Re: Kim Wilson

[GREENWAY@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Harvey Andruss--

The fragment was the end of the last sentence of my posting. The basic
sense of my comments was that I find it disappointing that some harp
players seem to in some sense enjoy its reputation as an outcast instrument.
Frankly, when I first started playing I probably found it appealing in some
sense myself. But after talking to so many players and listening to so
many remarkable harmonica recordings in the course of writing my book,
I've come to the conclusion that this kind of "outside the mainstream"
reputation is not good for the instrument, and that's why I now feel
disappointed when I hear players themselves echo this sentiment. None of
the players I interviewed for the book carried any kind of a chip on their
shoulder about choosing the harmonica to express themselves with. One of
the stock questions I would ask them was something like "Have you ever
felt that the harmonica was limited in any way in terms of allowing you
to express yourself?" and most players seemed quite surprised when I asked
them this. While a few of the jazz or classical chromatic players admitted\
that there were some minor inconveniences in being a harmonica players
as opposed to being a violinist or something, they all seemed quite
satisfied and positive about the harmonica. 

There will always be a sizeable part of the population that is not going
to warm up to the harmonica and is going to look askance at it or nott
take it seriously. There is something appealing in belonging to a small
group of people who share a passion for something out of the mainstream,
but there's something essentially negative about it, and those of us who
love harmonica music should strive to make it part of the mainstream.
After all, that's what all the players we all admire have always tried to do.