- 
Austin Texas 2005 Class Complete!
The Austin Texas Harmonica Masterclass Workshop is complete!  Below are pictures, testimonials and articles written about this class.



“Excellent instructors, excellent material… all geared towards making you a better player.  Follow their advice and practice and you’ll improve tremendously.” Lance Hetzler

“Truly the most valuable learning experience EVER—best instruction of all the methods I’ve tried (and I’ve worked with 5 or 6 other instructors and programs)!”  Don McRee

“I attended a seminar previously in 2003 and came back because the first experience was so effective at launching my skill level forward.  I cannot imagine there is a more effective presentation and format than HMC.  These instructors and the material are in every way expertly prepared.”  Bill Keyes

“This was my fourth Masterclass.  I have learned from every class, met many very good harp players, gained inspiration and increased energy to take home and work on techniques. I will return to another class session.” Don Sharlow

“I attended the Harmonica Masterclass Austin 2005 and it has opened up an entire new world to me.  I have many tapes/CDs/books that I have purchased – but this 3 day class surpasses all of them put together.  All the instructors were so very knowledgeable about the harmonica, you will come away from this class armed with lots of new knowledge and you will be inspired to go home and practice.” John McCurdy



“The three days of this class were so packed with learning there’s not ten minutes I would have wanted to miss.  The instructors create an atmosphere which is challenging, motivating, supportive, encouraging, and best of all, a lot of fun.  They are as great at teaching as they are at playing.  And that’s saying a lot, considering how they blew us away with the History of the Blues Harmonica Concert.  My appreciation for Dave Barrett’s work continues to grow.”  Diane Smith

“I feel I got my money’s worth the first class, first day.  All the classes were fun and helpful.  Instructors were uniformly excellent—patient, encouraging, energizing.  I hope I can attend more workshops for the classes I missed this time.”  Steve Hall

“The workshop was an amazing experience, with a wide range of topics and plenty of practical examples.  It was also an inspiration that will send me to the woodshed with a smile on my face.  David Barrett puts his heart into every class, and it shows.  I look forward to the next workshop.”  Del Thiessen, Ph. D.



“I would recommend the workshop to ALL levels of harmonica players beyond novice.  You gave me more material to put to use that I thought possible!”  Tom Stevens

“I had my money’s worth after the 1^st day! Instructors were knowledgeable, talented and used a variety of approaches to help others.”  Austin Texas 2005 Participant

“A super well organized program with superb instruction and great handout material.”  Stephen Rosenoff

“Every class I attended met or exceeded my expectations.”  Perry Gangur

“This weekend was professionally handled.  The instructors I had were the best.  I don’t know where I could have learned more.  This weekend has been more educational than I expected.  I’m looking forward to attending next year.” Conrad Pussman

“The History of the Blues Harmonica Concert was as educational as it was entertaining.  I appreciated very much following the development of the blues from the early 1900’s to today’s blues.” Austin Texas 2005 Participant

“History of the Blues Harmonica concert was worth the price of admission.  Heard every lick I could have wanted.  Instructors were amazing in their depth and breadth of coverage.” Austin Texas 2005 Participant


Harmonica Masterclass Workshop® and the History of Blues Harmonica Concert

Austin, TX 2005

By John Francis
Dir. Sales & Marketing

The Best Li’l Harp House

Wow! Doesn’t even begin to describe the experience of attending David Barrett’s Harmonica Masterclass Workshop in Austin, TX.  This was my first Workshop, and it will definitely not be my last. 

The Best Li’l Harp House had the privilege of co-sponsoring the Workshops with Mel Bay Publications this year and we couldn’t have been more excited to be a part of it.  Austin, TX was a beautiful location and the Double Tree Suites offered excellent accommodations.  The lesson material, teaching staff and camaraderie, among the staff and the students, combined with private tutoring and David’s professional approach was simply outstanding.  Humble though he may be, his level of excellence literally sets the bar in the field of harmonica instruction. 

