Tomlin’s Harmonica Podcast

This week’s guest is not a harmonica teacher or player but he is a fantastic musician, teacher and composer. I thought it would be fun to pick his brains about the process of practice as a student of an instrument, how best to do it and why it is important. He is my good friend Vid Gobac.

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

Follow Vid here - https://www.vidgobac.com/

Check out Vid’s seminar on tomlinharmonicaschool.com all about timing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6gD2SPhdSg

This week’s guest is a fantastic harmonica player, performer and songwriter. Having given up a career as a software engineer to become a musician he has gone on to develop a unique style blending classic West Coast Blues Harmonica with traditional Indian music. He is the inimitable Aki Kumar.

SHOW NOTES

New Single: Aana Mere Pyar Ko https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waAmX91RPMs

Website: http://www.akikumar.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aki_kumar/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/akikumar/

- Muddy Waters

- Gary Smith

- David Barrett

- George Smith

- Rod Piazza

- Kim Wilson

- William Clark

- Rick Estrin

Misc.

- Little Village Foundation http://littlevillagefoundation.com/our-people/founder-jim-pugh/

Not only is this week’s guest an awesome diatonic and chromatic player but he is also an amazing band leader, singer, drummer, keyboard player and lap-steel player. Jason Ricci describes him as a fiery, open minded, unique and musical harmonica player. He is the sensational Hank Shreve…

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/hank.shreve

Band Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HankShreveBand/

YouTube Page - https://www.youtube.com/user/hankshreve

Music Masters Teaching Studio - https://www.musicmastersstudio.com/teacher-roster/hank-shreve-guitar-and-drum-lessons-eugene/

Carlos Del Junco

William Clark

Norton Buffalo

Jimmy Reed

Sonny Boy Williamson I

Rob Paparozzi

Deak Harp

Rick Estrin

Dennis Gruenling

Stevie Wonder

You probably know this week’s guest as the author of the best-selling instructional books “Harmonica for Dummies” and “Blues Harmonica for Dummies” but there is so much more to the story than that. He is comfortable playing diatonic and chromatic across a wide variety of genres including Blues, Jazz and French/Canadian/Scottish Folk. He has been described by Jason Ricci as a mad scientist of harmonicas and harmonica music. He is none other than Winslow Yerxa…

Show Notes

- SPAH http://www.spah.org

- Social History of Harmonica https://www.facebook.com/virtualfilmfest/?hc_location=ufi

- http://www.winslowyerxa.com

- https://www.facebook.com/winslowyerxamusicpage/

- Toots Thielemens

- Larry Adler

- Tommy Riley

- Little Walter

- George Smith

This week’s guest is a prodigious talent on both diatonic and chromatic harmonica, he is a Berklee College of Music graduate and he is Sting’s harmonica player. He is Shane Sager

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

- Shane’s projects

The Sager Family Foundation http://teamsager.org/

Shane’s Youtube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/ssager2012

- Shane’s music

“Brand New Day” Sting NYE 2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alu-XPPytXg

“My Songs: Live” Sting (feat Shane) https://smarturl.it/MySongsLive

- Recommended Listening

William Clarke

Rob Paparozzi

Larry Adler

Toots Thielemens

Hank Shreve

Stevie Wonder

This week’s guest is a versatile player on the diatonic and chromatic and is comfortable playing many different musical genres including but not limited to Irish folk, Jazz, Pop and Blues. He has recorded and toured with huge names ranging from Sting to Van Morrison. And, As well being an inspirational player, he is also a hugely creative harmonica customiser. He is Brendan Power.

Show Notes

- Brendan’s Music

State Of The Harp

Country Harmonica

New Irish Harmonica

- Brendan’s Projects

Check out Brendan’s website with his music, projects and harmonica innovations - https://www.brendan-power.com/

Harmonica and iPad instructional series - https://vimeo.com/ondemand/harmonicaipad/401119840

- Recommended Listening

Sonny Terry & Brownie

Sonny Boy Williamson II “This Is My Story”

Charlie McCoy

This week’s guest takes a mixture of sweet country and gospel melodies and fuses them together with heavy blues chops to make him one of the most exciting modern harmonica players on the planet. He has a complete mastery of the overblows and overdraws and knows how to play them with extreme taste. He is Todd Parrot.

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

- Todd Parrot’s Projects

Todd Parrot Skype Lessons http://www.toddparrott.com/Harmonica___Links.html

Custom Harmonica Combs https://www.facebook.com/todd.parrott.37

Carolina Harp Fest https://www.ncharmonica.com/

- Custom Harmonicas

Todd uses Joe Spiers’ custom harmonicas https://spiersharmonicas.com/

- Recommended Links

Steve Baker “The Harp Handbook”

Online piano http://www.gootar.com/piano

- Recommended Players

Johnny Mars

Pat Missin

Pete Elder

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