Re: [Harp-L] The "innocence" of Tommy Reilly

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

--- Rick Dempster <rick.dempster@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

<snip>
> A chromatic player like Tommy Reilly, for example, plays the
> instrument almost like a keyboard, and does not attempt to overtly 
> change the natural  tone.

But change or at least influence the tone he does. He doesn't do it in
the same way that someone like Stevie might do it, so it's less
obvious. But a classical musician has in some ways a different mission
in expressing the music than does a pop, blues, or jazz musician.
Perhaps your comment indicates the degree of his success.

Musicians in the classical realm are less oriented toward a display of
apparent personal expression than are pop, jazz, or blues musicians.
Instead of making it about the feelings of the player, they make it
about allowing the composer's intention to flow through them to the
listener. Consequently, expressive power is meant to be transparent -
the music flows from the composer to the listener without being limited
or colored by the  performer's personal editorializing, or their lack
of technique or lack of expressive power. The performers gets out of
the way even while placing all their power at the service of the music
as envisioned by the composer - at least in theory. Every performer
brings something to the table by way of temperament, conception, and
interpretation, and that is of course very much recognized and valued
in the classical world - hence the endless comparisons of the virtues
of this or that conductor, diva, or virtuoso with another.

But to the non-classical listener, that goal of transparency on the
performer's part may sound like a lack of personal expression and even
lack of idiomatic instrumental coloring. I don't consider myself to be
a classical adept, yet I can hear all sorts of harmonica-specific
devices employed in Tommy Reilly's playing and in that of other
classical harmonica players as well. Contrast his versions of pieces
with other versions where possible (Adler, Bonfiglio, Tate, even Toots
Thielemans in one or two instances) and you'll start to hear the degree
to which he personalized and colored his interpretations.

> I love Tommy's playing; there is a wonderful innocence to it. 

I'd call it sophistication for the reasons stated above.

> The stuff he cut with Indian harpist Skaila Kanga is sublimely
> beautiful.

No arguments or elaborations on that point :)

Winslow


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