Toot…

As a harmonica player, one of my many regrets is that I never know who Larry Adler was until some time after his death. The reason is that I started playing the harmonica in early 2002, a few months after his death. It Ain’t Necessarily So is an autobiography by Larry Adler, the perfect way for me to have a glimpse into the life of the maestro of harmonica, or what he would call - the mouth-organ.

I was actually surprised to find that Larry was a good writer who made me felt that I was walking through the story of his life with him. Larry started the story with a warning that he was writing about things which happened more than 50 years ago (He was born in 1914, presumably he started writing the book in the 70’s). This book was named after a song by composer George Gershwin, and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was to remind the readers that the events as Larry remembered them might not actually be what had happened. Part of lyrics was quoted in the book, as I, an atheist, am delighted to quote them as well:

It ain’t necessarily so,
It ain’t necessarily so,
De t’ings dat yo’ li’ble
To read in de Bible,
It ain’t necessarily so.

Sometimes, a person’s fame makes us forget that he is actually a human being, just like you and I. From his childhood, to his involvement in show business, his achievements as the maestro of harmonica, his being accused as pro-Communist, Larry walked us through the ups and downs in his career, and life. It was easy to feel excited with his achievements, and emphatise his misfortunes. That, of course, did not mean I agree with all his actions. Anyway, who can say he has not done something he regrets in his life?

Reading the book, I can say that Larry Adler was a much much more interesting person than I previously thought. I will leave you to discover his life from this book. Sadly, this book is out of print, but with luck, you might find it in a library.

To any harmonica player out there, I will quote a passage from the book, which I very much agree:

Most mouth-organists go in for acrobatics, maximum notes in minimum time, which has nothing to do with music. The repertoire is predictable, Monti’s Czardas, Flight of the Bumble Bee, Dance of the Comedians, all showoff pieces. I get the player to try a Bach melody, a Siciliano or a chorale such as Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. Few players can handle these slow themes; they can play the notes, but cannot make the music sound.