Outer Banks Harmonica Intensive w/ Howard Levy
Andrew
October 8th-14th, 2005
Northern Outer Banks private cottage
Retreat limited to 20 adult participants
http://www.classactsontour.com/special/program3.htm
The Outer Banks Harmonica Intensive is a unique opportunity for intermediate
and advanced harmonica players to study with master teacher, performer and
Grammy-winner Howard Levy, on the scenic Outer Banks of North Carolina.
The retreat is designed specifically for those harmonica enthusiasts
interested in stretching their playing in new directions.
The camp schedule allows for unprecedented interaction between twenty adult
participants and the world's most revolutionary diatomic harmonica player in
an informal setting consisting of master classes, private lessons,
opportunities for student jams, and performances. As an added bonus two
additional retreats will run simultaneously in the immediate vicinity: The
Cello Institute with Eugene Friesen and the Frame Drum & Rhythm Voice
Intensive with Glen Velez and Lori Cotler. All participants will enjoy live
performances and lectures by the teaching artists, and will have the
opportunity to jam with percussionists, vocalists and cellists throughout
the week. Don't miss this opportunity to energize your playing in this
beautiful setting.
The Harmonica Institute participants will be lodged in a luxury beach
cottage located on the expansive northern beaches of the Outer Banks.
Amenities include gourmet dining, spacious meeting rooms for classes,
Jacuzzis, decks, optional morning yoga sessions, a private pool, and the
breathtaking sunrises and endless unspoiled beaches of the Outer Banks.
Participants may choose to lodge in their own suite, to share a room with
another musician, or to bring a non-participant guest who can enjoy the
beach and local attractions.
"...Playing an extended solo that somehow merged quasi- baroque techniques
with swing rhythms, snippets of hokey holiday tunes with passages of
brilliant jazz improvisation, Levy unleashed more ideas in this opening solo
than many musicians do in an entire set."
Howard Reich, The Chicago Tribune, Dec. 1996
"...Howard Levy is a revelation; there are times when it is hard to believe
he is playing only a harmonica, for he has the expressive range and depth of
a saxophonist."
Geoff Dyer, The London Observer, March 1994
"... may be the most radical single technical innovator in the history of
his instrument..."
Kim Field, Harmonicas, Harps, and Heavy Breathers, Simon & Schuster 1993
The Harmonica Institute participants will be lodged in a luxury beach
cottage in the ocean side community of Ocean Sands, located on the expansive
northern beaches of the Outer Banks. Amenities include: gourmet dining,
expansive meeting rooms for classes, Jacuzzis, decks, optional morning yoga
sessions, a private pool, and the breathtaking sunrises and endless
unspoiled beaches of the northern Outer Banks. Participants may choose to
lodge in their own private suite, to share a room with another musician, or
to bring a non-participant guest who can enjoy the beach and local
attractions.
Don't miss this opportunity to energize your playing and teaching in a
beautiful setting!
For artist info, please visit:
www.levyland.com
For more information and for application, please visit
http://www.classactsontour.com/special/program3.htm
or contact us at
410-374-9059 / mtfa...@classactsontour.com
BIO
Howard Levy is a musician without limits. His musical adventures include
journeys into jazz, pop, rock, world music, Latin, classical, folk, blues,
country, theater, and film. He has appeared on hundred of cd's, won a Grammy
(1997), won a Joseph Jefferson Award (1986) for Best Original Music for a
Play, and has performed many times on American and European television and
radio.
Universally acknowledged as the world's most advanced diatonic harmonica
player, Howard developed a fully chromatic style on the standard 10-hole
diatonic harmonica, revolutionizing harmonica playing and taking the
instrument into totally new territory. He is also an accomplished pianist
and composer, and plays many other instruments as well, including flute,
ocarina, mandolin, saxophone, and percussion.
Howard was a founding member of the Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. He toured
and recorded two albums with Kenny Loggins, and formed Trio Globo with
Eugene Friesen and Glen Velez . Howard has also performed and/or recorded
with Dolly Parton, Styx, Bobby McFerrin, Paul Simon, John Prine, Paquito
D'Rivera,
Ken Nordine, and many others, as well as touring and recording extensively
in Europe with artists such as Rabih Abou Khalil and Michael Riessler.
