[Harp-L] Mitch Kashmar

[SONNYTONE@xxxxxxx]

I have been singing Mitch's praises for the past 3 - 4 years and no one  
ever acknowledged just how great he was. I can gladly say he has been my 
friend,  through my worst days through the 80's until our friendship to this day. 
In  honor of him I worked for a full year on getting a handle on his upper  
register waver, no one plays more freely, better phrasing, fresh each pass, 
and  with a sweeter upper register, fully tongue blocked than Mitch. His 
gig with War  is purely to make money so he can do the projects he wants. 
Those that don't  know the exact truth should not speak. To say he should be 
playing blues, maybe  that is not what he wants to do right now. He worked 2 - 
3 gigs a day busting  his butt during his Santa Barbara blues days, for 
peanuts. I could not be  happier that he is getting his due...  Yeah I taught 
him how to initially  tongue block, I would have to take lessons from him at 
this point. He is so  relaxed when he plays, jaw dropped, everything so 
fluent, that is his key. To  prove the point I am glad that Pontiax album/CD is 
back out, with William Clarke  and Mitch doing their duet on the first song. 
Clarke's tone and riffs were  tough, but Mitch even at that juncture in his 
life was hanging right in there  with him. We first met at the Wimbledon 
Tavern in Santa Barbara when I moved out  to Calif in 1982, when we met during 
break and we played some together we knew  we would become friends, he 
called me up to sit in with him, he always had great  bands. Next month is my 
testing I must do every six months and things are just  opening up for me. With 
each test I know I may get the worst news possible, so  enjoy the good 
people in this business and on this planet doing good things. I  lost my half 
brother last month, 34 years old, and my main first cousin at 54  two months 
ago. It seems with all the people I know, everyone is losing someone.  Don't 
take them for granted, this has been another point I have tried to stress,  
knowing what I know about my own mortality maybe it will affect more people 
to  just perform good acts and be happy for guys like Mitch, who has always 
had a  good heart.... Certainly the things I have said in my tough times 
have made my  words seem insignificant, those are gone; however if you try and 
hurt me I will  not accept it, never have or never will. No person should 
try and take food off  a man's table, my grandfather who raised me taught me 
that. Some just do not  have proper upbringing. Mitch had great parents, it 
shows... Peace..  SJ