed up I did read the rules and wrote an intro.  You and others responded and welcomed me.  I introduced myself as a physician, an amateur (very!) player, who hopes to one day be able to play some tunes for the Veterans at the Nursing Home where I work.  My sincere apologies if I have done wrong.

Alfredo

Hi Alfredo: NEVER 'offended me' at all, that is not at all my intent in steering you to correcting what I presumed was an oversight in posting an intro (which is somehow missing  - as Age just confirmed). Something's obviously gone awry. It's never a case of doing 'wrong' merely 'an oversight', so please don't take it as such. (I would have made it clear using emojis but mine are somehow not working for the last month or so--need to get my computer checked --again!) Under our members' names one can find every post made by each of us --and I checked yours out of curiousity since I hadn't remembered you (mea culpa...we welcome so many new people here) - only to find nothing about you at all, so was giving you a heads-up. I'm glad you updated us on Filip...I had gone ahead and found his video playing that Bass (most excellent). He's a wonderful player of so many types of harmonicas who has come to SPAH and wowed us all with his fantastic playing - even at such a young age. I'd guessed it might be him or BeauKim (who also plays Bass). Margie is a great harmonica fan and writer--I only wish she'd do a similar book on the great chromatic master players!

scotty

[smojoe]

Not that anyone needs me to chime in but I'm not entirely sure that Mr. Pot-healthy was inferring that HE himself was a master. I got the impression that his blog was about THE masters. Inasmuch as he was able to get THE masters to submit to interviews.
As to signor A. Torres M.D. Not to worry, we love you anyway.

smo-joe

[Edward Brock]

Not that anyone needs me to chime in but

Don't be silly, Smojo, I Always need you to chime in.
You make my day worth pressing on to completion. 

[Scotty]

Not that anyone needs me to chime in but I'm not entirely sure that Mr. Pot-healthy was inferring that HE himself was a master. I got the impression that his blog was about THE masters. Inasmuch as he was able to get THE masters to submit to interviews.
As to signor A. Torres M.D. Not to worry, we love you anyway.

smo-joe

well, I actually asked him that specific question on one of his youtubes and he got a bit irate, deleted my post then anything else I dared query him about from then on. Fwiw, he DOES imagine himself a 'master' of the harmonica as he's made clear in other posts and videos, including his interactions with certain harmonica manufacturers. There's been a lot going on about this guy you might not yet be aware of, but trust me: not good news. (Want to make it clear we're NOT talking about Alfredo).

scotty

[smojoe]

Ok, good, I'll trust you on that one. Because I haven't really followed him much. 
smo-joe

[John Broecker]

Hey, leave THAT guy (not Dr. Alfredo) alone.

You'd be that way too, if you had to blow up
all of those balloons.

JB

[Scotty]

Hey, leave THAT guy (not Dr. Alfredo) alone.

You'd be that way too, if you had to blow up
all of those balloons.

JB

LOL!

scotty
(or maybe it's listening to the whistling teakettles for hours on end?)

[smojoe]

Tea kettles......lolololololololololol
s.j.

[Scotty]

Tea kettles......lolololololololololol
s.j.

you thought I was kidding? Feast your eyes and ears on this:



or maybe don't....mine are still recovering, lolol. There's another which is actually worse. He really does take these seriously.
Refers to this guy Nacci as some kind of 'famous' Italian musician/artist who seems to love DK's work, and now he's basing
his 'playing' on the guy's drawings? I hadn't noticed that before--was under the impression Nacci was composing stuff just
for him. Some of us have heard these 'compositions' which consist of a single note - held nonstop. Others might not agree,
but to my ears it's pure torture, just too bizarre and not worth wasting my time on.

scotty

[Gnarly He Man]

This thread is about Margie's book ... and I haven't read it.
But I have spoken with that other guy several times on the phone, when he was trying to get free stuff from Suzuki.
Everybody likes free stuff . . .
They say, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
So  . . . . 

[Scotty]

This thread is about Margie's book ... and I haven't read it.
But I have spoken with that other guy several times on the phone, when he was trying to get free stuff from Suzuki.
Everybody likes free stuff . . .
They say, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
So  . . . . 

Frankly, I was VERY GLAD she wrote a book and gave it that name. I now wish she'd do yet another about the Chromatic Masters of the Harmonica, but
am unsure if she knows them as well as she does the diatonic guys? Maybe, since she does attend SPAH. Mostly, I don't want anyone here to confuse her book with his site or name.

scotty

[Gnarly He Man]

Well, she has been chasing the diatonic for some time now, and hasn't attempted the slide harp, AFAIK.

But she is friendly and probably knows all the usual suspects--some of her interviews were with folks who play both.

