Subject: Re: [Harp-L] video--"amazing grace"- HOWARD LEVY/Terry McMillan

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Terry McMillan's cause of death  was  given as related  to pneumonia (at the 
time)...but there were reports he'd just come out off drug  rehab in 
December, 2006 (he died in February, 2007), so there was some  speculation. 
If that's the reference you mean?  
 
..here's a very sweet Christmas Carol played on harmonica with an  
orchestra....put on YouTube as a tribute to him after his death in 2007
 
_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4ZHIT9s2zY_ 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4ZHIT9s2zY) 
 
His playing of Amazing Grace was nice, but I've heard several versions  by 
other players, each one better than the next. The two which truly 'blow  me 
away' are still those I listen to regularly:  Frederic Yonnet on  'Blowing Your 
Mind on Every Key of the Harp'..and Jason Ricci & New Blood  captured at a gig 
in New Jersey on a videocamera and posted to Youtube  by Garry Hodgson (under 
Snarkus).  Both make the hair stand up on the back  of my neck. Both are 
innovative and exciting yet still hew to the core of  the song/hymn without veering 
into the maudlin or going off into the  stratosphere of 'complete 
unrecognizability'.
 
As far as Howard Levy...the issue with Howard's playing is, I think..in the  
way he's being recorded and/or the clips posted.  
 
Being present at a Live performance (as Manfred's already said) is  
astonishing. Howard's skills on the keyboard are also amazingly good (I could  have 
happily enjoyed an entire piano concert of his) and he left me drained with  his 
abilities on the harp....where every nuance could be heard crystal  clearly.  
 
Something always seems to be missing on these less than stellar recordings,  
is how I see it, and why some aren't getting the full benefit  of his Live 
performance. 
 
I don't enjoy listening to Howard play on many of these YouTube clips  
either...don't feel engaged emotionally more often than not, yet  am glad to have 
been present for his SPAH performance. I'll never forget  it, so can understand 
the varying reactions, since I find many of these  posted videos of him 
un-sit-throughable much as Richard found, perhaps  because they don't come across as 
musical enough for my personal tastes, yet in  person he was extremely 
melodious and quite personable....so this is the best  explanation I can come up 
with ..for me. Ymmv.
 
Elizabeth
 
Message: 9
Date: Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:24:08 +1000
From: "Rick  Dempster" <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L]  video--"amazing grace"- HOWARD LEVY/Terry
McMillan
To:  <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>, "Daniel Perrone"  <dany_perrone@xxxxxxxxxxx>

Yup....that was 'Amazing Grace' sure  enough. Pretty good playing too. 
Mmmmmm....so that's what happened to Terry  McMillan....yikes! scary!.....would you 
buy a used harmonica off this  man?
RD

>>> "Daniel Perrone" <dany_perrone@xxxxxxxxxxx>  7/04/2009 11:54 >>>
I am still quite new to the harmonica to   give a valid evaluation of HL 
performance. I could tell his playing was  extremely complex but on a personal 
level it did not  moved me or  captivated my attention long enough to actually 
finish watching it.
On the  other hand, just finish watching a performance by Terry McMillan of 
the same  song that I really enjoyed. Technically simpler than HL maybe, but 
this man  pours his heart and soul in the performance and his passion comes  
trough.

To watch Terry  click  below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7arOqGZQGx4&feature=related  
____________________________________________


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