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Happy Hour Harmonica Podcast

Clint Hoover interview

May 01, 2024 Neil Warren

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Originally from Minneapolis, now living in Pittsburg, but most of his music career spent around the twin cities of St Paul and Minneapolis

First turned onto the harmonica when saw James Cotton playing with The Muddy Waters band

Started playing diatonic harmonica a few years later at age 17, and blues harmonica was Clint’s entry point

First learnt by playing by ear, along to records and had the Tony Glover harmonica book

Started playing in a duo in school

Picked up the chromatic from the advice of a bassist playing some piano to Clint

Was still mainly blues-based originals when Clint started playing the chromatic

In 1987 attended the Parsons Jazz and Contemporary Music Program in New York

Decided to become a musician after completing Art college, learning music theory and played a lot of guitar to get work in bands

Then transferred knowledge of guitar to the chromatic harmonica and started playing some jazz

Started teaching harmonica at a music school in Minneapolis, where he met a lot of musicians

Had lessons with Robert Bonfiglio while in New York

Tried to get some lessons with Toots Thielemans but that didn’t work out

Tried to apply Bonfiglio’s corner switching technique to Bebop, but couldn’t apply this too well to improvisation

Is corner switching more suited to music reading?

Mainly uses puckering when playing jazz on the chromatic and tongue blocking when playing diatonic

Clint took private lessons with Robert Bonfiglio as part of the jazz course as that didn’t have any harmonica tutors

Only studied on the jazz course in New York for one year due to the finances

Still plays guitar for composition and applying musical knowledge from that to the harmonica

The value of playing a chordal instrument when playing a mainly single note instrument like the harmonica

Also a great diatonic player where he was inspired to learn overblows after seeing Howard Levy perform

Clint chooses to play chromatic on most of jazz playing as likes the dedicated reed for each note

Uses diatonic in the jazz genre more for jazz blues and jazz soul

Still practises overblows on the diatonic and remains fascinated in transferring chromatic harmonica knowledge to the diatonic

Clint believes the chromatic can be as expressive as the chromatic, with great bending capability on the chromatic too

Spent a lot of time on developing expressiveness on chromatic, making it sound close to a diatonic

Hasn’t removed the wind savers to make the chromatic more bendable and plays a standard tuned chromatic in the key of C only, except for some recording purposes

Plays a range of different styles of music, from pre-war to modern jazz, to rock and pop

Some of Clint’s favourite harmonica players, starting with Les Thompson: the unheralded West coast version of Toots

Irish player Eddie Clarke and Clint played some Irish music at one point

Clint is a fan of pre-war harmonica and mentions Blues Birdhead, supposedly the first person to have recorded an overblow and played like a jazz trumpeter

Rhythm Willie is another favourite pre-war harmonica player of Clint’s

Clint played in a jug band (The Sugar Kings) where he recorded some pre-war style harmonica and got to a good level playing that

Horn players are a major source of inspiration for Clint and the Charlie Parker Omnibook

First album released in 1997: Dream of the Serpent Dog

Recorded an album before the one in 1997, with rock band The Fontanas in 1989 with that album eventually released in 2023

The Fontanas album has Clint’s hard driving chromatic harmonica featured strongly on the songs

The playing on the Fontanas album is pre-Blues Traveller, which has a similar sound

Plays hooks on the chromatic on the Fontanas songs

Overlaid saxophone and harp on the Fontanas songs

Why the Fontanas album has been released 34 years later

Dream of the Serpent Dog album, mainly acoustic jazz with some World Music too

Snake Oil song is in ‘second flat’ (as per the Howard Levy system)

Album with Bill Geezy & The Promise Breakers is more pop based

Clint is better known as a chromatic player but he has released a lot of recordings on diatonic

Album with Papa John Kolstad (who Mike Turk also recorded with)

Released album as a band leader: The Clint Hoover Trio

Two jazz albums with a band called Eastside, in 2009 and 2014

In 2021 played rock harmonica with a band called Jimmy Mac & The Attack after moving to Pittsburgh

