[Harp-L] Adler's Hands

["Tom Costelloe" <tcostelloe@xxxxxxxxx>]

In Larry Adler's autobiography, "it ain't necessarily so," there is an
anecdote about a
   performance of Ravel's Bolero:
      "For about forty bars I kept in time with the orchestra; after that I
got
   lost, couldn't tell where one phrase was supposed to end or the next to
   begin.  What I heard from the orchestra seemed like something that got in
by
   mistake.  I felt that the orchestra was a few bars behind and, to get
them
   to catch up, I waved one arm like a crazed semaphore operator while
holding
   the mouth-organ with the other...I played the last note with a flourish
and
   a swoop up the mouth organ that Ravel never intended and certainly didn't
   need.
   I couldn't believe what happened next.  A roar of applause, shouts and
   cheers - the number was a big hit...  The performance next night was
   better.  I played the right notes in the right time.  I was relaxed and
at
   ease.  I was also a flop, getting only two curtain calls.  Sid Grauman
came
   backstage.  'What's happened to you, kid?  You lost your showmanship!'
 What
   showmanship?  He meant flailing my arms in a frenzy, acting as a
conductor
   as well as soloist...Screw the material, said Grauman, put back the
   showmanship.  Grauman was the boss, back in went the showmanship, out
went
   the music and the orchestra leader never spoke to me again."


      I think that confirms that Larry was aware that the hands create an
   emotional bridge to the audience, and that he used them far more than
   'merely' to produce one of the most beautiful tones ever to be heard on
the
   mouth-organ.  His biography is very well worth reading, he's a good
writer,
   a funny man, refreshingly cynical about the music business, mentions the
   harmonica very little, and for anyone who thinks he was 'difficult'
   without having met him, allows people like me, born in a different time
and
   country, to appreciate the horror, unconstitutionality, and evil of
McCarthy
   and his witchhunts, and why Larry felt that he could no
   longer live in his country of birth.

      Tom Costelloe