Joaquim Fusté Alcalá y Les Akord's

EXPOSICIÓ D' HARMONIQUES DE JOAQUIM FUSTÉ ALCALÀ

Joaquim Fuster va néixer el 1928 a Gràcia, però despres de la Guerra Civil va anar a viure a Manresa, on va estudiar piano i solfeig al seminari amb el pianista cec Nicanor Pérez. El 1948 va tornar a Barcelona per fer el servei militar. Una mica abans, abans amb 18 anys, va començar a tocar l'harmònica, a la qual s'hi acabaria dedicant professionalment.
 

Propiciat per l'èxit de pel·lícules com Siempre en mi corazón (Jo Graham, 1942) i per referències internacionals com Larry Adler i Borrah Minevitch, els grups d'harmòniques es van fer molt populars. Les Akord's, el grup format per Fuster després d'una experiència pròpia amb Los Goliats, triomfaven amb un repertori per a tots els públics centrat en peces arranjades del gran repertori clàssic, idoni per tots els públics, a més d'alguna sardana i algun pasdoble. El 1955, Les Akord's van arribar a proclamar-se campions del món en el campionat de Winterthur, a Suïssa. 
 
La música de Les Akord's, a més d'alguns exemples internacionals de les diverses combinacions que s'han fet amb l'harmònica (harmònica i tuba, concert d'orquestra i harmònica, música de ball amb James Andrews, jazz amb el gran Toots Thielemans), sonaran aquest diumenge 3 de març al Club Trébol de Ràdio 4. I també alguns exemples d'harmònica en peces absolutament populars, del "Love me Do" dels Beatles a l'havanera "La gavina" de Marina Rossell, per a la qual Xavier Batllés va idear una harmònica baixa que va gronxant-se, passant pel calipso "Adelaida", en versió d'Ara va de bo, on hi sona un fantàstic solo de Josep Maria Mayol.

Mayol també passarà per aquest Club Trébol especial per comentar el paper de l'Harmònica Club de Barcelona i qui va ser el seu mestre: Francisco Latorre.

https://www.rtve.es/alacarta/audios/club-trebol/club-trebol-joaquim-fuster-les-akords-mon-lharmonica-dels-50s-barcelona/4495760/

Perfect Fourth - Hong-Kong

 Perfect Fourth - Hong-Kong (2)

 

                                         Flight of the Bumblebee

                                                                   Take Five 

                                                                    

                                         HarmoniCadence

  

                                      Iron Man 3 - Can You Dig It  

        

                                                                                                                                    Libertango

                                     Rock Around the Clock

  

The Christmas Medley 

 

 

Take Five 

Perfect Fourth

Perfect Fourth - Hong-Kong (1)

                                                                                                                                               The Avengers

何卓彥 CY Leo

Coupe

梁柏渝 Ramiel LEUNG

                                                                                            Take Five

莊庭皓 Ivan CHONG Ting-ho

Affirmation

黃駿彥 Jerry WONG

                                 Eleanor Rigby

                                                                                                                                                         Escualo

                                Fiddler on the Roof

                               

                                                                                                                  William Tell Ouverture

                                                                                                                          Treasure

                                                            Tico Tico

Gene Jimae

 Gene Jimae - USA

Gene Jimae - American harmonica player (b. Detroit 1943 - d. Miami 1961) Appeared own television in Canada, US & Europe from age 5. Worked with Paul Whiteman, Dorsey Brothers, Johnny Longh, David Rose, Enoch Light and the Philadelphia Philharmonic in the U.SD. On stage at the Palace Theatre in London and on Broadway. Toured Australia & New Zealand in 1953. In cast of Tivoli production "Take It From Me" until Feb., 1954 and his parents were also in this show with a magic act. Left for South Africa following this tour.

Australia 1954

A story about a young lad of Australian heritage, who was a wizard on the harmonica back in the fifties. His name is Gene Jimae.As soon as he could walk he was blowing a toy harmonica. By four he was playing popular tunes of the day. He could do a pretty handy rendition of Cole Porter’s, ‘Begin the Beguine’. His parents bought his first professional harmonica for his fifth birthday and five months later he appeared on American Television. Bandsman, Paul Whiteman was so taken with him that he nominated Gene for a nationwide television competition. Gene duly won and was anointed with the title, ‘Worlds Youngest Harmonica Soloist’. 