Got into playing amplified harp and using effects in this band

This album recorded ‘live’ in the studio, bringing a freshness to the sound which Clint likes

About using the chromatic in a rock setting, which is not heard very often, and plays organ lines on the diatonic

Likes to use a Hohner CX12 for amplified chromatic playing

Done quite a lot of session work, including a TV news theme

Has recorded some material for harmonica instruction books but hasn’t released his own

Done a lot of teaching of harmonica and has own methodology

Ten minute question

Practise regime includes lots of scale and arpeggio work, as well as transposing and practising repertoire

Still practises a lot, now at the age of 68 he thinks it keeps him young and what Dizzy Gillespie said about practising

Diatonic of choice is the Hohner Golden Melody, and has lots of customised ones in compromised tuning so chords sound good

Customisers he uses include Joe Spiers, Joel Andersson and Tom Halchak

Advantages of custom harps but still has to set offset to own liking due to playing style

Chromatics are high maintenance and a lot of that work has to be done by Clint himself

Has lots of different types of chromatic

Uses the older model of the Golden Melody and also likes the Hohner Rocket

Favourite chromatic is the Hohner 64X and has customised versions from Will’s Make

Uses CX12 for amplified work on chromatic

Uses a 12 hole more these days, previously using only 16 hole chromatics

When playing with The Fontanas used a Hohner CBH 16 hole chromatic with the slots on them making them good to use amplified

Has an Eastop brass comb chromatic and Suzuki Fabulous

Uses Richter tuned diatonics and standard tuned chromatics

Amplification: did play acoustically for a long time and the dynamic range of the diatonic

Returned to amplified playing in recent times once moved to Pittsburgh

Main amps of choice is a Fender Princeton Blackface Reverb

Has a custom Megatone amp

For jazz plays through a powered PA speaker through a cupped mic for a clean sound

Mics include an Audit Fireball and a Sennheiser 441, a Bulletini, but doesn’t use a lot of bullet mics

Future plans includes getting out playing around Pittsburgh, some teaching and is working on a follow-up album to Dream of the Serpent Dog

Happy Hour Harmonica Podcast

Clint Hoover interview

May 01, 2024

Neil Warren

Clint Hoover joins me on episode 109.

Clint is originally from Minneapolis and has spent a life immersed in music and the harmonica. He’s reached great heights on both the chromatic and the diatonic. Early on he also studied guitar and saxophone and attended a jazz course in New York City where he also took chromatic lessons from Robert Bonfiglio.

His eclectic mix of interests has led him to recording albums in genres from pre-war blues to modern jazz, to rock, pop and World Music. His first recorded album was with a mainstream band called The Fontanas back in 1989, with the album release being delayed for thirty four years, coming out in 2023. In-between he’s released jazz albums, jug band music, rock and more, really showcasing his extraordinary talents on both the diatonic and chromatic harmonicas.

Links:
Website:
https://clinthoover.com/

Clint article: ‘My Harmonica Journey’:
https://clinthoover.com/a-harmonica-journey/

Richard Hunter interview with Clint:
https://www.hunterharp.com/hoover1/

The Fontanas album:
https://blackberrywayrecords.com/album/2566074/the-fontanas

Videos:
Clint’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE7io6uwgGzsOBpanupYdBg

Les Thompson performing live:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlLGjO8MzpU

Get Up Off That Jazzophone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23VJPJeakJI

Sister Sadie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQG1sHJedgY

Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com

Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB

Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ

Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
--------------------------------
The Harmonica Company. Use promo code: 'happyhour7'.
Email Jonathan at: sales@theharmonicacompany.com
--------------------------------
Blue Moon Harmonicas: https://bluemoonharmonicas.com

Support the Show.

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Clint Hoover joins me on episode 109.

Clint is originally from Minneapolis and has spent a life immersed in music and the harmonica. He’s reached great heights on both the chromatic and the diatonic. Early on he also studied guitar and saxophone and attended a jazz course in New York City where he also took chromatic lessons from Robert Bonfiglio.

