More from David Schulman
A musicians' guide to warming up
(00:04:30)
From: David Schulman
What do you do to warm up? With Gillian Welch, Lang Lang, Cecilia Bartoli, Albert Kuvezin, Yo-Yo Ma ...
Voices at an Exhibition: Coke Covers the World
(00:03:23)
From: David Schulman
Visitors to the Smithsonian American Art Museum describe what they see in a a quilt created in 1992 by Otesia Harper … “Coke Covers the World.”
Voices at an Exhibition: George Washington by Gilbert Stuart
(00:01:54)
From: David Schulman
Museumgoers contemplate what was going through the mind of Gilbert Stuart as he painted one of the most familiar portraits in the American economy ...
Joseph Shabalala: the 2009 Grammy winner In his own words
(00:05:17)
From: David Schulman
Joseph Shabalala describes how the vision for Ladysmith Black Mambazo came to him in a dream -- in four-part harmony. Shabalala's voice takes on multiple characters as he ...
Cassandra Wilson: the 2009 Grammy winner in her own words
(00:04:45)
From: David Schulman
The 2009 Grammy winner talks about finding her voice, with a little help from Miles Davis and musical parents who figured "you're going to get the blues, anyway"
Bo Diddley: in his own words (in memory)
(00:07:36)
From: David Schulman
A late-career portrait of one of rock-and-roll's legendary creators.
Cyro Baptista: in his own words
(00:07:06)
From: David Schulman
Cyro Baptista in his percussion garage ...
For Valentine's Day ... Trudy Pitts and "Mr C," in their own words
(00:07:20)
From: David Schulman
Partners in music, and in life, for somewhere around 50 years ...
Arturo Sandoval: In his own words
(00:04:34)
From: David Schulman
A bebop matador, a baroque court, a Cuban lullaby ...
Corey Harris: 2007 'Genius' of the blues, In his own words
(00:03:20)
From: David Schulman
The 2007 MacArthur Fellow talks about the life of the Blues
Related Pieces
Piece Description
Howard Levy's house in Evanston, Illinois is filled with musical instruments. Ocarinas. Percussion. And, especially, HARMONICAS. When he was a teenager, Levy took a dimestore harmonica and figured out how to play a full chromatic scale. His harmonica virtuosity has since landed him gigs with everyone from Tito Puente to Garrison Keillor to Bela Fleck. Independent producer David Schulman went to Evanston to talk with Levy for his series "Musicians in their own words." Levy offered to drive David to his house. But the interview didn't go as planned. Once they got into Levy's car, he turned the key ... and picked up a harmonica ...
Broadcast History
first aired on WATC, January 2009
Intro and Outro
INTRO:Howard Levy's house in Evanston, Illinois is filled with musical instruments. Ocarinas. Percussion. And, especially, HARMONICAS. When he was a teenager, Levy took a dimestore harmonica and figured out how to play a full chromatic scale. His harmonica virtuosity has since landed him gigs with everyone from Tito Puente to Garrison Keillor to Bela Fleck. The harmonica also helped him earn a living in the 80s, when he recorded hundreds of advertising jingles. As Levy himself puts it, There's nothing like a harmonica to say, "cheap beer and greasy food." Independent producer David Schulman went to Evanston to talk with Levy for his series "Musicians in their own words." Levy offered to drive David to his house. But the interview didn't go as planned. Once they got into Levy's car, he turned the key ... and picked up a harmonica ...
OUTRO:Harmonica virtuoso Howard Levy. Our feature was produced by David Schulman as part of his series, "Musicians in their own words."
Related Website
Of 2 purchasers of this piece...
- 2 also bought:
Tupperware (00:05:47) - 2 also bought:
Memorial (00:05:51) - 2 also bought:
Just Another Fish Story (00:08:28) - 2 also bought:
Legal Status (00:10:12) - 2 also bought:
Saints and Indians (00:15:39)
Megan Sukys
Posted on July 01, 2009 at 07:51 PM | Permalink
Entertaining Mix of Information and Music
The mix of music and Levy's interview is engaging.
Levy clearly loves the harmonica and I came away with a real appreciation for the instrument's range. There moments in his car and his house give me a sense of being right there with him. Levy is an entertaining guy.