Re: [Harp-L] a summation



Here I am lurking and I find out you are talking about me!!!

The problem with playing in all genres is time; if one spends three hours a day practicing a Harmonica Concerto to have it ready where are you going to find the time to spend three hours a day blowing over changes. Blues harp is easier to play at a competent level than chromatic, so I get by, just don't ask for fast country licks. At the highest level, all the harmonicas require vast amounts of practice.

This reminds me of a time when I went to see Toots in his Eastside apartment and he told me to bring all my classical pieces. "I have to play with the Belgium Symphony." So I get up to his place and he puts on this record of him playing with a symphony and he says "This ain't happening!" I said "Well, Toots, you have Frank Sinatra sound and in order to play with the symphony you need a Pavarotti sound." He said, "You're the classical cat, you could show me" and I said "And you could teach me jazz and we would both need another life time." I told him to just play the classical music the way he plays and improv a little kind of like Frank would sing an aria like Frank not Pavarotti. Of course the symphony loved him - he's a big star in Belgium.

BTW, I have done projects covering the music of pop performers like the Neville Brothers and the only reason I don't do this more often is there is no market for it. I have covered Sam Hui and Teresa Teng in the Hong Kong market and I did several easy listening CD's for QVC when they were selling music. I will play anything if there is money in it as long as it keeps me playing the harmonica.

Harmonically yours,

Robert Bonfiglio
http://www.robertbonfiglio.com






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