His eclectic mix of interests has led him to recording albums in genres from pre-war blues to modern jazz, to rock, pop and World Music. His first recorded album was with a mainstream band called The Fontanas back in 1989, with the album release being delayed for thirty four years, coming out in 2023. In-between he’s released jazz albums, jug band music, rock and more, really showcasing his extraordinary talents on both the diatonic and chromatic harmonicas.

Links:
Website:
https://clinthoover.com/

Clint article: ‘My Harmonica Journey’:
https://clinthoover.com/a-harmonica-journey/

Richard Hunter interview with Clint:
https://www.hunterharp.com/hoover1/

The Fontanas album:
https://blackberrywayrecords.com/album/2566074/the-fontanas

Videos:
Clint’s YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE7io6uwgGzsOBpanupYdBg

Les Thompson performing live:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlLGjO8MzpU

Get Up Off That Jazzophone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23VJPJeakJI

Sister Sadie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQG1sHJedgY

Podcast website:
https://www.harmonicahappyhour.com

Donations:
If you want to make a voluntary donation to help support the running costs of the podcast then please use this link (or visit the podcast website link above):
https://paypal.me/harmonicahappyhour?locale.x=en_GB

Spotify Playlist:
Also check out the Spotify Playlist, which contains most of the songs discussed in the podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QC6RF2VTfs4iPuasJBqwT?si=M-j3IkiISeefhR7ybm9qIQ

Podcast sponsors:
This podcast is sponsored by SEYDEL harmonicas - visit the oldest harmonica factory in the world at www.seydel1847.com or on Facebook or Instagram at SEYDEL HARMONICAS
--------------------------------
The Harmonica Company. Use promo code: 'happyhour7'.
Email Jonathan at: sales@theharmonicacompany.com
--------------------------------
Blue Moon Harmonicas: https://bluemoonharmonicas.com

Support the Show.

Originally from Minneapolis, now living in Pittsburg, but most of his music career spent around the twin cities of St Paul and Minneapolis

First turned onto the harmonica when saw James Cotton playing with The Muddy Waters band

Started playing diatonic harmonica a few years later at age 17, and blues harmonica was Clint’s entry point

First learnt by playing by ear, along to records and had the Tony Glover harmonica book

Started playing in a duo in school

Picked up the chromatic from the advice of a bassist playing some piano to Clint

Was still mainly blues-based originals when Clint started playing the chromatic

In 1987 attended the Parsons Jazz and Contemporary Music Program in New York

Decided to become a musician after completing Art college, learning music theory and played a lot of guitar to get work in bands

Then transferred knowledge of guitar to the chromatic harmonica and started playing some jazz

Started teaching harmonica at a music school in Minneapolis, where he met a lot of musicians

Had lessons with Robert Bonfiglio while in New York

Tried to get some lessons with Toots Thielemans but that didn’t work out

Tried to apply Bonfiglio’s corner switching technique to Bebop, but couldn’t apply this too well to improvisation

Is corner switching more suited to music reading?

Mainly uses puckering when playing jazz on the chromatic and tongue blocking when playing diatonic

Clint took private lessons with Robert Bonfiglio as part of the jazz course as that didn’t have any harmonica tutors

Only studied on the jazz course in New York for one year due to the finances

Still plays guitar for composition and applying musical knowledge from that to the harmonica

The value of playing a chordal instrument when playing a mainly single note instrument like the harmonica

Also a great diatonic player where he was inspired to learn overblows after seeing Howard Levy perform

Clint chooses to play chromatic on most of jazz playing as likes the dedicated reed for each note

Uses diatonic in the jazz genre more for jazz blues and jazz soul

Still practises overblows on the diatonic and remains fascinated in transferring chromatic harmonica knowledge to the diatonic

Clint believes the chromatic can be as expressive as the chromatic, with great bending capability on the chromatic too

