Harmonica Festival

Since I was a child, I have always been surrounded by music. My mom used to dance with me in the living room when I was just one year old, and I have the image of my dad playing the guitar engraved in my mind as far as I can remember. He also used to play the harmonica, among other instruments, and that is probably why listening to the harmonica makes me travel back in time.
The man in the picture is Carey Bell, an American blues virtuoso who played the harmonica in the Chicago blues style for other groups before embarking on a solo career in the early 1970s. He died in 2007. However, the love for harmonica still stays alive thanks the influence of him and other harmonica musicians.

The National Harmonica League (or NHL, as it is shortened in their website) is the only organisation in Great Britain dedicated to harmonica. Bristol has been their headquarter to held the popular Harmonica Festival since 2001. The festival, organised mainly thanks to the collaboration of local community and volunteers, has been increasingly becoming more and more popular.

Bristol Harmonica Festival takes places in the Folk House in 40A Park Street. The building is "hidden". Between the stores "Nomadi" and "Children's Hospice South West", there is a little corridor where you will find the main entrance to the Folk House. There is a lovely open air patio-garden called "Oasis", perfect if the weather is mild. As you enter to the building, there is a reception, there are class rooms upstairs and a cafeteria at the ground floor. 

There are some activities organised for the Bristol Harmonica Festival this weekend. Last night, for example, there was an Open Jam Session held in the main hall of the Folk House. Ben Hewlett and Greg Zlap were running the event and they opened the stage to give an opportunity to any harmonica player to come and join the band.

I was there and I can tell you that it was a very beautiful and unique event. We arrived early to the venue so I ordered a Coke (1.20 pounds) at the bar in the meantime. The Open Mic started around 9.30pm. The venue was not completely full, which I believe it was perfect in order to appreaciate the music even better, with your own space.  The acoustic in the Main Hall is very good and I was very impressed with the quality of most of the harmonica players was excellent. Young, old, male, female, origin... it did not matter. Apart from the noisy chatty people at the back (which is very disrespectful for the musician), I don't have any other complaints. This event made me realise that I love the sound of the harmonica more than I thought.

Tomorrow, 26th October, the Contest will start. If you play the harmonica and you would like to join, you should register at the contest desk in the hall on arrival. The contest starts from 10am and the awards will be given approximatelly around 5pm. Timings might change, though, and they recommend you check them when you arrive. Afterwards, there will be an Evening Gala Concert, which will start around 7.45pm. For Sunday, 27th October, there is an Open Concert, Workshops and other activities organised for the day. You can download the official Festival Programme here.

LINKS
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National Harmonica League:
http://harmonica.co.uk/
Official Festival Programme:
http://harmonica.co.uk/images/H2013%20Festival%20Program%20Prov.pdf
The Folk House:
http://www.bristolfolkhouse.co.uk/