The Harmonicats make me smile all big and toothy-like.
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Artist:
For those of you who like your classical music with a bit o' spit and muscle, check out Jerry Murad's Harmonicats playing a jazzed up version of Chopin's "Fantasy Impromtu" and Kabalevsky's "Dance of the Comedians." This is seriously fun. Happy New Year!
Locating MOG account...
Comments (25)
Wow, they're something else! I've heard of them, been curious about them and even wanted to check them out, but never managed to defeat the overall passivity enveloping me to actually do any of those previously-mentioned acts and enjoy them, especially at their peak which is where they seem to be in this video, all bedecked, choreographed and rehearsed to a perfect sheen. Yikes, what a treat!
Happy New Year back at cha, and I do miss those old variety shows
Thanks! Gosh, me too. Sigh . . .
There are three or four people to whom I'm forwarding this link immediately. This is greatness....
Fantastic! The Harmonicats really are timeless
Dear CeeOhBee,
I thoroughly enjoyed watching and listening to Jerry Murad and The Harmonicats! I remember seeing them numerous times on the great tv variety shows such as "Ed Sullivan Show" and was totally bowled over by their great musicianship. And yes, I do have at least two albums by them that are just great. Both LPs have ballads interspersed with lively numbers above. And I do believe there is one more member on both LPs although I will have to look them up.
Thanks for posting this delicacy!
Yours truly,
musikfriend
Wow, that is really incredible! I had never heard of them before,,, and agree that the old variety shows are well missed in this age of fake reality TV shows. Thanks for sharing that!
I do not think my foot is going to stop tapping before I go to bed, this was great
Blown away!!! I'm just lost for words. Thanks Cee and all my best wishes for 2009
I'm going to come back and enjoy this video again and again! I have heard them on record and radio before and I have an old record and a CD buried here somewhere. You hear Peg O' My Heart and such so often and don't get this good stuff unless you go looking for it. Now I appreciate them so much more and will seek out more! Thanks
I have been a fan of Classical harmonica since I started buying John Sabastian's records. I also bought his instruction book, though I've never gotten past the tolerable amateur level. (That's the father of the Lovin' Spoonful John Sabastian.) You also might look up Larry Adler, who grew up in Baltimore (where I came from), tought himself to play and at age 14 ran away to become, some say, the greatest classical/jazz/pop harmonica pioneer. I got to hear him with the Baltimore Symphony in the 1970s and had a word with him afterward. A very lovely chap.
Now if we could only get a vid where they are backing up the Comedian Harmonists, we'll be in good shapwe..nice one C-O-B.
Good stream of consciousness, Cody. How about the Harmonious Blacksmith?
Ward Swingle and the New Swingle Singers on St. Paul Sunday.
Oooh, wow, love both of these comment/posts! Thanks very much Cody and Spike 1.
Spike 1, I have seen the Swingle Singers a few times in my youth. How fun to remember this! I heard this piece. God, I loved them when I was a kid. I played that piece on the piano many years later and laughed when I realized my first introduction to the piece was their concert!
Whoa..the videos disappeared.
Music is so great that way, CeeOhBee. It weaves in and out through your life. Laughter and Music! The original Swingles were so cool. Then the New Swingles put out a fine album called Swingle Skyliner with the title song and nine other jazz classics. Five of the songs have lyrics by Jon Hendrics. Very tasty.
Here's the Harmonicats with Granada:
I really think it's a shame they were recorded with so much echo!
Spike 1 got this post all re-awakened, and somehow Cody B noticed. Mention of John Sebastian (the elder) records and a rare Comedian Harmonists video: Mog doesn't get much better than this! Here's John Sebastian playing Bach's "Sonata in A Minor for Solo Flute; 1. Allemande (Frisch und bewegt)" (that, according to my notes, I included in a comment for a 10/6/08 Baudolino post that I can't locate anymore).
Thanks for posting this music, Spike. It's among my old faves. Charles Burr comments in his liner notes that this is Bach's only solo flute sonata and it is not often tackled by flutists because of its difficulty. I like how Sebastian build's the intensity in this performance and adds the double stops at the climax. It says here he could do an ocatve or more, which means covering two or three holes with the tongue and blowing or drawing on both sides. (So far as we know, however, no one has figured out how to blow and draw at the same time.) He says in his introductory course on chromatic Harmonica that the three octave chromatic harp has the same range as a FLUTE or oboe. So this sonata would be a good choice. Of course, he was playing the four octave "64".
Sebastian not only made a lot of transcriptions but also had a bunch of pieces composed for him by the likes of Tcherepnin (another fave of mine), Mihaud, Hovhaness, Villa-Lobos, etc.
Spike 1, all of your pithy comment is news to me, and increases my appreciation of the music.
Thanks, Spike. BTW, when I said "He says in his introductory course..." I meant Sebastian, not Burr. A little ambiguous the way I wrote it.
Now, if we could only get the author of this post to rejoin us, life would be perfect....
Hahaha, aaaah ivylander, I JUST got my internet back after a very rough month of moving to a new house. Yeeesh, if a certain phone company finds a crazed woman with a flamethrower in her hands making flambé out of their architecture, they've only themselves to blame.
Can't believe how much life this silly little post got this week. Guess I'd better put up another! Sure miss you people.
ivylander, let's pray that she still allows MOG to email her when we comment, and thus eventually to force her to miss a few silly deadlines.
Yikes, you're back! Flambé and all.
Deadlines, schmeadlines.
Welcome back. In honor of the flambe I wish I could post John Sebastian's or Larry Adler's recording of Manuel de Falla's Ritual Fire Dance. I don't have the equip to convert vinyl to mp3 right now. But how about THIS guy? His name (on YouTube) is kfleung, or "Lee" for short. Quite the young talent.