Spent a lot of time on developing expressiveness on chromatic, making it sound close to a diatonic

Hasn’t removed the wind savers to make the chromatic more bendable and plays a standard tuned chromatic in the key of C only, except for some recording purposes

Plays a range of different styles of music, from pre-war to modern jazz, to rock and pop

Some of Clint’s favourite harmonica players, starting with Les Thompson: the unheralded West coast version of Toots

Irish player Eddie Clarke and Clint played some Irish music at one point

Clint is a fan of pre-war harmonica and mentions Blues Birdhead, supposedly the first person to have recorded an overblow and played like a jazz trumpeter

Rhythm Willie is another favourite pre-war harmonica player of Clint’s

Clint played in a jug band (The Sugar Kings) where he recorded some pre-war style harmonica and got to a good level playing that

Horn players are a major source of inspiration for Clint and the Charlie Parker Omnibook

First album released in 1997: Dream of the Serpent Dog

Recorded an album before the one in 1997, with rock band The Fontanas in 1989 with that album eventually released in 2023

The Fontanas album has Clint’s hard driving chromatic harmonica featured strongly on the songs

The playing on the Fontanas album is pre-Blues Traveller, which has a similar sound

Plays hooks on the chromatic on the Fontanas songs

Overlaid saxophone and harp on the Fontanas songs

Why the Fontanas album has been released 34 years later

Dream of the Serpent Dog album, mainly acoustic jazz with some World Music too

Snake Oil song is in ‘second flat’ (as per the Howard Levy system)

Album with Bill Geezy & The Promise Breakers is more pop based

Clint is better known as a chromatic player but he has released a lot of recordings on diatonic

Album with Papa John Kolstad (who Mike Turk also recorded with)

Released album as a band leader: The Clint Hoover Trio

Two jazz albums with a band called Eastside, in 2009 and 2014

In 2021 played rock harmonica with a band called Jimmy Mac & The Attack after moving to Pittsburgh

Got into playing amplified harp and using effects in this band

This album recorded ‘live’ in the studio, bringing a freshness to the sound which Clint likes

About using the chromatic in a rock setting, which is not heard very often, and plays organ lines on the diatonic

Likes to use a Hohner CX12 for amplified chromatic playing

Done quite a lot of session work, including a TV news theme

Has recorded some material for harmonica instruction books but hasn’t released his own

Done a lot of teaching of harmonica and has own methodology

Ten minute question

Practise regime includes lots of scale and arpeggio work, as well as transposing and practising repertoire

Still practises a lot, now at the age of 68 he thinks it keeps him young and what Dizzy Gillespie said about practising

Diatonic of choice is the Hohner Golden Melody, and has lots of customised ones in compromised tuning so chords sound good

Customisers he uses include Joe Spiers, Joel Andersson and Tom Halchak

Advantages of custom harps but still has to set offset to own liking due to playing style

Chromatics are high maintenance and a lot of that work has to be done by Clint himself

Has lots of different types of chromatic

Uses the older model of the Golden Melody and also likes the Hohner Rocket

Favourite chromatic is the Hohner 64X and has customised versions from Will’s Make

Uses CX12 for amplified work on chromatic

Uses a 12 hole more these days, previously using only 16 hole chromatics

When playing with The Fontanas used a Hohner CBH 16 hole chromatic with the slots on them making them good to use amplified

Has an Eastop brass comb chromatic and Suzuki Fabulous

Uses Richter tuned diatonics and standard tuned chromatics

Amplification: did play acoustically for a long time and the dynamic range of the diatonic

Returned to amplified playing in recent times once moved to Pittsburgh

Main amps of choice is a Fender Princeton Blackface Reverb

Has a custom Megatone amp

For jazz plays through a powered PA speaker through a cupped mic for a clean sound

Mics include an Audit Fireball and a Sennheiser 441, a Bulletini, but doesn’t use a lot of bullet mics

Future plans includes getting out playing around Pittsburgh, some teaching and is working on a follow-up album to Dream of the Serpent Dog