====================== HIP - the Harmonica Information Publication published by Harmonica Information Press 203 14th Avenue San Francisco CA 94118-1007 USA Editor: Winslow Yerxa phone/fax 415-751-0212 email: 76450.3230@compuserve.com Diatonic and chromatic technique, performance practices, theory, interviews, historical sketches, industry news, instrument reviews, record, video and book reviews (with harp keys). Oriented to all styles of music, but with strong blues content due to demand. Issue 4 is devoted to Howard Levy and overblowing technique. HIP is highly regarded as having the most professional appearance and the best instructional material, but is slow in coming out. Relatively expensive, but packed with information (literally - the type is much smaller than in other publications and graphics are at a minimum). 40 pages plus covers, letter size, white paper. 6 issues per subscription series. $5.50 per issue. Subscriptions: $30 Canada US, Mexico, $51 airmail ($40 surface) outside North America. ========================= American Harmonica Newsletter (AHN) 2632 W Territorial Road Battle Creek MI 49015-4956 Editor: Al Eichler Phone: 616-962-2989 AHN is a broad cross section of harmonica interests in the United States. At times it's like a big bulletin board, or maybe a flea market - you never know what you'll find. Reader contributions are regularly published, along with items of harmonica interest cut out of newspapers. Editor Al Eichler writes lofty, iedalistic editorials that, while inspired, are sometimes hard to follow. There are also regular instructional columns, ads and features on new products, letters (including flame wars) and frequent artist features. AHN is the most prolific and regular of the harmonica magazines, and under the co-direction of associate editor Phil Lloyd, has taken on a much more professional appearance. 40 pages including covers, letter size, newsprint 12 issues per year, $1.75 per issue, $21.00 per year U.S., write for overseas rates. ======================= MississippiSaxophone published by Delta Publications PO Box 12185 Eugene OR 97440 Editor: Tim Moody phone 503-726-5992 "The Amplified Harmonica Player's Magazine" is the motto on the cover, and this is reflected in a focus on amplified blues players, both chromatic and diatonic. Includes interviews, product and record reviews (with harp keys), electronics how-to, editorials. Miss Sax has grown under Tim's stewardship, although it has lateness problems. Shows considerable promise, and is *the* publication for the amplified blues harp player. 20 pages including covers, letter size white recycled stock, 6 issues per year. $2.50 per issue. Subscription $12/yr US, $16 Canada, all others $24. Published six times per year. ====================== Harmonica Happenings Published by SPAH - Society for the Preservation and ADvancement of the Harmonica PO Box 865 Troy MI 48099-0865 Editor: Susan Williams SPAH, a sort of super-harmonica club for North America, has been existence for 31 years, and its membership reflects the interests of the age group that grew up on the vaudeville harmonica bands like Borrah Minnevitch and the Harmonicats. Harmonica Happenings is their official club organ, and as such, until recently reflected this interest group almost exclusively, with internal news of members and club activities, and irrelavent material of interest to its readers' age group, of little interest to the outside world of non-SPAH harmonica players. But both the organization and the magazine are changing, with a concerted effort to include younger diatonic players and their interests. Editor Sue Williams' husband, Bob, is the new Executive Vice President of SPAH, and is strongly committed to education. It will be interesting to see what develops with HH. News of harmonica club activities, editorials, record release information, harmonica news items, coming events, obituaries, leters, future instructional material. Four issues per year, 16 pages including covers, lettersize, white glossy stock. Subscription with Annual SPAH membership - $25/yr plus $5 initiation fee. ====================== Easy Reeding P.O Box 9375 Richmond VA 23227 Editor: Jack Kavoukian Easy Reeding is put out by Hohner USA and seems to come out on a "whenever" basis. Features about players and conventions, awards, etc., are often identical to what appear in Harmonica Happenings, and, of course, competing harmonica products are not mentioned. New, Hohner Endorsers and Hohner products, news columns from Germany, Australia England, record releases. Issues on occassional basis, 16 pages including covers, letter size, glossy white stock. $10 initiation fee, free thereafter in the U.S. For , BeNeLux, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, Denmark, South Africa, England, France, contact the national Hohner distributor. For all other countries, contact Hohner Germany at Hohner Vertrieb GmBh, Postfach 1260, 7218 Trossingen 1. ====================== Harmonica World published by N.H.L. c/o Ken Howell 8 Nant-y-Glen Avenue Colwyn Bay, Clywd, North Wales Tel: 0492 533-836 Editor: Steve Jennings Ph 0604-832-726 email 100010.1152@compuserve.com This is the official organ of Britain's National Harmonica League. While the club influence is detectable, editor Steve Jennings is of the younger generation, and frequently features newer style players. Records reviews are renowned for their pull-no-punches frankness. "How to play" material is available on subjects such as: alternate tunings, jazz on the chromatic, and getting the chromatic to work at all. Interviews, player features, 6 issues per year, 24 pages plus covers (half size). Subscription by membership. UK & Channel Islands, L19.00 New/L15.00 Annual, USA L25/L20; Europe L21/l17, other places L23/L19 ====================== Harpoz published by the Hohner Harmonica Club of Australia 7/2 Stoddart Road Prospect NSW 2149 Australia Editor: Tricia Smits Phone 02-636-7111 FAX 02-636-1545 Player interviews, editorials, reprints from HIP, letters, record reviews, ads, industry news, harmonica repair. This is a fairly new publication, Australia's first. The Hohner Harmonica Club is a creature of Kurt Jacob Pty., the Hohner distributor down under, and Tricia Smits has charge full speed ahead, with the assistance of players Lawrie Minson, Tony Peri and Christian Marsh. 16 pages incuding covers, A4 size white stock, mostly typewritten. Quarterly, $15.00 (Australian) per annum. ====================== Echos France Harmonica published by Productions Stephanie Bertrand 118 av Jeans Jaures 75019 Paris France FAX 42-00-72-04 Jean Labre, president/founder Bernard Dehabre, Charge de Presse (managing editor) This is by far the best looking of harmonica magazines, with its color cover and plentiful photos. Written largely in French, it also features translations and separate items in English and German - in this sense, it is the most truly international of the lot. The contents are largely celebratory, with lots of photos of players in action, convention photos and competition results - all the clubby stuff. Also incuded are histrocial articles, player features, news reprints from Easy Reeding and various newspapers, sheet music and ads. While France Harmonica is a national club, like SPAH and NHL, its publisher, PSB, is also a record company, with several harmonica releases, including those of Charlie McCoy, Jean Labre, les Harmonichats, and the excellent diatonic jazz player Michel Herblin (see HIP No. 4 for a review). 50 pages plus covers, A4 size, white stock with color glossy cover. 28F/$5/8DM, or subscription by membership, 150F (120F if you're under 16) in France, $40 USA, 42DM Germany, L19 UK.