Jf Harps
“Harmonicas
of the City”
Although
very popular, the harmonica still is, unhappily, treated for many as a toy,
with limited resources and able to play only the Blues; that we can only find
professional players in big towns, such as Curitiba, São
Paulo or Rio de Janeiro. But it is not true.
Being very young,
185 years old, the harmonica is still being discovered, that is, in each year
new resources and possibilities appear. The moment is good for the harmonica
therefore the instrument passes through a great process of modernization and
popularization, that started in the 70´s, with musicians as Howard Lévy,
Sugar Blue, Mick Jagger and, here in Brazil, with Edu da Gaita, Maurício
Einhorn and Rildo Hour. In the 80´s, with Flávio Guimarães.
Nowadays, for example, it is possible to turn a
harmonica constructed only with notes of a diatonic scale
into a chromatic one, through new techniques of blowing,
which modify the frequencies of the reeds, making possible
the performance of 38 distinct notes.
Juiz de Fora counts
on a great number of amateur and professional harmonica players, who teach,
play and fix instruments coming from all the country. This happens due the
great commitment of the Pró-Música diatonic
and chromatic harmonicas course, and of all the other
professionals involved with education and spreading of
the instrument.
Still with the
intention to make the harmonica each time more
popular and, mainly, more recognized as “a great” instrument that
the spectacle “Harmonicas of
the City” was conceived. The group is formed by
the most active players of the city: Luciano Baptista,
teacher of Pró-Música diatonic
and chromatic harmonicas course and musician of
the Emmerson Nogueira´s
group (www.emmersonnogueira.com.br);
Leandro Gouvêa, great harper who dedicates to the
Blues, Jazz and Rock; Jose Luiz Britto, one of
the most experienced musicians of region, specialized
in the Chromatic Harmonica; Rafael Domingos, luthier
and specialist in chromatism in the diatonic harmonica;
Lucas Ribeiro, one of the biggest revelations of
the last years; Dayana Nascimento, another great
revelation, composer and with an unique style and
Felipe Tavares, owner of an uneven timbre and rich
interpretations, currently working with infantile musical
education and performing with some artists of the region,
as Fabrício
Conde.
The first performance
occurred in 2006, at the Terças Musicais Project, organized by the Centro
Cultural Pró-Música, where each musician
presented two songs in which we could clearly perceive
the distinct styles and musical intentions. It is, with
no doubt, an excellent way to show all the possibilities
of the instrument. A great presentation that definitively
leaves marks in its spectators.
Summertime
- Gaitas da Cidade All Stars 
