- Audio CD (4 Nov 1994)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: EMI
- ASIN: B00004XNG6
- Other Editions: MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 248,418 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Many recordings are available of Larry Adler and some that I have listened to have been of very poor quality and disappointing. This collection, however, gives a wonderfully comprehensive over-view of Larry Adler at his finest. As an exponent of jazz and blues and as a popular showman with absolute command of the instrument in all its richness and variety he is unbeatable. My own opinion is that he falls down on his interpretation of classical music as he always gives it a popular, glitzy character which is rarely appropriate except in some cases e.g. Gershwin or such popular 'lollipops' (courtesy of Sir Thomas B!) as Ravel's Bolero.
But this disc presents us with Larry Adler the incomparable master of his medium and it is a rich and diverse tapestry of sheer, amazing virtuosity and technical wizardry. It provides an outstanding masterclass and I thoroughly recommend it to any aspiring players who want to make a deep and comprehensive study of the instrument.
But this disc presents us with Larry Adler the incomparable master of his medium and it is a rich and diverse tapestry of sheer, amazing virtuosity and technical wizardry. It provides an outstanding masterclass and I thoroughly recommend it to any aspiring players who want to make a deep and comprehensive study of the instrument.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Harmonica Player
5 Sep 2008
Format:Audio CD
I have been playing a Honer 64 Chromonica for over 60 years. I started playing as a boy being influenced by my original Larry Adler and John Sebastian 78 RPM records, now long gone. Finding this CD has been a wonderfull and nostalgic experience. I can once again "play along with Larry" on my new Honer Super 64 Chromonica. (I still have my 60 year old one). I will be buying more Larry Adler CD's from Amazon, naturally and can really recommend this one for all harmonica music lovers and players.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
One of the greatest harmonica albums of all time!
9 July 2010
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
After years of playing diatonic (traditional 10 hole) blues harps, I've purchesed some Chromatics in recent months and since I wanted to learn from a master, I bought this CD to practice while playing.
What a perfect choice! Stevie Wonder, John Popper, Toots Theilemans, and Lee Oskar are perhaps the greatest living harmonicists. But if you like these men, one listen to Larry Adler will make your jaws drop in awe! This man was to the harmonica what Jimi Hendrix was to the guitar and was truly the master of this instrument! He also popularized the use of the Chromatic harmonica (a more complicated type of harp with as many as 10, 12, or 16 holes and a handlebar to change keys) and pioneered its use as a lead instrument in jazz, show tunes, and classical music (as opposed to its more traditional backup use in blues and country music).
The CD itself is an awesome collection of Adler's recorded work from the 1930s (very clean sound, I might add) to some standards and Porgy & Bess tunes from the 1950s. "Londonderry Air" is actually "Danny Boy," and in the middle of the tune, Adler switches track from the traditional dirge and plays a jazzed up version of the classic Irish ballad. Speaking of jazz, our man hams it up and displays some early (1935) Chromatic pyrotechnics in "Tiger Rag." He clowns a bit while ad libbing some "Blackvoice" dialogue to the tune which as an African American with an open mind, I personally found more amusing than mean-spirited or offensive.
"La Mer" is actually the original French title of the standard "Beyond the Sea" and Adler's version could bring tears to the eyes. It is interesting to compare this to Stevie Wonder's more uptempo take on this tune a decade later (see "Stevie Wonder's Early Classics" Cd). Adler expanded the role of the Chromatic Harmonica while playing the lead solo on a complete version of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." He also plays on a recorded tribute to George Gershwin (a year after the composer's death and also speaks warmly about the famous compser on this track) and plays a delightfully moving version of "Bess You Is My Woman Now" from Porgy & Bess that will also make one wet in the eyes.
This may be frustrating for the harmonicist who uses this CD to learn and practice the Chromatic Harmonica, as Adler displayed some astounding wizardry with this instrument that is extremely difficult to come close to matching. But non-musicians will bask in the beautiful artistry of these recordings. Right now, a British Black kid named Phillip Achille is picking up where Adler left off in mastering the Chromatic in jazz, show, classical, and pop tunes. Let's wish him well. He and other aspiring Chromatic harmonicists have quite a legacy in the work of Larry Adler. Listen, marvel, and enjoy.
What a perfect choice! Stevie Wonder, John Popper, Toots Theilemans, and Lee Oskar are perhaps the greatest living harmonicists. But if you like these men, one listen to Larry Adler will make your jaws drop in awe! This man was to the harmonica what Jimi Hendrix was to the guitar and was truly the master of this instrument! He also popularized the use of the Chromatic harmonica (a more complicated type of harp with as many as 10, 12, or 16 holes and a handlebar to change keys) and pioneered its use as a lead instrument in jazz, show tunes, and classical music (as opposed to its more traditional backup use in blues and country music).
The CD itself is an awesome collection of Adler's recorded work from the 1930s (very clean sound, I might add) to some standards and Porgy & Bess tunes from the 1950s. "Londonderry Air" is actually "Danny Boy," and in the middle of the tune, Adler switches track from the traditional dirge and plays a jazzed up version of the classic Irish ballad. Speaking of jazz, our man hams it up and displays some early (1935) Chromatic pyrotechnics in "Tiger Rag." He clowns a bit while ad libbing some "Blackvoice" dialogue to the tune which as an African American with an open mind, I personally found more amusing than mean-spirited or offensive.
"La Mer" is actually the original French title of the standard "Beyond the Sea" and Adler's version could bring tears to the eyes. It is interesting to compare this to Stevie Wonder's more uptempo take on this tune a decade later (see "Stevie Wonder's Early Classics" Cd). Adler expanded the role of the Chromatic Harmonica while playing the lead solo on a complete version of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue." He also plays on a recorded tribute to George Gershwin (a year after the composer's death and also speaks warmly about the famous compser on this track) and plays a delightfully moving version of "Bess You Is My Woman Now" from Porgy & Bess that will also make one wet in the eyes.
This may be frustrating for the harmonicist who uses this CD to learn and practice the Chromatic Harmonica, as Adler displayed some astounding wizardry with this instrument that is extremely difficult to come close to matching. But non-musicians will bask in the beautiful artistry of these recordings. Right now, a British Black kid named Phillip Achille is picking up where Adler left off in mastering the Chromatic in jazz, show, classical, and pop tunes. Let's wish him well. He and other aspiring Chromatic harmonicists have quite a legacy in the work of Larry Adler. Listen, marvel, and enjoy.
Master of the Harmonica
9 Jan 2010
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Larry Adler was not only the master of the harmonica; but probably the greatest instrumentalist in history. One has to be thoroughly knowledgeable with the harmonica to understand my remark.
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