Song of India

He featured on several television shows including Ed Sullivan’s, ‘Toast Of The Town’ and performed on Broadway at the Palace Theatre on multiple occasions. Gene became the youngest member of the ‘American Society Of Composers’ at the age of nine and by the age of twelve had thirty compositions registered. Gene had been backed by some of the biggest bands going round, Paul Whiteman, Johnny Long, Ray Bloch, David Rose, the Dorsey Brothers, Enoch Light, the Philadelphia Philharmonic and Louis Prima. He traveled the world performing in Europe, South Africa, New Zealand and in 1953 he ventured down under. Gene arrived as part of the Tivoli circuit and was high on the bill for David Martin’s show, ‘Take It From Me’. His set ranged from Gershwin’s, ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ to Jerry Murad’s Harmonicat’s, ‘Peg o’ my Heart’. 

His Fathers act which followed thrilled audiences by producing lit cigarettes and pipes from thin air and finding them in unusual places. While in Sydney Gene cut eight tracks at Columbia Records studio in Homebush under direction of Bob Gibson with orchestra and Jim Jimae on chordal harps. Returning to the States in 1955 Gene acquired his own record label, ‘Genie’ from the proceeds of his European tour. He recorded ‘Song Of India’ with the flip, ‘Riders In The Sky’. A Billboard review at the time wrote, “Gene Jimae a talented young harmonica virtuoso, makes a potent debut on the Genie label with some tricky mouth work on an upbeat version of an oldie. 

Wall Around Me

Australia 1953

The ten year old kid is gonna go places. Multi track recording is exciting.” Other acts signed to his label include Chuck Berry (not the one your thinking of, but Charles Clifford Shepard Berry), who performed with Henry Williams as the hillbilly duo, “Lone Jack Boys’ and they record a single, ‘That Ugly Girl Of Mine’ a tune composed by Gene. Gail Sunday records one of Gene’s songs, ‘I’ll Dust The Stars’ with Gene backing on harmonica and ‘The Nomads’ (not with Gus’) did a garage version of Popeye’s theme. 

Victoria, Nov 1953

In 1956 for some obscure reason the Australian Colombian recordings appear on Randle Wood’s Tennessee label, ‘Dot’ and not the ‘Genie’ label. The album’s entitled, ‘Harmonica Magic’. The same year Gene’s Dad forms a label with a couple of his Vaudeville mates under the moniker, ‘Flair-X’. They sign ‘Doo Wop’ group the ‘Hi Fives’, who record, ‘Throwing Pebbles in a Pond’. Genie records originally operated out of a sixteen story office building between West 77th Street and West 78th Street in New York. The company was moved to Michigan, Indiana prior to 1959.

It is at this point the Gene Jimae story goes cold. Perhaps he had some of his fathers rebelliousness and bedevilment. They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Gene’s next mention is in 1961 when his death and funeral notice is reported. His name does appear on a memoriam page for Miami Senior High School, but not in the graduated. A bugbear of mine is that his recordings often appear under the banner of ‘novelty’, but if you listen to his recordings you would appreciate why this is a misnomer and why he was touted as the next Larry Adler. For me he might have been the equivalent to Eivets Rednow (Stevie Wonder) who recorded an amazing version of ‘Alfie’ with an unbelievable tonguing technique in 1968, at the raw age of eighteen.

Riders in the Sky

For your aural pleasure I offer this abbreviated recording of ‘Song of India’ by Gene (His life’s breath eternalised) in which he plays four harmonicas on seven different parts. Hear here ‘India’. Gene’s album is available for download on iTunes and streaming on Spotify. Forever young, Gene Jimae

Nine-year-old Gene Jimae  - recorded on stage during a New Zealand tour in the 1950s.

Our thanks to: Harmonica Riff Raff - Aussie Blues Burger