HARP DESERT

[Thomas_B._Colvin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

     >it's a jazz/blues/harp desert here in singapore...
     
     It's similar here in the Philippines:  only three players playing 
     publicly in recent years.  Only blues band in memory developed an 
     audience, but broke up recently (personnel problems).  Pop, rock and 
     Top 40 dominate here.  Singers are gods, instrumentalists rarely 
     receive attention.
     
     However, I've discovered that there is a huge interest in the 
     harmonica itself in most Asian countries.  There are a number of 
     Harmonica clubs in Asia, including Singapore. The addresses are 
     available from SPAH.  In Korea, Japan, Taiwan and People's Republic of 
     China, the instrument of choice is tremolo.  Players use two 
     instruments a half step apart to get full chromatic capability.
     
     I had the good fortune of meeting the top player in Korea during a 
     visit to Seoul last year.  He told me (through an interpreter) that 
     there are 5 million active harmonica players in Korea (out of a 
     population of 40 million).  He himself teaches many classes each week, 
     with over 3000 students all together.  He's written several instuction 
     books.  Even though I don't know a word of Korean, I found the book 
     one of the best instruction manuals I've ever seen, especially the 
     self-explanatory illustrations.  Korea also has several harmonica 
     manufacturers.
     
     I guess most people now know that everyone at SPAH and the World 
     Championships in 1993 were talking about the Japanese players.  At the 
     1995 World Championships in Yokohama, the organizers expect an 
     attendance of 10,000!  By comparison, at Trossingen in '93, there were 
     400-500.  There are a number of harmonica CDs released only in Japan 
     and Korea, in addition to the Galison CD previously mentioned in 
     Harp-L:  I've seen a couple from Toots, several from Lee Oskar. 
     (Galison's first album, incidentally, was released here in the 
     Philippines and received a LOT of airplay for about 4 months -- he was 
     totally unaware of this when I mentioned it to him at Trossingen.)  
     There's one very popular pop star (don't remember the name) in Japan 
     who plays some diatonic -- he's creating interest in the diatonic 
     among the young.
     
     I gather chromatic is the common instrument in Southeast Asia 
     (Singapore and Malaysia have clubs).  Hugh Messenger sent me an 
     interesting account of his 5-month journey around Southeast Asia and 
     the fabulous reception he and David Michelsen received.
     
     It may be a desert over here in Southeast Asia for jazz/blues/harp, 
     but there's a definite opportunity to build interest.
     
     These are my personal observations...  anyone else have experience in 
     the region?