[Harp-L] new harmonica player?? "The humble harmonica holds an orchestra of music for Chong Ah Kow"

[randysinger <randy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I never have heard of Chong Ah Kow, but he sounds great.

Has anyone heard his recordings or performances?





SHOWTIME: Small but eloquent
HANS KAM

May 15
The humble harmonica holds an orchestra of music for Chong Ah Kow, 
writes HANS KAM.
CHONG Ah Kow’s name may sound commonplace but when this guy plays the 
harmonica, the music is anything but common.

 In the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall’s Purple Cane cafe, a cozy 
little tea place, Chong demonstrated techniques taken straight from the 
guitar and piano galaxy.

 The result? Astounding. He performed tremolo pieces, semitones and 
played jazz with triple ease on his little instrument.

 Then he did something even more insane. Plucking not one but three 
harmonicas in one hand, Chong extended his jawline and proceeded to 
suck and blow the Sound of Music and next, a choo-choo train — from all 
of them at once! With a smile, he said: “Want to hear some more?”

 At first glance, Chong looks like any ordinary street bloke; he may 
even pass off as a bus driver on holiday, which is why he enjoys 
seating himself next to bored commuters on buses and trains, whipping 
out a thumb-sized baby harmonica and proceeding to play evergreen 
classics for the listening pleasure of all and sundry.

 Born 1954 in Teluk Intan, Chong was inspired by his harmonica-playing 
primary school classmates. His own family was so poor that they could 
not afford to buy him a RM2 harmonica, no matter how much he begged.

 Since there was only one harmonica to go around in school, Chong 
recalled patiently waiting for his turn to blow on it.

 One fine day in 1961, when he was nine, Chong’s grandmother found 
something tiny wrapped in red satin while rummaging through her junk. 
To her bewilderment, it was the one thing Chong had been asking for — a 
shiny brass harmonica.

 How it was undiscovered for years under the roof of his bamboo hut 
remained a mystery to Chong. But from that day on he took it as a cue 
to be the world’s best harmonica player when his grandma bestowed him 
with the eloquent gift.

 I stare at Chong after this tale. The waiters and waitresses have 
stopped serving while the owner, Casey, Chong’s friend, guffaws behind 
the counter.

 Chong ends the moment when he says: “But I’m not the best player in 
the world, maybe just ‘one of the best’.”

 His big break came in 1971 right after college when he won a talent 
contest organised by the now defunct Rediffusion radio channel. That 
take him to the finals in Hong Kong and the rest as they say is 
history.

 “ There was a time in 1989 when I stopped progressing. It was 
frustrating not being able to come up with original tunes.

 “Soon after, I was invited to play at the World Harmonica 
Championships in Germany.

 “I was amazed by the variety of instruments on display. When I heard 
the other players, I was impressed with their skill and it drove me to 
higher levels and I took home the title.

 “I didn’t get any more dry periods after that.

 “Today I run a harmonica-making company in addition to training 
students to become world-class performers. As an instrumental artiste, 
I’ve run the whole gamut — from arranging songs with Hong Kong 
pop-stars to cutting records and producing training videos to playing 
in front of sultans and all the Prime Ministers.

 To Chong, the harmonica will always be the ultimate instrument.

 “Every instrument is special, but to me the harmonica is unique. It 
improves health by regulating your breath as you draw and exhale air, 
breaks ice between strangers and fits neatly into your pocket. Now 
where can you find that?”



Chong will play alongside Melodicist Ka Shung from Hong Kong today at 
8pm. The Nonpareil Harmonica Trio trained by Chong will also perform. 
Tickets are through donations. Call Reiko at 03-91722980.