Here's the table of contents:

Chapter 1;Cheryl Arena: Baddest Harp Player;
Chapter 2; David Barrett: Minimizing the Bumps and Bruises;
Chapter 3; Sugar Blue: The Harmonica Wizard;
Chapter 4; Billy Branch: Ambassador of the Chicago Blues;
Chapter 5; James Conway: Deadly Druid of the Harmonica;
Chapter 6; Magic Dick: Lord of the Lickin’ Stick;
Chapter 7; Carolyn Dolan: Master of Roots Music;
Chapter 8; Lee Edwards: The Yoda of the Harmonica;
Chapter 9; Rick Estrin: Legendary Showman;
Chapter 10; Joe Filisko: Master of the Traditional Harmonica;
Chapter 11; Jon Gindick: Pioneer of the Jam Camp;
Chapter 12; Dennis Gruenling: Jump Swing BadAss;
Chapter 13; Adam Gussow: The Blues Professor;
Chapter 14; Filip Jers: The Swedish Harmonica Sensation;
Chapter 15; Buzz Krantz: The Santa Claus of the Blues;
Chapter 16; Howard Levy: Jazz Harmonica Virtuoso;
Chapter 17; Delbert McClinton: At the Top of His Game;
Chapter 18; Charlie McCoy: His First Harmonica Cost Fifty Cents and a Box Top;
Chapter 19; Charlie Musselwhite: King of the Blues;
Chapter 20; Paul Oscher: Keeping It Real;
Chapter 21; Rupert Oysler: Harmonica Zen Master;
Chapter 22; Todd Parrott: Inspirational Virtuoso;
Chapter 23; Annie Raines: Queen of the Blues;
Chapter 24; Jason Ricci: Standing Shoulder to Shoulder with the Greats;
Chapter 25; Wade Schuman: The Pied Piper of Hazmat Modine;
Chapter 26; Indiara Sfair: Harmonica Goddess;
Chapter 27; Ronnie Shellist: GlobalBlues Harp Summit Ambassador;
Chapter 28; Richard Sleigh: Intrepid Harp Tech;
Chapter 29; Kim Wilson: Soul of the Fabulous Thunderbirds;
Chapter 30; Winslow Yerxa: The Musician’s Musician

[wolfman]

 You did not make that list Gary? 

  Roman

[Edward Brock]

They say, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
So  . . . . 
[/quote]

OK....
He still strange though.
Oops! I mean 

[Gnarly He Man]

Hey, I'm strange . . . get over it.
And I fetched the list from the internet, with some searching. And then edited it for clarity.
I don't need a hobby, I have SlideMeister.

[dougharps]

Thanks for posting the list to the thread!

I was becoming concerned that the original discussion of the book was becoming lost due to the similarity of the title to some individual's debatable pretensions.

I bought the Kindle version and am enjoying the book.


Doug S.

[Gnarly He Man]

You are welcome Doug.
I would buy a copy, but I am just slammed trying to take care of all my projects.
Margie's credentials are unimpeachable, and all these players have years of experience playing in public.
I would probably get a lot out of the book. Some of my favorite players--and people!

[T.C.]

I'm the best harmonica player on my street and always will be!


Even if I have to move!

ETA: I followed the link and listened to about 30 seconds of the intro to the MOH You Tube page.

The condescending tone of his voice told me all I needed to know!

[SlideMeister]

I'm pretty sure I'm the best on my street; a dead-end street with only six other houses (all music haters) 

[frankyb]

And they haven't run you out Age!

[SlideMeister]

Nope! Like I always say: "I'm a very quiet player" 

[Gnarly He Man]

I was becoming concerned that the original discussion of the book was becoming lost due to the similarity of the title to some individual's debatable pretensions.

Inescapable.
Margie is a good harmonica player, but not chromatic.
From her website:

When I’m not writing, traveling, or exploring Central Park, I run, bike, hike, do Mixed Martial Arts, and practice blues harmonica. When visiting foreign countries, I give away Hohner harmonicas to school children because music is a universal language, an ideal way to communicate with everyone. It’s my passport to the world.

I am glad she is giving the harmonica its rightful due.
Let's hope that the other individual is similarly promoting the harmonica in his own way.
Not much else we can do . . . unless we sue!

[Scotty]

I'm pretty sure I'm the best on my street; a dead-end street with only six other houses (all music haters) 

haha--I know I am too, and we only have 8 homes on our dead end street as well. Only after many years did I find out that the original owners of
the house next door liked blues harmonica and followed one particular guy who had just passed. Right after that, they left for Florida...and their
son lives in the house with his family now. We're the last of the original 8, so I know no one else here plays harmonica. I keep hoping someone will
move in with each changeover. At least a couple of them do like music - and have listened to and enjoyed my playing when sitting around the firepit
here. Sigh.

We should live closer--I'd so love playing harmonica with you, but in person, not on skype.

scotty

[Danny G]

Just counting my blessings. My next door neighbor Bob Nelson who was a good chromatic/diatonic player and an excellent bass harmonica player passed away a few years ago. Excellent ? well, he played on both the Arthur Godfrey and Ed Sullivan shows.  I have another harmonica playing neighbor, Jeff Pusatari about 4 doors down who celebrated his bands 45th anniversary last summer. And the most awesome thing happened last year when Harmonica Bruce bought the house next door. I might mention that having Age not exactly being a neighbor but only being about 35 minutes away ain't bad either.