The synergy of the staff may be a direct result of David Barrett’s Teacher Accreditation Programs.  Not only do these programs insure that each instructor can communicate specialized information, but they also enable each group to effectively cooperate as a unit. 

In short, they’re all on the same page!  The end result is an easy to follow, enjoyable, educational experience, regardless of skill level.

Joe Filisko, David Barrett, Kinya Pollard, and Gary Primich were the primary instructors in Austin. 

Tom Ellis of Tom’s Mics and Jimi Lee, local singer/songwriter/harp player, were also on hand to offer their expertise and tutorial services to the attendees.

Dennis Carelli, Director of Harmonica Masterclass and David’s “right-hand-man” coordinated the event with enormous enthusiasm and surgical precision, not to mention that he found time to give us a taste of his own harp and vocal repertoire.

Tom Stevens of Harmonica Organization of Texas (HOOT) and the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of Harmonicas (SPAH), represented both of these organizations with tireless energy and professionalism.  Tom always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, lending his talents to the student’s needs.

The entire workshop was a living, breathing manifestation of harmonica enthusiasm, molding and shaping the next generation of Blues masters.

One much-anticipated event stirred so much enthusiasm among the group that, when it was over, spectators couldn’t bring themselves to go home.  The Saturday evening concert titled:  The History of Blues Harmonica.

Joe Filisko was the first to grace the stage and grace it he did!  Joe’s name is often heard in conversations about custom harmonica repair and modification.  He’s well known as a master harmonica technician and historian, but I’m here to tell you that he’s an indisputable RULER of the instrument!

Joe began his set with an impressive series of train imitation and fox chase type pieces.  When he finished this cross country, audio train ride he explained his motivation for selecting these tunes.  “This really intrigued me.  The concept of such a small harmonica mimicking the enormity of a train had really captured my imagination.”  ~ jf

I think I can speak for everyone in attendance when I say, “Thank goodness it did!”

The difficulty in executing these pieces was barely visible on his knitted brow, but his pleasure in performing them could be seen from the last row.

Joe followed up his antebellum introduction with a series of medleys from DeFord Bailey and Pegleg Sam, all the while feeding tasty morsels of art history to the hungry crowd.

His 1929 version of Sonny Terry’s “Mean Low Blues” was a piercing, upper register masterpiece, accompanied by the piano. This performance was received by the crowd’s standing approval.

Joe finished his set with his version of several other period recordings including John Lee’s “Sugar Mama Blues” and Rice Miller’s “Bye-Bye Bird.”  He finished “Bye-Bye Bird” in a classic cigar style, in-the-mouth harmonica technique while clapping his hands overhead to the beat.  Again, the crowd responded with standing approval.  What a gifted and satisfying performer!

In an interview, during the summer of 2001, Cathi Norton asked Joe, “How do you learn a piece of music and then communicate it?”

He answered:  “A lot of work and patience. . .total listening.”   “ . . .It comes down to really appreciating people who take the time to study and research.  I feel that’s extremely important.  What impresses me 99.99% of the time is musicians that learned to play by the rules before they decided to break them.”

Joe’s statement speaks volumes about the time and dedication that went into his performance. It also communicates the importance of listening to licks, dissecting the techniques, and understanding how they apply to the presentation of music. 

The next performer to charm the stage was none other than the founder and president of the Harmonica Masterclass Company and Harmonica Masterclass Workshops, founder of School of the Blues®, columnist for Blues Review Magazine, editor and writer for www.HarmonicaSessions.com, author of Free eZine, accomplished recording artist, harmonica player, teacher, and personal friend to the Best Li’l Harp House, Mr. David Barrett!

David is the world’s most frequently published author of blues harmonica curriculum, including books, CDs and video method books for Mel Bay Publications.  He has revolutionized the way harmonica is taught.  He continues to hone his skill and strive for excellence in every undertaking.  His performance here was no exception!

