Photo by Carol Cohen, courtesy of the Richard Hunter website

The RICHARD HUNTER Interview   January 24, 2000 with Kevin Crossett from

Richard Hunter is a professional harmonica performer, composer, recording artist, teacher, and the author of "Jazz Harp", from Oak Publications. Richard's recorded works include "The Act of Being Free in One Act," which is the first full-length CD of works for unaccompanied harmonica ever recorded, and "The Second Act of Free Being," a CD that takes solo harmonica to a new level. Check Richard's website at www.hunterharp.com to purchase these CDs, and to learn more about Richard Hunter and the art of playing the harmonica.

Richard generously spent some time answering a few musical questions. Here's what he had to say. . . .

the RICHARD HUNTER interview

Q: Richard, thanks for getting together with us. How about if we start with some background on what got you interested in the harmonica?

RICHARD:  It was 1967, I was fifteen, and I was playing cheap little combo organs in high school rock bands. I hated the sound of those instruments, and playing them wasn't much of a physical thrill, either. I wanted an instrument with a more emotional sound (like what guitar players were getting at the time, for example), and I wanted something that was more stimulating to play in a physical sense. I also wanted to get out from behind that stupid organ and get up front, where the girls were.

Q: Are you currently gigging?

RICHARD:  I gig 2-3 times per month, all over the USA and occasionally internationally; in the last couple of years I've done workshops and performances in Paris, France, Brisbane, Australia, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. My web site www.hunterharp.com always has my up-to-date schedule.

Q: Since your book "Jazz Harp" was put out by Oak Publications, have there been any other instruction books in the works?

RICHARD:  I've discussed some things with Oak Publications, and so far we haven't agreed on any new projects that we'd both like to develop. My time is also far too short, and I prefer to spend it composing new pieces and practicing my instruments. My next publication will probably be a collection of original pieces for solo diatonic harmonica, in both standard and harp (arrow) notation. The pieces in question will include some of the original pieces and arrangements that I wrote for my CDs "The Act of Being Free in One Act" and "The Second Act of Free Being." One of those pieces ("Requiem," which closes out the second CD) was published in the first issue of the Journal of the Center for the Study of Free Reed Instruments at the Graduate School of City University of New York; you can get a look at the way the music is presented there if you like.

Q: Tell us about some of the radio and TV commercials your work has appeared in.

RICHARD:  Polaroid, Kodak, McDonald's, Bank of Boston, Spaulding Basketballs, and don't forget Play It Again Sam's, for whom I did a jingle in 1994 advertising a workshop at the store.

Jingle work is decent, well-paid work, and sometimes it's very demanding. In general, I enjoy record dates more than jingle work, though so far the latter has paid me far better. On a record date, you can really go for something amazing if the artist you're working with will give you some slack, and even when you're doing traditional things, there's more of a sense that every note counts.

Q: What's your choice of harmonicas, and if you could only play one, which would it be?

RICHARD:  I play Lee Oskar diatonics. I have a few specialty diatonics by other manufacturers that have ranges, registers, or other qualities that aren't available in Lee Oskars. I use six different tuning layouts--standard Richter, Dorian Minor, Harmonic Minor, Natural Minor, Country, and Melody Maker--regularly, and I experiment with new layouts often. Most of these tuning layouts are available out of the box with Lee Oskars, and I can easily make the others with a minimum of tuning. I modify my Lee Oskars by applying a layer of Micropore tape as a gasket between the comb and reed plates, by gapping the reeds, and by opening up the rear of the cover plates. I believe these mods extend the dynamic range of the instruments at both ends, i.e. it makes the instruments both louder and softer.

For chromatics, I prefer the Hohner CX12, which is a very loud instrument, and responds well to bending and other expressive techniques. I own a CX12 in C that was tweaked by Siegfried Naruhn, a German technician and inventor of harmonica mechanisms, and I own CX12s in C and E that were tweaked by Bill Romel. I also own a CBH 2016 chromatic, a Super 64, and a standard 64 manufactured in 1956.

