A Blues Harmonica WORKSHOP with Harry Manx' protege STEVE MARRINER

Tuesday , July 11, 2006
05:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Location: Elderly Instruments
workshop ($30.00)

Steve Marriner is just 21, but he's been playing harmonica for 11 years, professionally since the age of 14. "Traditional Blues is my background," Steve explained in a recent letter, "but I'm also very much into Chromatic Jazz playing--Stevie Wonder, Toots Thielmans, etc."

Steve is offering a harmonica workshop at Elderly on Tuesday, July 11, at 5:30 pm. Titled "Essentials of Blues Harmonica," this 90-minute workshop is intended for Intermediate-level and Advanced-Beginning-level harmonica players--those who have some prior experience in playing the harmonica. During the workshop Steve and the students will cover an overview and pointers on bending notes, and concentrate on an introduction to the tongue blocking technique, and what Steve refers to as "Life after cross-harp: an introduction to 1st and 3rd positions."

Students are asked to bring to the workshop a diatonic harmonica (as opposed to "fancier" chromatic "harps") in the key of C. "It's a good way to be on common ground," suggests Steve.

Steve Marriner has clearly made the most of his relative youth, having played in recent years with some of the very best blues artists in both his native Canada and the United States. Here are some of the blues acts with whom Steve has shared a stage: Pinetop Perkins, Anson Funderburgh, Little Charlie and The Nightcats, Sugar Ray Norcia, Mark Hummell, Rod Piazza and The Mighty Flyers, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Bob Margolin, Kid Ramos, rusty Zinn, Kenny Neal, Bill Branch, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Norton Buffalo, Dan Aykroyd (Elwood Blues), Roy Rogers, Amanda Marshall... and, of course, Harry Manx.

Steve may be seen accompanying Harry Manx in concert at the Creole Gallery on Monday, July 10, at 7:30 pm. Tickets are on sale at Elderly.

Clearly Harry himself greatly appreciates Steve's talent. "A great harmonica player. He plays a lot outside of the normal as far as harmonica goes," wrote Harry about Steve, in Tony Hillier's recent article "The 'Mysticssippi' Manx Man," at www.rhythms.com.

"Of the new school of harp players, Steve stands alone." - Rick Estrin of Little Charlie & The Nightcats

Check out recordings we carry featuring Steve Marriner