David started his post-war set with the infamous Little Walter.  His performance of “Evans Shuffle,” a version of Joe Liggins’ 1945 vocal hit “Honey Dripper,” was intoxicating.  He immediately followed it up with the 1952 version of “Juke,” which mesmerized the crowd and testified to Barrett’s ability to capture the essence of this monster player.  “Juke” brought amplified blues playing to the forefront.   It has been said that if you didn’t play “Juke” you simply didn’t get work in the 50s as a harmonica player.

Joe re-joined David for a 1954 rendition of “Blue Lights.”  This soulful diatonic and chromatic harmonica piece captured the idea of the harmonica as a “mouth organ.”

Another exciting stop on Dave’s journey through the History of Blues Harmonica was a Little Walter tune entitled, “Roller Coaster.”  A very difficult piece to perform, Barrett executed it with skillful phrasing and characteristic proficiency.

One of the most outstanding songs in his set was a killer tune by Louis Myers.  This was the 1956 version of  “Just Wailin’.”  One might ask, “Who was Louis Myers?” He was Little Walter’s guitarist, but he was also an accomplished harmonica player.  There could be no more memorable introduction to this lesser know artist than David’s performance.  It was simply extraordinary!

Barrett transported listeners through the pages of history with a series of compositions by Big Walter Horton, George “Harmonica” Smith, Jerry McCane, Junior Wells, and finally, Austin’s own James Cotton with “Creeper."

While he didn’t do any back-flips or somersaults, as Cotton has been rumored to do on stage, he definitely had the crowd doing gymnastics for this finale`.

His set was not only historically accurate, commanding and generally executed note-for-note as the original recordings, but it was also entertaining, educational, and completely invigorating. 

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, enter the gifted and talented Mr. Kinya Pollard. 

Kinya was a student of Dave’s in the late 90’s.  He purchased his first Marine Band in 1973 so he could impress the girls.  He’s come a long way since then.  He now teaches with the Harmonica Masterclass Company and conducts Harmonica Repair and Customization Workshops.  He’s a business owner, father, husband, teacher, and performer who continues to work toward his mastery of the harmonica.

Kinya performed a tribute to the late, great Paul Butterfield.  He dedicated it to Paul Butterfield and all of his students.  Paul would have been proud.  I know we were!

He pounded out enormous vibrato and his presence filled the room.  When he introduced the vocals the entire auditorium went numb.  The audience was transported into the “Butterfield Zone”.  According to Mr. Pollard this was “Butterfield – the Japanese version”.  Japanese or not, it was genuinely haunting, artistically accurate, and honestly reminiscent of the legendary blues master.  Kinya Pollard is indeed a rising star.

The final artist to hit the stage was another Austin favorite, Mr. Gary Primich.  Primich was born in Chicago and raised in Indiana.  It took only one visit to Austin for him to decide on a move.   Gary has roots in the old school, but his heart is in the individual expression of today’s modern blues.  He is a songwriter, blues singer and modern harmonica master.  Who better to bat clean up?

Gary rounded out the evening with his own band, playing directly to the audience. After a few moments of stage fun he brought his modern blues style front and center. The hopping, swinging sounds of Austin resonated throughout the auditorium and brought the History of Blues Harmonica to an exciting end in the beginning of a new millennium. 

The Gary Primich Band went beyond the music by applying many of the techniques, disciplines, and chord structures that had been taught in the workshops.  He used his talent and experience to demonstrate exactly how a practiced band should perform.  He possesses all of the techniques, tone, vocals, and leadership necessary to provide a career in playing the harmonica, and his performance placed an exclamation point at the end of the concert.  This was a perfect ending to wonderful ride through the History of Blues Harmonica.

Harmonica Masterclass Workshops offer an invaluable asset to the blues community.  All players at every skill level can benefit from attending these classes.  Learn more about Harmonica Masterclass Workshops by visiting www.harmonicamasterclass.com or contacting the Best Li’l Harp House at: www.harphouse.com. 

This is the future of the blues.  Find out how you can be a part of that future. 

John Francis

 
HOOT (Harmonica Organization of Texas) Newsletter Coverage PDF



 

| Home | Search | Mailing List | Harmonica Information & Links | Vintage Collection |

Harmonica Masterclass® Company Info or E-mail