[Harp-L] Magic Dick harmonicas up-date

["Mick Zaklan" <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx>]

   I'm not sure this is related, and it happened so long ago I'm trying to
piece it together in my brain.  It occurred at a SPAH convention in Romulus,
Michigan around the time Jerry Portnoy's harp instruction cd debuted.  Kind
of shows what kind of stuff can happen at a convention.  I found myself
riding in that glass elevator alone with Jerry Portnoy.  The guy never
struck me as particularly approachable or sociable but I mentioned to him
that I had seen him many years before on a Christmas Eve, sitting in with
Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee at the old Quiet Knight nightclub in
Chicago.  The opening act was the then unknown comedian Martin Mull.  At the
jam at the end of the night, Martin joined them and played some very
respectable slide guitar.  Jerry remembered it; and I added that we had
something in common:  we had both played with the late blues mandolinist,
Johnny Young.  Jerry immediately warmed up, invited me over to his room and
we swapped stories about Johnny Young and all the wackiness that surrounded
him.  It was a very pleasant conversation. Jerry was very excited about his
new harp instruction package.  He was advertising it all over and even
played me a radio spot he was running.  I remember him telling me that he
felt this was something that could conceivably generate income for his
children in the future.
   At the end, he pulled out some harps and told me "nobody's supposed to
see these".  They were the prototypes that Pierre Beauregard and, I think,
Magic Dick had been developing.  He insisted that I play one.  I was nervous
and couldn't get much out of it.  The notes were pretty standard on the
bottom but all mixed up as I moved upward.  He explained that they were set
up for chords.  One harp was named "big band" and he played a line and then
hit a chord that sounded like a horn section.  The harps were set up to play
different kinds of music.  I think one was set up for funk or reggae.  I got
the feeling that these things were due out shortly.  I can tell you that
they sounded very cool.  Of course, they never hit the market.  I got the
impression that Jerry was using them on gigs and was still exploring their
possibilities.
   Kim Field was at the same convention and for a moment I thought Kim was
the one with the harps, but I'm pretty sure Jerry had them and Kim was
perturbed that he hadn't seen them when I mentioned it to him.  At least
that's how I remember it.  These harps have been talked about for years now;
they're kind of like the harmonica version of "Big Foot".  But I did have
one in my hand for about 30 seconds!

Mick Zaklan