When I asked my students who they wanted me to chat to on the podcast, today’s guest kept coming up. His career has seen him busking in Harlem, touring round the world, teaching thousands of harmonica students on YouTube, releasing solo records, writing books and teaching English and Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi. On a personal note, I wouldn’t even be playing harmonica let alone teaching it if it hadn’t been for his videos. He is Adam Gussow.

Show notes

- Adam’s Projects

Sir Rod & The Blues Doctors “Come Together” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0j1I6ehON0

“Who’s Blues Facing Up To Race And The Future Of The Music” by Adam Gussow https://www.amazon.com/Whose-Blues-Facing-Future-Music/dp/1469660350

“Satan & Adam” documentary https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81077539

Gussow’s Classic Blues Harmonica Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfYHJbTZklgZU1bEVLaZyvQ

Bill Taft

Sugar Blue

James Cotton

J Geils Band

“Bad Boy” Billy Collins

This week’s guest is one of the world’s best known harmonica players. He has played with many great musicians including Johnny Winter and Walter Trout. He is well known for his lightning fast playing and complete mastery of the overblows and overdraws which he combines with an extensive pedalboard to create a unique sound on the harmonica. He is one of my all-time harmonica heroes. He is Jason Ricci.

This podcast is brought to you by Tomlin Harmonica School - Step by step guidance and support to become a great harmonica player! http://www.tomlinharmonicaschool.com

1. Jason’s projects

- Jason’s website https://www.mooncat.org/

- Jason’s new album “My Chops Are Rolling” http://www.ellersoulrecords.com/store.html

- Online Blues and Jazz Concerts Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/onlinebluesandjazz

- Harmonica Collective (Winslow Yerxa) http://www.harmonicacollective.com/

- Jason Ricci and The Bad Kind https://www.facebook.com/TheBadKind

2. Players to check out

- Adam Gussow

- Ronnie Shellist

- Konstantin Reinfeld

- Wade Schumann

- Madison Slim

- Carlos Del Junco

- Junior Kimbrough

- Taj Mahal

- Otavio Castro

This week’s guest is a true innovator of the diatonic harmonica. He has taken an alternative approach to filling in the “missing” notes on the instrument by adding valves according to his own special method. He has also recorded and performed with many great musicians over the past 40 years including Ricky Skaggs and Brendan Powers in styles ranging from Bluegrass to Jazz. He is PT Gazell.

This podcast is brought to you by Tomlin Harmonica School - Step by step guidance and support to become a great harmonica player! http://www.tomlinharmonicaschool.com

1) PT Gazell

- PT’s latest album ’The Loft Sessions’ http://www.ptgazell.com/recordings.html

- Gazell Method Harmonicas http://www.ptgazell.com/gazell-method-harmonicas-1.html

- PT’s Online Teaching http://www.ptgazell.com/online-instruction.html

2) Harmonica Players to check out;

- Bernie Bray

- Jason Rosenblatt https://jasonrosenblatt.com/

- Brendan Powers https://www.brendan-power.com/

3) Artists to check out

- Johnny Paycheck

- Benny Goodman

- Louis Jordan

This week’s guest is harmonica royalty. He is a world-renowned customiser, harmonica historian, masterful teacher and incredible player specialising in pre-war blues styles . He is Joe Filisko

This podcast is brought to you by Tomlin Harmonica School - Step by step guidance and support to become a great harmonica player! http://www.tomlinharmonicaschool.com

Harmonica Blues: Great Harmonica Performances Of The 1920s And '30s (Yazoo) https://www.discogs.com/Various-Harmonica-Blues-Great-Harmonica-Performances-Of-The-1920s-And-30s/release/1829201

Joe’s teaching;

- In Person - Old Town School of Folk Music (Chicago) https://www.oldtownschool.org/

- Online http://www.filiskostore.com/ (All Levels ‘Skip to my Lou’ ‘Henry’s lament’)

Players to check out;

- Kim Wilson

Joe's current projects

Joe Filisko and Eric Nodenhttps://www.rootsduo.com/

“When the saints go marching in” different styles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxPEWS_J1ec

As well as being a Grammy-nominated harmonica player, this week’s guest is the world’s most published author of blues harmonica lesson material. He runs a successful online harmonica school as well as the world’s first brick-and-mortar school for the study of Blues. He is David Barrett.

This podcast is brought to you by Tomlin Harmonica School - Step by step guidance and support to become a great harmonica player! http://www.tomlinharmonicaschool.com

- David’s online Blues Harmonica school http://www.bluesharmonica.com

This week’s guest is a winner of the National Harmonica League Player of the year and has been described by Adam Gussow as "A complete bluesician in every respect”. He is an excellent band leader and teacher who I have the pleasure of working with on a regular basis. He is my harmonica brother from another mother - Liam Ward

This podcast is brought to you by Tomlin Harmonica School - Step by step guidance and support to become a great harmonica player! http://www.tomlinharmonicaschool.com

- Don’t worry be happy https://youtu.be/EcdrhR8e6OA

This week’s guest can only be described as a renaissance man. He has carried out neuroscience research about musicians, worked with Barclays as a design director and started his own product design consultancy. All of this, plus he is a world-renowned harmonica player and excellent teacher. He is Lee Sankey…

This podcast is brought to you by Tomlin Harmonica School - Step by step guidance and support to become a great harmonica player! http://www.tomlinharmonicaschool.com

- “My Day is Just Beginning” by The Lee Sankey Group https://open.spotify.com/album/7GP4VyhAVodSIm1SiXQtHp

This week I am joined by Ronnie Shellist. Not only is he a brilliant player but he is also an excellent teacher who works hard to share his gift with as many people as he can. He was the first teacher on YouTube and has gone on to innovate in the field of harmonica education with online courses and seminars. Ronnie is also my teacher.

This podcast is brought to you by Tomlin Harmonica School - Step by step guidance and support to become a great harmonica player! http://www.tomlinharmonicaschool.com

- The Kilborn Alley Blues Band https://www.facebook.com/kilbornalley/

This week I am joined by the fabulous Roly Platt. With over 1800 recordings to his name, Roly is one of the most versatile and in-demand session harmonica players on the planet. He is also the inventor of the Harp Wah which has found its way into many harmonica players gig bags since he released it in 2017.

This podcast is brought to you by Tomlin Harmonica School - Step by step guidance and support to become a great harmonica player! http://www.tomlinharmonicaschool.com

‘Inside Out’ by Roly Platt https://www.harmonicamute.com/product/inside-out-cd-hard-copy/

In the first episode of Tomlin's Harmonica Podcast" I will be chatting to the "Hendrix of Harmonica" Will Wilde about teaching, Jason Ricci, amplified harmonica and his new album.

This podcast is brought to you by Tomlin Harmonica School - Step by step guidance and support to become a great harmonica player! http://www.tomlinharmonicaschool.com

Show Notes

• Will Wilde "Parisienne Walkways" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPPGv5hBE0Y