Re: [Harp-L] Greatness goes unnoticed

["Tim Moyer" <wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Wow, that's a pretty heavy rant for someone who plays a child's 
toy.  Next we're going to hear about how the ukulele player was not 
acknowledged...

;-)

-tim


Ansel Barnum wrote:

I was surprised that Howard Levy's cameo on Prairie Home Companion 
last weekend went unobserved on harp-l. He once again augmented the 
show's musical content with his usual brilliance, which as usual 
went unappreciated by Garrison Keillor. It happens every time he 
comes on: The other guests, usually of lesser accomplishment, get 
lavished with attention and airtime, while Howard plays in the 
shadows with little recognition. On last Saturday's show Keillor 
gushed more about house band regular Pat Donohue's guitars than 
about the virtuosic harp that made the songs soar. And when the 
spotlight was briefly cast on Howard, it was for a comedy sketch 
that trotted him out as a novelty act. The indignity! And the 
injustice. Here's a musical genius who is the only one in the world 
(and history for that matter) to play the diatonic harmonica with 
such a profound degree of mastery, yet he's denigrated as a mere 
sideman who goes unmentioned in the background.

But then apparently Keillor isn't the only one neglecting Howard! 
Here at the harp-l chatterbox cafe, even harmonica enthusiasts 
didn't take notice of their greatest pioneer performing on national 
radio. Given our instrument's undervalued, underestimated, and 
underrepresented status in society, I'd think that any amount of 
media attention, however inadequate, would be celebrated. Of course, 
Howard's sublime music should be reason alone to tune-in!