Tag: Tom Ball

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Meet the Pros

The Pro Page

Even when it's fancy, it's fun

Welcome to our Pro Page, where some of the best professional country, rock, jazz, blues, and classical harmonica players in the world tell you what records they listen to, what harmonicas they use, and the gear they use to perform and record.

We inaugurated this page with our friend and top rock harp pro Jimmy Gordon. We’ve since added country, rock and bluegrass monster Mike Stevens, New York studio master Rob Paparozzi, Nashville session pro Kirk “Jelly Roll” Johnson, jazz chromatic and diatonic master Clint Hoover, UK-based jazz and classical chromatic master Julian Jackson, acoustic blues master Tom Ball, amplified blues tone master Dennis Gruenling, the world’s leading classical harmonica virtuoso, Robert Bonfiglio, double World Champion and diatonic blues/jazz master Carlos del Junco, Irish harmonica master Brendan Power, rising blues star Annie Raines, and now master player, composer, and harmonica manufacturer Lee Oskar!

Stay tuned for more pages on top harmonica professionals worldwide!

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Meet the Pros

Tom Ball's Favorite (Harmonica) Things

Even when it's fancy, it's fun

Tom Ball began playing guitar at the age of eleven and took up harmonica three years later. As a teenager he was a founding member of the Yerba Buena Blues Band. In 1979 he teamed up with guitarist Kenny Sultan, a partnership that to date has resulted in seven CDs (Flying Fish/Rounder) and performances in concerts, festivals and tours all over the world. The Ball & Sultan duo has appeared on television internationally, played for audiences of 300 million via Voice Of America, been featured on the "Levi’s 501 Blues" commercials, and appeared as frequent guests of National Public Radio. Their music from the film "Over The Edge" won them the prestigeous Telly Award in 1994, and they were the only musical act in America to play all four venues of the 1984 Olympic Games.

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Pro Tips & Techniques

Tom Ball on Acoustic Little Walter

Even when it's fancy, it's fun

Tom Ball, besides being one of the top acoustic harmonica players working today (as visitors to our Pro Pages know well), is also a harp scholar, and a great student of the masters. Tom recently posted this message about Little Walter’s acoustic harp work to the Harp-L list. It’s re-posted here with Tom’s permission. Anybody who thinks Little Walter never played harp without an amp is advised to read this piece at least twice, then go out and get the records Tom names below.

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Pro Tips & Techniques

Tom Ball’s Advice on Getting a Clean Harmonica Sound

Even when it's fancy, it's fun

Tom Ball is one of the top acoustic harmonica players working today, as visitors to our Pro Pages know well. Tom posted this message to the Harp-L list recently; it’s re-posted here with Tom’s permission. (Don’t ask what we had to do to get it . . .) If you want a clean sound off a PA, here’s yer Bible.

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