Harmonica Players- Male- Cross Category Music- Lee Oskar, Norton Buffalo

Players
[Diatonic Harmonica: Cross Category]

These players are too difficult to classify in only one genre of music. Many play blues, but play other styles as well.

Norton Buffalo: "A fairly well-known player who performs with, amongst others, Roy Rogers and the Steve Miller Band as well as his own formations. He's very versatile and his style adapts to the musicians he's playing with."
Lee Oskar: "There's no one in the pop music world quite like Lee Oskar. His unique role as a founding member and former lead harmonica player for the pioneer funk/jazz group, WAR, won him international renown for over two and a half decades (1969-1993). Oskar's signature harp solos helped to define the WAR sound from the band's beginning in 1969, adding dashes of color to their R&B/Jazz/Rock and Latin influences."
Jean Jacques Milteau: "The national French Harp pride. His brand new site is brilliant (and multilingual) you'll hear about many styles of playing, instruments (and even many different harp players) with nonetheless a strong Blues presence."
Peter Madcat Ruth: "Sonny Terry's harmonica playing inspired Madcat to pick up a harmonica and play along. He has been playing harmonica ever since. In the early years of his playing of harp playing, Madcat practiced along with whatever blues albums he could buy or borrow."
Steve Baker: "Steve is a British harp player exiled in Germany. He's the creator, amongst other things, of the famous Steve Baker Special tuning from Hohner (SBS), a diatonic enhanced with a low octave. He plays with German artists (Abi Wallenstein) and English ones (Chris Jones) and is also the author of 'The Harp Handbook', the harp bible!"
Richard Hunter: "This web site for harmonica players and fans is provided by Richard Hunter, world-class harmonica player, author of Jazz Harp (Oak Publications, NYC, 1980), and composer of original works for harmonica, including The Act of Being Free in One Act, the first full-length CD of works for unaccompanied harmonica ever recorded, and The Second Act of Free Being, the brand-new CD that takes solo harmonica to a new level."
Corky Siegel: "Composer, blues harmonica & piano, singer / songwriter, and most recently the winner of the Lila Wallace/Reader's Digest/Meet the Composer's national award for chamber music composition."
Brendan Power: This UK emigrated New-Zealander has built himself a reputation as a virtuoso of celtic harmonica, even if he doesn't limit his skills to that style. He has also played with Sting and Ray Charles and uses strange tunings both on diatonic harmonicas and on chromatics.
Carlos del Junco: "Carlos del Junco is the guy who brings Howard Levy style diatonic playing into blues and other 'popular' styles. His first album 'Just your Fool' is very enjoyable even if the choice of material isn't hugely inventive, but the second 'Big Boy' really hits the nail : jazzy stuff, ska, ballads, a bit of blues here and there..."
Bruno Kowalczyk: "A French performer who plays traditional Quebec folk music on various harmonicas, mainly tremelos, all more or less retuned to suit the requirements of the genre. His site will enable you to hear samples of his albums and to get acquainted with his style. And it's all in French!"
Corrin Huddleston: "My personal webpage that chronicles some of my involvement in the last 35 years playing professionally in NYC and other places. Includes live recordings and studio recordings as a sideman etc. and original tunes."
Greg Szlapczynski: "Home page of the Paris based Polish harmonica player Greg Szlapczynski. News, discography, concerts, harmonica classes, and workshops."
Lars Ringgaard: (in Danish and English) "Lars is a solid and skilled harp player which enables him to play almost everything. In the recent years, he has developed a unique style, that contains elements from several rhymic genres. Lars is well known in the Danish music community, where his distinctive harmonica sound has been heard in a variety of musical contexts."
Eugene Ryan: "The site of Eugene Ryan, the Irish chromatic and diatonic harmonica player specializing in jazz, blues and Irish traditional music. You will find sound samples, concert details, tips, links and equipment reviews here."
RB Harper Home Page: RB Harper, a.k.a. Rolf Berschneider, was born in Hamburg, Germany, on September 19, 1941. Since his postwar teenage years, his dearest companion has been the harmonica. By the age of eight, he knew most of the cherished children`s songs by heart. He was playing at his grade school and at church gatherings by the age of ten, and has been a star with that little harp ever since.