Recent Highlights
In 2003, Howard released a jazz duo cd with Naumberg Award-winning pianist
Anthony Molinaro, entitled The Molinaro/Levy Project "Live". In 2002, he
performed "On the Other Side..." (a triple concerto composed for him, a
clarinetist and an accordianist) with The Bavarian State Radio Orchestra in
Munich, Germany. In 2001, Howard was commisioned by The Illinois
Philharmonic to compose a Harmonica Concerto, the first ever written for
diatonic harmonica. Since the debut, he has performed it 9 times, with more
perfomances scheduled.
Current Chicago Bands
Howard is music director of Chévere, Chicago's hottest Latin-Jazz-Fusion
Band, whose first cd will be released soon. He also leads a 4 piece band
called "Howard Levy's Accoustic Express", also with a cd to be released
soon.
Movies, Dance, Theater
Howard's harmonica playing was featured on the soundtracks of "A Family
Thing", "Striptease" , " A Time to Kill" , "Straight Talk", and "Vietnam, A
Long Time Coming". In the dance world, Howard collaborated with Indian
dancer Ranee Ramaswamy in "Where the Hands Go, The Eyes Follow", a fusion of
photography, poetry, dance, and music, all live, with poets Robert Bligh and
Coleman Barks. In 2004 he performed with members of The Hubbard St. and
Joffrey dance companies in "Moody Hollow", choreographed by Lauri Stallings.
In theater, he won a Joseph Jefferson Award for his music for Brecht's
"Puntila and his Hired Man" (1986). In 1997 he co-wrote the music for "Tales
From Trashmania", a one woman show by Bonnie Koloc.
Education
Howard Levy studied piano and theory at The Manhattan School of Music in
N.Y. for four years, then studied pipe organ with Carl Lambert for two
years. He attended Northwestern University in Evanston, IL for two years,
playing in the Jazz band. As a music educator, Howard has taught hundreds
of students privately, and has been a guest lecturer at Harvard, Berklee,
Dartmouth College, Northwestern University, Francis Parker School, given
jazz clinics at high schools,
and has given hundreds perfomances of "Music from around the World," a
program of international music for children and adults. He also taught
harmonica for 7 summers at The Augusta Heritage Arts Workshop in Elkins, WV,
and World Music in 1984 at The Omega Institute in New York.
Howard has an instructional video on Homespun Tapes. Called "New Directions
for Harmonica". It deals with every aspect of Howard's revolutionary
techniques, repair and adjustment of the harmonica, improvisational music
theory. There is even has a section using ultrasound that shows the inside
of a harmonica player's mouth as he plays.
CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
1) How to Play the Harmonica with Howard Levy.
From the basics to state-of-the-art. Diatonic Harmonica in C required, but
is is good to have more in other keys as well, such as G, A, Bb, D, and F.
Howard will lecture, interact, coach individuals, share all his knowledge
and experience. Chromatic players are welcome to sit in on the class, but
Howard will not teach the chromatic harmonica per se.
2) Improvising in "Odd" time meters on any instrument
Take standard tunes from simple folk tunes, classical, Jazz, and play them
in 3, 5, 7, 9, etc. Loosen up phrasing, learn about different ethnic rhythms
as they can be applied to Western musical styles.
3) Play Jazz in all major styles
...from Ragtime, Blues, Traditional, Swing, Bebop, Latin Jazz, "Free" Jazz,
Fusion, etc. This will involve history, listening, and playing of standard
tunes from the Jazz repertoire. All instruments. Bring "Fake" books if you
have them, but we will provide printouts of tunes in leadsheet form.
4) Piano technique.
Howard will do a workshop on piano practicing methods. Scales, transposition
of Jazz and Classical pieces, strength and independence exercises. Jazz
comping styles, LH Blues bass, Latin montunos, improvising over LH ostinato,
etc.
Tuition includes an opportunity to take part in morning yoga classes
7:00-8:00 am; this option will be selected when you submit your
application. The Cello Institute is designed to accommodate traveling
companions, who could enjoy the beach and local attractions while classes
are in session. These guests are entitled to meals, nightly concerts, as
well as the amenities of the vacation home.
For more information on the Harmonica Institute please contact:
Margie T. Farmer, Executive Director
Class Acts on Tour
P.O. Box 653
Hampstead, MD 21074
410-374-9059
mtfa...@classactsontour.com