HarmonicaUK 2022 October

HARMONICAUK 2022 OCTOBER FESTIVAL

By Gene Myers

The HarmonicaUK 2022 October Festival is set to return as a live event this year, with a stellar line-up, and hosted at the Hillscourt Hotel in Rednal just south of Birmingham, from Friday the 21st through to Sunday the 23rd of October. The Hillscourt Hotel was also the site of this year’s very successful Chromatic Weekend, with great facilities and food, friendly and helpful staff, and good transport links. Other nearby hotel accommodation has been reserved, as we’re expecting this year’s event to be booked to full capacity. The festivities kick off late Friday afternoon with the HarmonicaUK Annual General Meeting, followed by a Friday night open jam session, backed by the Birmingham-based legend Ricky Cool. Ricky has assembled an outstanding rhythm section of seasoned Blues and Roots musicians for the event, including blues guitarist and vocalist Steve Ajao, John Roy Potter on bass, and Howard Smith on drums and vocals. Ricky, Steve, John and Howard’s mission is to support the Friday night ‘Jammers’, so grab your harps, roll up your sleeves and get ready for an unforgettable Friday night jam. For those that would prefer a quieter, more intimate setting, there will also be a Chromatic jam in the Hillscourt bar area at the same time. Saturday and Sunday will be filled with a all the October Festival fun and opportunities you’ve come to expect. Masterclass workshops by the featured artists, for all levels of players, in many

genres of music, are the mainstay of the festival and this years’ event is set to raise the bar. This year’s featured artists include HarmonicaUK ambassador Sam Spranger and his UK band The Bad Day, Shima Kobayashi originally from Japan, Mick Kinsella from Ireland, HarmonicaUK ambassador Rachelle Plas from France with guitarist Philippe Hervouët, and Antonio Serrano from Madrid, accompanied by pianist Chris Collis. For the past seven years Sam Spranger has been playing diatonic rock and blues harmonica with The Bad Day. Their eponymous second album released this year challenged rock, blues, and mainstream audiences and has been critically acclaimed by Classic Rock, Blues In Britain, RNR Magazine, and many others. The band are known for their energetic live performances and have played venues ranging from the Isle of Wight festival to Sony Hall in Times Square. In addition to the diatonic harmonica, Sam is recognised as a formidable chromatic player and enjoys performing classical, jazz, and ragtime. He is particularly enthusiastic about helping diatonic players start on the chromatic, as well as de-mystifying music theory and making learning on the instrument more accessible. Shima Kobayashi is a celebrated chromatic soloist and music educator whose repertoire draws from a wide range of works for the chromatic harmonica, from chamber music to concertos with an orchestra. Exploring all the possibilities of the chromatic harmonica is what Shima naturally does. Along with creating new works with composers and musicians, her work also includes improvisation, words, and movement. Shima studied chromatic harmonica with Joe Sakimoto in Japan, then becoming World Harmonica Championship winner gave Shima the opportunity to study with harmonica legend Tommy Reilly in 1996 for a year-long residency and started her on a 5-year whirlwind tour. Upon relocating to the UK, Shima put a pause on her performing and embarked on a new period of study, earning a degree (BA Hons) in Social Sciences, a certificate of professional Practice (CPP) in music education, whilst raising her child. As the last pupil of the virtuoso chromatic harmonica player Tommy Reilly, Shima was asked to write about her teacher for his biography. This process of writing reignited her passion and she returned to musical activity, performing as a soloist, with an additional focus in music education. Shima is keen to perform the vast range of repertoire handed down by Tommy Reilly and to pass his legacy onto the wider public and next generation of players. Well known in the world of harmonica Mick Kinsella's music ranges from blues to jazz, traditional Irish and world music. Coming

from a drumming background, his music is always played with a strong rhythm. On his album Harmonica he plays Chromatic, Diatonic, Congas, snare drum and various percussion instruments as well as bass harmonica. Harmonica is an eclectic album featuring Mick's love of all musical styles and includes musette, Traditional Irish music, blues, tango and some self-penned jazz inflected tunes using overblows. Mick is also a studio musician and has guested on over a hundred albums to date including Michael Flatley’s Feet of Flames. He has also featured on numerous film scores including Billy Connolly's World tour of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Rachelle Plas is a virtuoso harmonica player and singer/songwriter from France with a smooth, provocative voice that complements her refined harmonica style. Rachelle will be joined by singer/ songwriter and guitarist Philippe Hervouët, a magnificent and accomplished artist in his own right. Together this inimitable harmonica and guitar duo will share their music creations, ranging from rock to blues and from pop to Celtic. Rachelle has released many albums and singles, and her music and music videos have received millions of web impressions. She has performed internationally on prestigious stages, radio, and TV. Yet, there is much more to this fascinating woman. She was also a member of the French Judo team and multiple times champion of France, winner of the Tournament of France and vice-world champion. Rachelle has surprised and delighted audiences, worldwide, and they have shown unwavering support and praise for her atypical and exceptional career. The renowned Antonio Serrano from Madrid is joining us again after one of last year’s most popular online festival sessions. Antonio Serrano is considered one of the greatest harmonica players of all time. His greatest contribution to Spanish music was to introduce the harmonica in flamenco, further consolidating such innovation by being part of Paco de Lucia's group between 2004 and 2014. His musical versatility has also led him to carry out projects and collaborations in other musical fields such as jazz, classical music, tango, and pop. Antonio began his musical studies with his father, who taught him to play the harmonica and to read music. Later, he studied piano and violin at the conservatories at Alicante and Madrid, concluding his harmonica training with none other than master Larry Adler, in London. His flawless technique led him to perform in Paris, at the age of 13, a duet with Larry Adler at a Concert for the United Nations. Antonio will be accompanied by Chris Collis, the accomplished pianist that has been supporting HarmonicaUK events for 20 years.

If these outstanding and diverse mix of artists alone are not enough to ensure that the main Saturday concert is an event not to be missed, we also have very special surprise guests planned.

In addition to the workshop, performances and open jams, there will be trade stands, and artisan harmonica technician

John Cook will also be hosting workshops on the harmonica manufacturing techniques that are spawning innovation, techniques that make harmonicas great such as embossing, double reed plates, chamfering, and reed profiling, as well as the launch of a new Signature Harmonica Tuner. John will also have on display a collection of historical harmonicas from a world renowned collector. Of course, there will also be an auction, and the highly acclaimed HarmonicaUK Player of the Year competition on Saturday. Judging from the quality of entrants in last year's online festival, this year’s competition is again expected to showcase the exceptional talent of HarmonicaUK’s membership. Rules for the HarmonicaUK Player-of-the-Year completion, booking details, full up-to-the-minute timetable, and the latest news and announcements can be found by visiting the Events page on the HarmonicaUK website, www.harmonica.uk/pages/Events. Please bookmark the page and check it often. We’re looking forward to welcoming everyone to Hillscourt Hotel to join us in celebrating the return of the live event, and a fabulous weekend of harmonica entertainment, education, and camaraderie.