Joe Messina - Funk Brother

[bassharp <bassharp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

To let all know... one of the greatest living jazz guitarists, who was
recently discovered with the rest of the Funk Brothers of Detroit and
Motown, is Joe Messina. He stars in the filmed documentary, "Standing in
the Shadows of Motown" - the film that just received four nominations
for the Black Reel Awards for Best Film, Best Independent Film, Best
Film Poster, and Best Soundtrack. Joe plays guitar in the film which
depicts the "best-kept secret" by Barry Gordy, in which the Funk
Brothers played on more hits than the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach
Boys and Elvis Presley combined, with no recognition in all these years. 

Now the other "best-kept secret" in the harmonica community is that Joe
is also one of the greatest living jazz harmonicists. As a jazz
guitarist, he is the author of "The Interval Study Method", a unique and
challenging method of creating music through permutations of the
chromatic and diatonic scales. In 1980, Joe began playing chromatic
harmonica, in which he applied the theories that he was so familiar with
as pertained to the guitar. The result? An absolute master of jazz
chromatic harmonica beyond belief. (He also attended a SPAH convention
or two, in which he soaked in as much info as he could from Pete
Pedersen workshops, as well as other technicians.) In 1993, after only
13 years with the harmonica, he recorded a CD of his talent, together
with Detroit's biggest names in jazz, with the ending result being aptly
titled "Messina Madness." The other musicians are Marcus Belgrave on
trumpet and pocket trumpet, Randy Leipnik on piano, Rich Kowalewski on
bass, and Rob Emanuel on drums - all arrangements by Joe.

Joe's CD is now included in the Ace of Harps collection and available
at: http://www.bassharp.com/ace.htm

For more info on Joe and the Funk Brothers, go to:
http://www.bassharp.com/messina.htm 

Danny
- -- 
Danny Wilson - Santa Clarita, CA
BassHarp: http://www.bassharp.com
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Harmonica Trio Concepts: http://www.bassharp.com/bh_trio.htm
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