If I had to use a single instrument, it would be a Country-tuned Lee Oskar harmonica in C. I could make that instrument easily using the draw plate from a Melody Maker reed set and the corresponding blow plate from a standard diatonic. This tuning is great for lots of different stuff in rock, blues, jazz, and folk styles, and I've written a few solo pieces and arrangements for it (like "Billy The Kid" on the second CD).

Q: Who are your own favorite harmonica players?

RICHARD:  I have lots of favorites. Charlie Musselwhite was my first major influence. After 32+ years, I am now one of my favorite players. Stevie Wonder, Toots Thielemans, Will Galison, Charlie Leighton, Kim Wilson, Little Walter, Big Walter, Rob Papparozzie, Kirk Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson I (John Lee Williamson), Brendan Power, Mike Stevens, Peter Ruth, Robert Bonfiglio, and others have all created work that blew my mind. The harmonica is a very personal-sounding instrument, and so there are many, many players whose personalities on the instrument are very strong. I note that most of my favorite players are alive now and in their prime.

Q: Ever worked or studied with any of the other great harpists?

RICHARD:  I've studied with Robert Bonfiglio, the leading classical virtuoso. I also have a degree in music, so I know something about music, which is a kind of knowledge that effects the way you play any instrument...I've learned a lot of harp from lots of players; I always try to learn at least one thing from every player I come in contact with. On piano, I studied jazz with John Mehegan, and classical with Jay Gottlieb and Yehuda Guttman. Because I can read music, I've been able to study solos by lots of great players on all sorts of instruments. (You can do that without reading too, of course, but it's a lot faster if you can read).

Q: Are you offering private lessons or conducting any harmonica workshops?

RICHARD:  I do several workshops every year. Check my website for details. I teach a few students at any given time. Again, I prefer to reserve my time for composing and practicing.

Q: Richard, I know that you're quite a fan of electronics, and that you have a pretty outrageous gear set-up. Would you describe your present equipment?

RICHARD:  My setup starts with a splitter pedal that takes the signal from an Electrovoice MC300 mic and sends it down one of two paths. The first path is an acoustic harp path, with no effects except reverb (a Lexicon MPX 100, a great performance-oriented reverb unit for about $250). I have spent hours working with the Lexicon to identify the best reverb choices for particular acoustic pieces.

The second path is the electric harp path. The first thing in that chain is a Crate VC508 tube amp with a 12AU7 tube substituted for the stock 12AX7. Then, in order, is a Boss OC-2 Octave Divider, a DOD Envelope Filter, a Boss BF-2 flanger, and an Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man from 1987. That chain goes into the Lexicon reverb, then the output of both chains goes into an Akai E-1 Headrush looping delay pedal. The last device in the entire chain is a Peavey KB/A 100 keyboard amp, which amplifies everything to stage-band levels.

In smaller rooms, the Peavey functions as the entire PA system. In very large rooms, it's the stage monitor, and I send its output to the main PA via the Peavey's line-out jack. In mid-size rooms where the venue has a PA, I may not use the Peavey; I'll just run the output of the two chains directly to the PA.

With this setup, I get very good clean and electric sounds, including Chicago blues and Hendrix-y effects. It's lots of fun.

Q: Any new CD's in the making?

RICHARD:  Third CD is now in the planning stage. It will include band and solo electric performances as well as new solo acoustic material. I expect to finish recording this year for release in early 2001.

Q: Is there a story behind the "Free Being" concept in the naming of your CDs?

RICHARD: The painting on the cover of the first CD is "The Act of Being Free in One Act" by Dean Hunter-Cutrona. The artist let me use his painting, and he also let me take the title, which I thought was very cool. The second CD was named in an Internet contest (first prize was 5 copies of the CD) by Samuel Gravina, who was obviously thinking of a continuation of the first title.

I plan to name the 3rd CD "Born to Love."

For more information about Richard Hunter, and for one of the web's best resources for harmonica players, check out the Richard Hunter website at www.hunterharp.com