[Harp-L] RE: Gil Scott Heron Harp Player

[Dave Shannon <daveshannon@xxxxxxx>]

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I wrote:

>Does anyone know who plays the superb chromatic harp solos on Gil 
>Scott-Heron's Storm Music -- from the album Reflections -- and on 
>the live version of The Bottle which was a bonus track on the album 
>Winter in America? 
> 
>Thanks! 
> 
>Dave Shannon 


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Tom Ball wrote:

Hi Dave

According to ArtistDirect, the harp player on "Storm Music" is Glen Turner: 
http://ubl.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,160134,00.html 

Dunno whether the live version of "The Bottle" of which you speak is 
the same version as the one on "Best of Gil Scott-Heron," but if so, 
according to MyMusic, the harp player is either Glen Turner or Bital 
Sunni Ali: 
http://www.mymusic.com/product.asp?curr=1&myptr=theiceberg&muzenbr=73297 

cheers, 

Tom Ball 

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Thanks, Tom
I have done a little research myself and found that Gil Scott Heron toured with Stevie Wonder in 1980. The following from Amazon synopsis of the Gil Scott-Heron book The Last Holiday:

In the autumn of 1980, Stevie Wonder embarked on a 41-city tour of North America - The Hotter than July Summer Superblast. It had been a long-held ambition of his and the purpose of the tour was to lobby for Dr King's birthday to be officially made into a national holiday. Scott-Heron and his band were brought in at the last moment as Stevie Wonder's support act when it became clear that Bob Marley, who was lined up to preform throughout, was not going to be leaving hospital. This volume tells the epic story of this tour and more. It is also Scott-Heron's autobiography, a portrait of Stevie Wonder and a heartfelt testament to the man who inspired the whole enterprise. Whether it is on the civil rights movement, the music industry, the media or growing up in the US South, Scott-Heron uses his outspoken insights to create an account of many remarkable people's lives. In 1986 Martin Luther King's birthday was officially declared a national holiday in the US.

I am guessing that Gil closed his show with his biggest hit ? The Bottle ? and perhaps Stevie joined him on stage for this encore. This leads me to think, what I have suspected for many years, that the harmonica player on Storm Music, released in 1981, a year after the Stevie tour is not Glen Turner but none other that Stevie Wonder...!

Is there a Glen Turner out there? Does anyone know him or Bital Sunni Ali?
Can any of the Stevie aficionados out there recognise any trademark Stevie trills?

Whatever, I love those tracks and I'm very happy that there is a Martin Luther King Day.

Thanks and peace

Dave Shannon