William Tang: "William Tang, one of Asia's top Blues Harmonica players has released his debut CD `movin'on'"
Harmonica Buzz: "When someone finds out you play harmonica, the first thing they usually say is 'So you play blues.' And it's true ... I love playing blues. But, if you understand where American music comes from, then you see that it's not all that different. At its roots, real music is about entertaining people and telling stories. Sometimes I'll play a blues song, sometimes I'll play a twangy thing and sometimes I won't play my harp at all. To me it's really about what the story calls for and the important thing is to give credit where due. Once you do that, you can make some real music of your own and find the people and places you should. Music brings people together ... come on in and find out."
Steve Shaw: "I play traditional Irish and other "celtic" music, mostly on diatonic harps. I discuss many aspects of playing this kind of music, such as choosing suitable instruments, setting up and tuning, altered tunings, learning tunes, techniques, making yourself heard, and playing successfully with other musicians. Some useful links are included."
Rory McLeod: "British Singer Songwriter, storytelling-tap-dancing one-man-rhythmic-dance-band. Rory plays diatonic harmonica primarily. Bass harmonica and some chromatic can be heard on his various CD's playing his own tunes."
Reynhard Boegl: "The bands and musical projects of the Austrian harmonica performer Reynhard Boegl include: "austrian harmonica school", "lucy in the sky" (pop-rock), "diving duck blues band", "dr.jekyll and mr.blues" (power-blues),...'
Buddy Greene: "Buddy Greene is a singer, songwriter, and of course an excellent harmonica player. He has recorded several albums, two of which are mainly harmonica instrumentals - "Praise Harmonica" and "Simple Praise". His playing on these albums runs the range from folk to bluegrass to classical."
Gonzalo Araya: "Chilean diatonic and chromatic harmonica player."
Lyndon Anderson: "Harp player and vocalist, Lyndon Anderson, came to music quite late considering he came from a musical family. Born in 1969, it wasn't until the age of eighteen when the heard the recordings of Little Walter that he decided to take up the harmonica. Constantly refining his playing, he pushes the boundaries of established harmonica styles. Employing a variety of techniques (overblows, double stops etc..) he has developed a distinctive jazz infused style that shows a mastery of both diatonic and chromatic instruments."
Dan O'Connell: "A veteran of many bands across the US, this multi-style player now lives in the Pacific Northwest. The high quality MP3 clips at his site exhibit different diatonic harmonica styles of playing and amplification."
Richie Blue: "Based in California, Richie Blue is a professional musician who brings an industrious sound and style to his specialty -- the harmonica. Due to his dedication and years of devotion to this instrument, Richie Blue holds a respected place in the music industry and plays regularly with a slew of artists up and down the entire West Coast. His dynamic and versatile approach seamlessly intertwines with a wide variety of music genres and includes performances with rock, jazz, and folk artists between San Diego and San Francisco."
Dennis Cooper: "I play Blues, Country, Rock, and Jazz on the diatonic, BassHarp in groups, and Bass Guitar and keyboards. Streaming Real Audio files of my latest recording projects are found in the 'Listen' Area." Links, chat, and event information also available.
Lee Sankey: "Known principaly as a virtuoso harmonica player, London based Lee Sankey has, with his debut album, My Day Is Just Beginning, introduced his song writing, guitar playing and producing talents into the arena. His music is an eclectic fusion of Jazz, Roots and Funk with a heavy blues based overtone."
David Herzhaft: (in French) "DH is a french professional harmonica player (diatonic blues, country jazz) who has recorded several CDs and made several methods. You'll find tabs, video and CD excerpts online as well as a super Virtual Harmonica : Roll Over notes with your mouse and listen!!!"
Ron Good's Harp House: "West Coast Canada (Vancouver Island) multi-style diatonic player and teacher with 35 years pro/semi-pro experience. Styles include blues, rock, country, funk and old-time western. Site includes playing tips and equipment hints."
Jason Rosenblatt: "Jason Rosenblatt leads Montreal-based Shtreiml through an array of Eastern European, Gypsy Swing and Klezmer music. Using the techniques of overblowing and overdrawing Rosenblatt succeeds in turning the harmonica into a klezmer intrstrument."
Steven De bruyn: "Former of the popular experimental blues band "El Fish" and more recently a new collective, "The Rhythm Junks". A tight band with a very distinctive sound. A sultry groove of alienated swing, ranging from 'mad camel' blues to fat funk; the whole thing strongly spiced up with harmonica and persuasively blown out by a horn quartet with major lungcapacity. He's got a great acoustic sound but his trademark is probably his distinctive electric tone and clever use of electronic effects."
