Re: [Harp-L] u-blocker - Leo Diamond

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

Another U-blocker, whose name will mean more to older players than younger ones, is Leo Diamond. 

Diamond was an alumnus of the vaudeville harmonica band Borrah Minnevitch's Harmonica Rascals. When he grew out of that, , he developed into a wonderful player, composer, and arranger as a solo artist. 

Diamond as also a pioneer of advanced recording techniques, including overdubbing and using film instead of tape - this is at least ten years before Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.

You can find some of Leo Diamond's recordings on YouTube - tone and vibrato to die for on chromatic harmonica (I sometimes wonder whether Stevie Wonder might have been influenced by his sound).
 
Winslow Yerxa
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
            Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
            Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Harmonica Expert, bluesharmonica.com
Instructor, Jazzschool for Music Study and Performance


________________________________
 From: Mick Zaklan <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx> 
Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2012 4:40 PM
Subject: [Harp-L] u-blocker
 
   Seems like this thread comes up once every year or two.  Don Les,
arguably one of the best diatonic and bass harmonica players of all time,
was a u-blocker.

Mick Zaklan