[Harp-L] Sinatra and harmonica

[Mick Zaklan]

I posted previously about a negative harmonica reference I found in the
new Frank Sinatra biography by James Kaplan. I found one other interesting
harmonica item in the book. The author mentions a disappointing recording
session partially "redeemed by the weirdly wonderful "This Town"---the
closest thing to a straight-up blues Sinatra ever recorded, complete with
wailing harmonica...."
Listening to the track (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxSRxwx581k), it
definitely cooks but the harmonica stuff is pretty pedestrian. How much
better would it have been if they had used a guy Sinatra had worked with
before, Danny Welton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn-nfSr0n_Y? Or
brought in Charlie McCoy, who did a nice job on a blues with Elvis Presley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7Q6OlKHywA. Or if George "Harmonica"
Smith had been nearby. Definitely a missed opportunity, to my way of
thinking.

Mick Zaklan

[Wilbur Euler]

>From what I can come with This Town is the only time Toots played with Sinatra.
Regards,
Wil

Sent from my iPad

[Winslow Yerxa]

Danny Welton is not an easy guy to work with; saw this close up at the 1994 SPAH convention, while George Smith is not someone who would have been on the radar of people working with Sinatra. Toots would have been on their radar, and could have worked out on a better day, perhaps. Tommy Morgan would have defintely been on the radar and in LA , would have been the guy to call normally.

Winslow
Winslow Yerxa
Producer, the Harmonica Collective
Author, Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5
Harmonica Basics For Dummies, ASIN B005KIYPFS
Blues Harmonica For Dummies, ISBN 978-1-1182-5269-7
Resident Expert, bluesharmonica.com
Instructor, Jazzschool Community Music School
President emeritus, SPAH, the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica

[Michael Peloquin]

I think they didn't want a good blues diatonic player for the Sinatra session-

Also, the pool of players that they would call would be small, partially due to the probable discrimination present for major label studio sessions in that time period. Contractors call players for a Sinatra session!

I feel that they would have gotten a similar result on diatonic from most any chromatic centric/"legit"/jazz player of the day.
Being a good chromatic player and a good diatonic are related, yet different skillsets.
Very much like the difference between my sax playing vs. my clarinet or flute playing.

BTW, I grew up listening to Sinatra and now remember this record - I probably thought that was great diatonic playing back then.
I also only heard Toots on diatonic one other time - on a song by Melanie (of Brand New Key fame)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Michael Peloquin
Check out my new DVD sets: Pro Harmonica/Pro Saxophone Secrets Made Simple
http://harpsax.com

> Date: Tue, 24 Nov 2015 19:09:52 +0000
> From: winslo...@yahoo.com
> CC: har...@harp-l.org

[Joseph Leone]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Joseph Leone <3n...@comcast.net>
> Date: November 24, 2015 4:33:49 PM EST
> To: Michael Peloquin <peloqu...@hotmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Sinatra and harmonica
>

> Over the years, several people have mentioned Tommy Morgan, Charley McCoy (and others) as having done the harmonica. I was never able to find out who it was but I doubt Morgan and since the playing is fairly pedestrian, McCoy 'may' have done it..as he was 25 at the time and not yet a star. But I still doubt it.
>
> Michael makes a good point. A VERY good point. You certainly don't want someone 'shining' over a track that is supposed to be Sinatra. Here's an example of what a background 'should' sound like. Letting the star be the star.
>
>
> smo-joe