[Harp-L] New CD from Tony Eyers

[David Naiditch]

I’ve waited almost 20 years for Tony Eyers to release a second CD. Recently, he graciously sent me a copy from the antipodes, a land that Tony shares with kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, wombats, numbats, dunnarts, quolls, bilbies, bandicoots, dibblers, and hundreds of other marsupial species.  The 20-year wait was well worth it. 

Half the tunes on Tony’s CD, “O’Carolan’s Harmonica,” were composed by Turlough O’Carolan, a famous 18th century Irish string harp player.  The other tunes are traditional folk instrumentals. Tony often adds additional harmonica tracks for harmonies, chords, and bass lines, as well as a guitar, mandolin, fiddle, piano, bass, and drums, which  give the CD a rich, full sound.  Tony’s spirited, energetic playing perfectly captures the feel of these traditional tunes.

In the 1990s, Tony developed his “major cross tuning” that enables him to play melodies without needing to bend to access the otherwise missing notes.  I think that the elimination of bends is highly desirable in many Irish and traditional folk tunes, where it is often important to keep the same timbre and tone throughout. I strongly urge you to check out Tony’s fine CD as well as his harmonica academy: https://www.harmonicaacademy.com