Re: [Harp-L] Rockford Files...

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

"Chris Michalek" wrote:
<The playing in the Rockford files is terrible because Tommy Morgan isn't a very 
<good diatonic harmonica player. He such a phenomenal musician to bad he never took
<the harp seriously.

Tommy Morgan is in fact a brilliant musician and very accomplished harmonica player overall, and specifically a much better diatonic player than most of the people who specialize in that instrument. 

So why does the diatonic harp on "The Rockford Files" sound a little naive?  Tommy Morgan was a consummate studio pro, voted "Studio Musician of the Year" 3 times (in a row, as I recall) by the LA musician's union local.  A studio pro delivers what the composer wants, first and foremost.  That's the gig; it's not about self-indulgence, it's about realizing the composer's vision.  I have no doubt that a naive harmonica sound, with plenty of rough edges, was exactly what the composer wanted in this case.  Among other things, that kind of sound was expressive of the character of Jim Rockford (who lived in a trailer at the edge of a parking lot, as you may recall -- not a very slick guy, to say the least).  Morgan's playing on "The Rockford Files" is absolutely memorable, rough edges and all, and I have no doubt that the composer was delighted.  If the composer hadn't been delighted, I'm equally sure that he would have dumped Morgan's track without further ado and brought in someone else to play the part.  Hollywood composers don't settle, especially when it's a theme song for a prime time TV show.  

If you want to hear Morgan's diatonic on a score where the composer obviously told him to shoot out the lights, listen to the soundtrack to "In Pursuit of D.B. Cooper," where he produces a dead-on impression of Charlie McCoy's diatonic work, replete with lots of tricky licks played at high speed with terrific tone.  His work on "Barbarossa", the cowboy flick starring Willy Nelson, is more excellent diatonic, and like all Morgan's film work, brilliantly evocative of the characters and the story.  

No one's work is above criticism, and no artist says everything in his or her work, or does everything equally well.  But it's ridiculous to say that Morgan can't play diatonic.  He plays it exactly the way it's supposed to be played -- according to the composer, on every composer's score, every time.  

Regards, Richard Hunter
hunterharp.com