Yearly Festival Harmonicas de France

As indicated in our calendar column, the yearly Festival Harmonicas de France will take place in the city of Monthléry (91130), not very far from Paris (34kms).
The program will include :
- welcome diner concert on Friday
- on Saturday : Harmonica championship in the cultural center Michel Spiral, followed by an open stage, worhshops.
- Saturday evening : concert in cultural center Michel Spiral, featuring : Rachelle Plas quintet, Jean Sabot Trio, Orchestre Harmonica 17
- yearly general meeting
Information/reservation : 33 (0)4 68 68 03 83 http://harmonicasdefrance.com
Published February 22nd 2011

All on stage with "Armos"
Depuis 2004 l"ensemble "Armos" met en valeur toutes les qualités musicales de l'harmonica chromatique avec un répertoire particukièrement riche allant du classique au jazz, de la variété aux compositions de Pierre Rochat, harmoniciste et violoniste talentueux.

Ainsi qu'indiqué dans notre rubrique "Calendrier", leur prochain concert va se tenir le 27 juin prochain dans la Chapelle Notre Dame du Bon Secours, à Paris (75014), avec une invitation à prendre part à un final orchestral dirigé par Pierre Rochat, ouvert à tous les harmonicistes diatonique et chromatique qui le désirent.

Pour se faire :
— il vous suffit de choisir l'une des 3 voix du morceau ci-joint : "Ay Linda Amiga" (Anonyme espagnol XVIème siècle)
— de la travailler au tempo 60/mn
— et de ne pas oublier son harmonica en venant concert
— à la fin de ce concert, tous les harmonicistes volontaires seront invités à venir sur scène pour jouer ce dernier morceau.
Soyez les bienvenus

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Published February 20th 2011

New version for JeanLabre.com
Regular visitors may have found the site (slightly) reworked over this weekend. We hope you enjoy it. It is more up to date, more airy, more readable.
But the site is also more convenient: the store integrates online payment with Paypal, music samples are better and more numerous, a new RSS feed has been created to monitor the site news, images from articles are more accessible (display highlighted), long lists of articles are paged, among others improvements.
Happy browsing and feel free to send us your comments on the contact page!
- The webmaster
Published January 5th 2011

Albert Raisner death

Albert Raisner passed away suddenly in Paris on Saturday the 1st of January, at the age of 88.
The Harmonica planet is mourning.
Musician, he travelled all over the world with his famous trio, he was during several years producer and presenter of a famous TV show
" Age tendre et Têtes de bois ", he was also writer. He has worked tirelessly for nearly 60 years to bring the harmonica to the heights. This very remarkable man is now a legend.

All my harmonica friends are joining me to offer our very sincere condolences to his two sons, Remy and Richard.
I have been knowing Albert since 1946. I'll tell you more about him in a very near future.

Jean Labre

Albert Raisner photo : « Echos France Harmonica » N°11 april 1994.
Published January 4th 2011

"Jouez du Neuf" publication

A welcome initiative H2F (Harmonicas de France) has just published a special issue : a book entitled " Jouez du Neuf ", in French and English, including 7 original compositions by Pierre Rochat. You will find the scores of each piece, with advice for execution, all together with a CD including the execution of each of these pieces and their playback.
Took part in this CD : Dominique Lannes, Gérard Margnoux, Pierre Rochat, Jean François Laurion, chromatic ; Jean Pierre Auger, guitar and Régine Laurion, piano.
Two more words concerning Pierre Rochat: Pierre is violinist, pianist, guitarist, harmonica player of talent. Besides the songs from this album, he is also an atypical Baroque composer.

Cost of this publication : 30 euros, mailing included.
To get one, simply send a bank check (or an international money order for overseas), at the order of Harmonicas de France, address :
Christian Tetu, 5 rue Alexander Fleming 66000 Perpignan France.
Published January 3rd 2011

January monthly meeting canceled
For works, the monthly meeting at the Café Concert "De l'Autre Côté" has been canceled in January. Next meeting on February, the 5th 2011.
Published December 13th 2010

Concert "Cunfraterna di a Serra", "Corja150"

The association Corsica/Japan «Corja150 », was founded in 2008 at the initiative of Jean Brunet (France Harmonica Board member) and of a few friends of these two islands, to promote cultural meetings, atypical mixes of traditional instruments, vocals and choirs, like "Cunfraterna di a Serra".
This association has in its ranks some harmonica players, such as Nami Miyata and Jean Labre.
Published October 1st 2010

DVD/Book - Rendez-vous with Tommy Reilly

The initiative of Uwe Warschkow offers us a very special moment with his DVD/book, proposing a series of interviews, harmonica lessons and much more, collected in the privacy of "Hammonds Woods"* with his friend Tommy Reilly.
This DVD/book (231 pages, in English or German) " Harmonica Lessons with Tommy Reilly" is sold at 35 euros.
To learn more visit the web site: http://www.uwewarschkow.com
Summary : Biography, Interviews, Harmonica lessons, Harmonica Great events, Recitals, Academy "St. Martin in the Field", Back in "Hammonds Woods", Discography, etc. All complemented by photos.
A DVD/book not to be missed.

*"Hammonds Woods" was Tommy Reilly's favourite residence, his heaven of rest, his "Ivory Tower" as he liked to call it.
Published September 9th 2010

Singapore 8th Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival

This Asian Festival, organized every two years, is one of the most important events of our Harmonica World.
The "Harmonica Aficionados Society" (HAS), and its President Boh Teck Keong, are privileged to host this forthcoming Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival 2010 in Singapore. This event will be held from the 30th of July to tne 2nd of August 2010.
It is used in Asia to share all harmonica festivals with Pacific neighbour countries. Apart from the organizing countries (China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore), Australia, New Zealand, Hawaï and California are usually present in these festivals as well as a few european representatives : Germany, Italy, UK, and France (the Hotvill's and myself).
At the program this year:
- Pacific Asia Harmonica Championships which include 7 categories (chromatic, diatonic blues-jazz/country/tremolos, groups and orchestras);
- An International Concert with the French participation of Jean Labre and the Hotvill's Trio, and a lot of top harmonica players ;
- Open stages, workshops, seminars ;
- A guided tour of the Festival Universal Studio.

You will be warmly welcome to this 8th Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival 2010 in Singapore.

For information contact : http://www.aphf2010.org

Photo poster HAS
Published July 6th 2010

SPAH Convention 2010

As it was announced in our Calendar, this convention is going to take place in Bloomington, Minnesota (Land of 10,000 Lakes ), from the 17th to the 21st of August, in the hotel "Ramada Inn- Mall of America", in the center of the city, supported by "The Garden State Harmonica Club" and "The Twin City Harmonica Society".
Every year, people coming from everywhere are meeting there, at this Uncle Sam "Rendez-vous".
Concert, featuring : Howard Levy, Joe Filisko, The Hotshots, Dick Garner's, Andy Just, Susan Sauter, Clint Hoover, Bart Leczycki, Thiago Cerveira, Harmonica Junction... open stages, seminars, workshops, excursions, on the last evening a dinner with concert, and more to your liking.
Visitor package for all the convention events will cost you 220 US$ (175$ for SPAH members). Courtesy convention Ramada room rate: 99$.
Information, reservations: http://www.spah.org or http://www.mnharp.org

FRENCH HARMONICA PLAYERS ARE WISHING A GREAT SUCCESS TO THE 2010 SPAH CONVENTION

Jean Labre
France Harmonica Founder President
Photo poster SPAH
Published June 28th 2010