[Harp-L] diversity

[Mike Rogers]

Thanks.  Been looking to hear leo Diamond again.  He was on some tv show every week, back in the early 50's that i remember watching.  His playing attracted me to the harmonica.  Great sound.ome

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www.harmonicaworkshops.com



On Sat, 30 Nov 2019 11:19:28 -0600
Mick Zaklan <mzaklan at xxxxx> wrote:

>    Am posting a couple of harmonica-driven blues tunes I've been enjoying
> lately.  They're filmed well and feature two elite level players who are
> rarely, if ever, mentioned here.  Each clip probably deserves its own post
> but played back-to-back they illustrate the considerable diversity and
> variety that can be found in the blues genre.  The songs and their
> respective harmonica players are as different as night and day.
>    First video is a fine example of how we do the blues here in Chicago.
> Harpist is the always tough-sounding Matthew Skoller; ably assisted by
> former Junior Wells sideman, pianist Johnny Iguana:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzMEjZKan3s.
>    Second clip is a blues tune specifically composed to move the plot along
> in a big budget Hollywood film.  It managed to earn itself an Academy Award
> nomination in the best song category that year.  Some might find the video
> portion a bit creepy, uncomfortable or claustrophobic.  In that case, just
> scroll past it and listen.  For trivia buffs; blink, and you might miss an
> early film appearance of Charles Bronson, listed in the credits as "Charles
> Buchinsky".  For folks my age, the very first time most of us heard the
> term "Alzheimer's disease" used was in connection with the actress here,
> film goddess Rita Hayworth.  Ms. Hayworth was ground zero for public
> awareness of the disease, much in the same way actor Rock Hudson became the
> face of the AIDS crisis.  Her vocal here was dubbed, as usual, by big-band
> singer Jo Ann Greer.  Chances are good that you've heard Greer before if
> you've ever attended a wedding reception that employed a deejay.  She was
> featured vocalist on the 1953 hit, "The Hokey Pokey", a wedding staple.  A
> decidedly different kind of vocal here.    Actual harmonica player
> off-screen was the legendary Leo Diamond.  I do love the detail of the
> actor who mimed the harmonica parts pausing to tap the imaginary spit out
> of his chromatic:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp2PzgHPrX0.
> 
> Mick Zaklan