Re: [Harp-L] Sonny Terry and Finian's Rainbow

Hi

Tom's post is most likely the state of the art on this subject, and sadly reflects the fact that Sonny's harmonica work in an actual show isn't really represented in recordings. I think at one time I had the LP (long after it would have been of any help), but it's gone now.
I had the good fortune to perform this role some forty years ago with the Long Beach Civic Light Opera at the old Municipal Auditorium Concert Hall. A friend and SoCal blues harp pioneer Jeff White offered to split the gig with me so neither one of us would miss too much of our usual partying: over, I think, a two week engagement. In our production, the Sonny character starts the show up in a tree, with a solo improv type thing that eventually cues the orchestra (40 pieces, yikes); so my notes were to always use the same cue at the tempo specified by the conductor of the orchestra, but otherwise blow freely and act nonchalant.
The weird hook thing (I'm not sure the audience got it) was that the character was blind - and Susan, the dancer, was deaf. So here we have Sonny signalling "somebody's a comin'" at the very beginning, and a long time later, after the intermission, there's the dance scene with Sonny on a log jammin' and whoopin' (I think I modelled my bit after "Washboard Breakdown") unaware of the dancer who's doing her thing unaware of the music!
In rehearsal the dancer and I just agreed on a tempo with no specific cues and she danced pretty much the same thing each performance, relying a certain tempo.
Those two episodes were the only harp playing in our production (it was patterned after the Broadway show); which allowed me to slip away to my beloved Long Beach Pike for fevered periods of R and R. I often wondered what Sonny did with that stretch of free time :>)

Cheers,
Staggerin' Jim
Listen to Roots Harmonica at http://www.live365.com/stations/staggerinjim

P.S. Love your guitar work, Tom.

----- Original Message ----- From: "L. J Rose" <lloydjrose@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, December 22, 2008 4:49 AM
Subject: [Harp-L] Sonny Terry and Finian's Rainbow


Hi All

I joined your group in order to help research the music for a local
production of Finian's Rainbow, the Broadway show.  The original score
has a long harmonica solo segment written and performed by Sonny Terry,
but I'm unable to track down a recording of that piece (it was a dance
number called "Susan's Dance".)  I've investigated a number of cast
recordings on Amazon, but so far no luck.  If anyone here can point me
in the right direction to a recording,  I'd be very grateful.

thanks

LJ Rose
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