[Harp-L] redefining an instrument

[Mick Zaklan <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx>]

   Though he has his detractors, I think few would argue that Howard Levy
has changed the way the diatonic harmonica is played.  Radically expanding
technique and adding a slew of new repertoire.  Guys like that don't come
along very often.  If you do a lot of reading about music, as I have, you
run across basically the same list of names and it's a short list.  But
every instrument seems to have a guy or two who have come out of nowhere to
shake things up.
   I only bring this up because I was driving my route yesterday, happily
listening to NPR (National Public Radio), when I was intrigued to hear that
the much-maligned Hohner Company may actually have a second such innovator
on it's roster of endorsers.  A cat by the name of Steve Jordan:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104845790.  You can
either read the story or click on the audio and hear some of Steve's playing
in the background.  This is not a harmonica story, by the way.

Mick Zaklan