I've been kind of peeking at the discussion about this
whole chromatic name-change thing. And I know i'm no
expert on the subject, but it seems to me the name is
not the issue - the instrument itself and the people
who play it is.
First off, I love the chromatic. Play mine all the
time (well, almost). But then again, i'm not most
people, neither are the majority of us on this list.
The harmonica has alot of factors that play into its
less-than-stellar public image. Sure, everyone loves
Stevie Wonder, and yes, there's harmonica in lots of
movie scores and some pop music, but show up at a jazz
jam with a harmonica, or tell someone on the street
you have a harmonica album they have to check out, or
go to the local music schools and ask about their
harmonica courses, and you're likely to see some eyes
glass over.
I think there's a couple of reasons for this: for one,
not everyone likes the sound of the harmonica, even
when played well. It took me time to appreciate Toots
Thielemans and I actually play the instrument! And
some just haven't heard the harmonica played
beautifully. A friend who once played as a kid and
stopped, who laughed when I said I played harmonica,
begged me for my Larry Adler CD when he heard
"Rhapsody in Blue." Another big problem is the history
of the instrument itself. It has a history if being
intertwined with jokes, with "simple" folk, simple
music. Look at the image of bands like Borra
Minevitch's (i may have spelled that wrong), or look
at Bob Hope. There's a joke aspect to it, a novelty
aspect, one that, though we've fought it, we haven't
fought it well enough to win. I think we still
perpetuate it too, playing tunes in a novelty way
(more on that later). Too, the harmonica was popular
(or is) in music that's seen as simple - blues,
certain country tunes, early Beatles, but not later
Beatles.
What can we do to change the popular view that
harmonicas, all of them, are simple instruments,
novelty instruments, toys? It's been said a thousand
times to play it well. But more than that I think we
need people who make music that other people like with
harmonica in it. Alot of harmonica musicians make good
music, but alot of it, in my opinion, appeals to
harmonica musicians "look what i can do" or "haven't
you always wanted to hear this done on a harmonica"?
I'm looking forward to Stevie Wonder's jazz album of
harmonica music for just this reason. I expect it to
be a real jazz album, a real album of good music,
which he does with or without harmonicas. And there
are, in my opinion, many good musicians, who play the
harmonica, who don't try to get their music out to
people. They play for themselves, for conventions,
whatever, but they don't get together with other good
musicians to put together bands that will appeal to
people, that will play good music that doesn't focus
on instrumentation.
Anyway, just my thoughts. Sorry it's long. I don't
agree that the harmonica, the chromatic in particular,
is dying out in popular music. I actually see more of
it out there now that in albums of a few decades ago.
I think we could learn from guys like Gregoire Maret,
Antonio Serrano, Stevie Wonder, William Gallison
(whose album with Madelein Peyroux everyone should buy
for their friends and family for Christmas!) and Bill
Barrett. And there's more who deserve more recognition
too. Everyone, keep playing - share good music with
those who will listen, drag your friends to harmonica
concerts, and try to make good music with others if
you can.