Howard Herrnstadt - A.K.A. Harmonica Blu - vocals, mouth harp

     I've been playing harp a lifetime. I started in 1966 at the age of 19. In the seventies I studied classical music theory and voice at Metro State College in Denver and sang in two college choirs and a Baptist church choir. (All blues performers need a bit of Church in their lives!) At the time my harp style was "down home," mainly influenced by Sonny Terry and Isaiah Doc Ross as well as Chicago icons. But at that time my listening branched out and my singing and harp playing would eventually change as a result of other influences. First of all, I started listening to jazz vocalists like Joe Williams, Carmen McRae, Mel Torme, plus Ella and Billy, of course.

   
(Photo by Paul Thebert)
     Then, for over three years during the early eighties, I studied Bebop jazz improv as a singer with the marvelous Barry Harris (www.BarryHarris.com) in his New York City workshop. At that time I also returned to voice lessons because I was dissatisfied with my sound and technique. I was fortunate to study with Neil Semer, now an internationally recognized voice teacher. (http://www.neilsemer.com)
     During that time and later, I gigged around the Big Apple as a bluesy jazz vocalist, incorporating the harp a bit and also forming and performing occasionally with a nine piece blues band modeled on Paul Butterfield's horn-laden ensembles. The Harmonica Blu nickname had been given to me earlier in Denver but it was in New York that I began to develop a persona based on it in my act. I also had the honor and pleasure to perform in three of Barry Harris' large concerts in his jazz choirs and as a vocal soloist. After my NY stint I returned to straight blues. In the nineties I formed a duo called The Blues Prophets with ace guitarist Jim Moses and worked in and around Princeton, NJ. We had a cool thing going, but it was broken up by my move to Northeast Ohio. Jim is in Massachusetts now.
     In Ohio, I was fortunate to find a thriving blues scene. Through some rough personal times my salvation there was the jam sessions hosted by Michael Bay and the Bad Boys of Blues at The Savannah in Westlake (www.TheSavannah.com) and the Parkview Inn in Cleveland.
     Eventually I met bassist/guitarist Charlie Adams and we formed the Harmonica Blu Xpress. It was a blues-based band that delved into various styles of blues, plus jazz, rock, and even country. The musicians were fabulous and we all had a great time. I was free to explore a variety of musical styles as a vocalist and harpist and a variety of sounds on the harp. Like all bands, it broke up eventually. For the last year or so before I left Ohio for the DC Metro area I had just a couple of gigs with different bands and mainly jammed at The Savannah and the Parkview.
     Now that I'm living in Maryland I'm getting to know the D.C. area and the large number of fine musicians here. My main jamming spot was Bangkok Blues (http://www.bangkokblues.com) in Falls Church when I lived in Virginia for awhile. But now Chick Hall's Surf Club (http://www.chickhallssurfclub.com) in Bladensburg is a lot closer and it is smoke-free with three jams a week!
      Why don't you e-mail me at harmonicablu@yahoo.com and tell me how you like the site and we'll chat about music, the harp and whatever. If you are in the DC area I'd especially like to hear from you.
      Harmonica Blu plays Hohner Special 20 and Marine Band Natural Minor harmonicas. He plays through a Hohner Bluesblaster microphone modified by Mr. Downchild of the Cleveland,Ohio area. Blu uses a Danelectro Dirty Thirty amp in small clubs and a mid-1970s Fender Deluxe Reverb amp in larger venues. He uses Beyerdynamic microphones for vocals and harmonica through the PA.