Tomlin’s Harmonica Podcast

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

Show Notes

- 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.

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

- 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

Show Notes

- 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.

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

- 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

- Recommended Listening

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
 
Show Notes

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
 
Show Notes

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
 
Show Notes

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
- Mark Hummel
- Paul Lamb
- Wes Weston

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
 
Show Notes

- David’s online Blues Harmonica school http://www.bluesharmonica.com
- Amazing Slow Downer https://www.ronimusic.com/
- Motivate, Educate, Inspire
- “Cryin’ Hey” by Monster Mike Welch https://open.spotify.com/album/59zXKimSv4Ia29QT2Vcr1k
- New Ear training and Artist Studies available at http://www.bluesharmonica.com
- “Louisiana Song” by Joe Filisko https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoADEj5cMVk

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
 
Show Notes

- Don’t worry be happy https://youtu.be/EcdrhR8e6OA
- Absolute Beginner Course https://sellfy.com/p/3jggz1/
- Liam Ward Band https://www.liamwardband.com/
- Jake Leg Jug Band https://www.thejakelegjugband.com/
- Liam’s YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/learntheharmonica

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
 
Show Notes

- “My Day is Just Beginning” by The Lee Sankey Group https://open.spotify.com/album/7GP4VyhAVodSIm1SiXQtHp
- James Hunter - Howling Wilf https://open.spotify.com/album/5tF68uditIciBEsOpQtVaS
- Paul Lamb https://open.spotify.com/artist/79kHMZTWVgos5CQUNSIhEX
- Matt Schofield http://www.mattschofield.com/
- Alice Russell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xNy40dQCNQ
- “Stay Gold” by The Black Pumas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXdGayC_guM
- ‘Brainstruments’ http://www.brainstruments.com
- Lee’s YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnlhfVQuaitpjuu5iNTdbdw
- Vimeo Courses “Country Blues”, “Timing Skills” https://vimeo.com/bluesharmonica