[Harp-L] Re: Tommy Morgan

[Robert Bonfiglio <bon@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Chris wrote;
You can't convince me if some producer said I want you to sound like 
little water on this cut he could do it. He simply can not,

I say:  And you can't convince me that LW could go in a studio with 
charts and sound like Tommy Morgan on diatonic.

Donny Brooks (bless his heart) and I had this discussion in the 70's 
and the 80's that in all the studio gigs we did we were never asked to 
sound like LW or SBW, not really.  If they said they wanted a LW sound, 
when you brought in the bullet and the amp, and when they heard it was 
way over the top for commercial producers.

I had the opportunity once to fill Tommy Morgan's shoes when they 
brought China Beach for one week into New York City because the 
composer, Paul Chihara, was having a piece done at Carnegie Hall.  Boy, 
was this an eye opener into Tommy's world!

You must understand the situation before commenting on Tommy's ability 
to play diatonic.  Sitting in the studio in New York were some of the 
best musicians in the world on their instruments - Julius Baker playing 
flute, Nancy Allen playing harp, David Nadien as concert master. 40 
piece orchestra. The thought of playing a WRONG note in this situation 
is out of the question!!!  No pressure there.

Then it starts; we are reading charts down, but everything is first 
take.  Nobody makes a mistake with guitars making up their parts and 
solos taken in places.  Paul then says the hits are not right with the 
film, so make bar 4 a 3/4 bar and then make bar 18 into 5/4 bar and add 
two beats to bar 53 but cut off on beat 5 and harmonica play the pick 
up on the 6th beat into bar 54, etc.

This is Tommy's world every time he goes into the studio.  Now you find 
me a diatonic player that can play what Tommy played over those charts. 
 Not many in the world, are there?  And just think, if he had played a 
wicked LW type solo, the producer would have said thanks Tommy, and had 
another player sitting in his chair in half an hour.

Thanks Tommy for playing the Harmonica just the way you do!!!!

BTW, if they would just let me pitch for the Yankees, I could throw a 
perfect game.

Harmonically yours,

Robert Bonfiglio