David Lipkind: "David Lipkind has been a staple on the Portland, OR music scene since 1998, where he moved from the Midwest. David plays with many different groups, including rock, blues, country, bluegrass, stringband, and folk groups. He teaches at Portland Community College, as well as private lessons."
Shay Tochner: "Shay is an accomplished guitarist and "first position" harmonica player. He has been playing American folk, British folk, country and Celtic (Irish/Scottish) music for few decades. Shay was a founding member of the legendary band "The Jerusalem Taverners". He's played and recorded with various artists in Israel and the UK and now is a founding member of the Irish Traditional Music Band "EMERALD", which is based in Israel. Shay specializes in playing harmonica while playing the guitar, not as a simple accompaniment, but far beyond it."
James Thurgood: "I play Celtic and Old-Time music from the Maritimes of Canada. I use diatonic harmonicas in standard tuning, and employ a mix of traditional and innovative techniques and approaches."
Charlie Story: "A diatonic and chromatic harmonica player- Performs mostly in musical theatres throughout the U.S.A. He's played on Broadway (Will Rogers Follies) and numerous regional productions (Big River etc.)"
Shakey Reay Suter: "Shakey Reay Suter has been playing diatonic harmonica in Blues, Country, and Jazz based bands for over twenty years. He is currently playing harmonica & writing music for the Vancouver Island based trio Little Blue Planet. Their original music covers Jazz/Blues, Gypsy Jazz, Eastern European Folk, & Middle Eastern influences. Shakey Reay's influences include: Little Walter, Walter Horton, Dexter Gordon, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Howard Levy, & Charlie McCoy."
Glen Doll: "A veteran harmonica player, Glen Doll has continued to push the boundaries of what can be accomplished on a diatonic harmonica. His recent experiments with the new XB-40 harmonica have resulted in a fresh and unique style, which is integrated into all of his original songs."
Alfred Hirsch: "Alfred plays a unique style (some sort of Instrumental Chillout Jazz) on the diminshed tuned diatonic harmonica. His first regular CD "Motivation" includes fascinating melodies and solos over some really original compositions."
Paco Shipp: "Paco Shipp is an innovative, world class harmonica player and singer/songwriter whose debut CD, "Tip Of The Tongue" on Earwave Records is the culmination of decades of musical study, road experience and studio sessions."
Dave Toussaint: "Very experienced player and teacher in most styles. Session, Movie Soundtrack, TV and Radio work. Has played with many well known artists and other top harmonica players-e.g. Lee Sankey, Brendan Power, Paul Lamb, Adam Glasser, Phil Wiggins,etc. Happy to give some free individual lessons by e-mail. Based in London UK but also teaching harmonica and playing in China and Thailand for part of the year."
Guillaume Robin: "A French harmonica player of diatonic in many styles. News, discography, concerts, lessons and workshops. ActualitŽ Guillaume Robin"
Attila Lengyel: "Eclectic style on a small instrument with huge potentials. Isn't it amazing that you can carry it in your pocket and it's a whole musical world with so many flavours that no other instrument has? I hope that my play will encourage some to expand their musical horizons."
Jorge Simonian: "Swing Brothers is a band from Argentina. Styles include: Blues, Rock, Pop, Jazz, and Funk. Most of the songs are sung in English. Jorge Simonian, Swing brothers founder and harp player had lessons with Howard Levy and Carlos del Junco during the years 2005 and 2006. At this site, you can find Videos, MP3s, photos, gigs and other information about the band."
Jim Fitting: "A veteran of numerous local rock bands from the Sexexecs to Coots. A founding member of Treat Her Right. A founding member of Fort Apache recording studios. Has recorded with a wide range of artists: the The, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Kim Richey, Morphine, Martha Davis, Blood Oranges, Scissorfight, one note on a Kelly Joe Phelps CD, Maybe Baby, Tim Gearan, Kevin Connolly, Rain Dogs, Bill McQuaid, The Immortals, Tom Hambridge... had harmonica parts on a Les Sampou Cd recorded over by James Montgomery."
Pat Goldsmith: "Pat Goldsmith has been playing blues-harp since 1968. Bluegrass to fusion, he has sat in with many reknowned musicians; from S."Buddy" Miller, to G."Buddy" Miles. He showed John Popper how to play fast in Princeton 1984, and learned new phrasing from The Uptown Horns w/ Jon Paris NYC 1989. Pat is still active in the NYC blues scene."

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