Who was Larry Adler

A. Larry Adler, theworld's most famous mouth organ player (he disliked the word 'harmonica') died last week, at the age of 87.
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Q. How does anyone get to be a 'famous mouth organ player'
A. Because there aren't many mouth organ players to begin with, and Larry Adler did play the instrument better than just about anyone else - a fact acknowledged by fellow musicians and composers around the world.

Adler was an independently minded man, a character trait he exhibited early on in life whiles studying piano at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. His substitution of music during an exam - he decided to abandon Grieg's Waltz In A Minor in favour of Yes We Have No Bananas, inspired by the patronising attitude of the examiner who asked him "What are you going o play little man " led to instant expulsion, with the report that he was 'incorrigible, untalented and totally lacking in ear.' Adler would probably agree with the first, and the Conservatory was pleased to swallow its pride over the other two - it awarded him an honorary degree in 1985.

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Q. Was Adler famous for anything else apart from playing the mouth organ
A. He was indeed - he was a renowned raconteur, establishing a parallel career as a chat show guest, theatre speaker, and writer - his correspondence with the satirical magazine Private Eye was legendary - and he also reviewed books and films for various magazines and newspapers, which he enjoyed.

Adler's less well-known 'fame' was a result of his acknowledged left-wing sympathies, which he defended vociferously - suing a woman in America who wrote to the local newspaper about his alleged support of Communism. Adler always denied being a Communist; he simply disagreed with the notion that supporting any political ideology should be a criminal offence

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Q. No major problem there then
A. Actually there was. Adler's political leanings came to the attention of the Committee for Un-American Activities, the notorious 'witch hunts' of the 1950's, which led to the blacklisting of a number of musicians and writers. Adler refused to appear before the Committee, and the resultant blacklisting effectively ended his career in America. He moved his wife and family to London in 1952, and lived there until his death, returning to the US only to play concerts.

Blacklisting of this type can have far-reaching consequences, as it did for Larry Adler who composed the music to the film Genevieve starring Kenneth Moore. The score was nominated for an Oscar, but because of Adler's blacklisting, the composer credit was shown as Muir Matheson. It would have been interesting to see what happened if the score had won the Academy Award, but it didn't - Adler remained unacknowledged for his work until the 1993 when he was finally given his nominee's certificate by the Academy. Adler had the last laugh however - the film's stars were all paid a flat fee of around �1,000, but Adler, in a deal which has since become common practice in movie salaries, opted for a 2.5 per cent royalty profit share, and went on to earn over �200,000 from the film's success. The fact that his name may not have been on the credits as composer, but it was on the royalty cheques, is an irony that Adler enjoyed for a long time.

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Q. What about this other career as a wit and storyteller
A. Larry Adler was a man who adored socialising, and he was extremely good at it. He moved in high society circles in London, and was a sought-after dinner guest because of his fund of show business stories. His most often quoted anecdotes concern his friendships with the famous stars of art and culture. Adler often told of the time he was asked to make up a four at tennis by his host, Charlie Chaplin, and Adler was invited to make up the numbers with Chaplin's other guests, Greta Garbo and Salvador Dali. He also quoted the time he was starting out in show business as a teenager, around fourteen, and was working in Chicago. A well-dressed man chatted to him about his Jewish faith, and admonished him for not writing home to his mother. Enquiring about the identity of his moral guardian, the young Larry was advised that he had been given some parental guidance by non other than Al Capone!

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Q. But Larry Adler's main claim to fame is as a musician
A. It is, and he was acknowledged as a superb master of his instrument. Adler was aware that the mouth organ would only ever be regarded as a portable accompaniment used by cowboys and fairground buskers, or a children's toy, and never taken seriously as an orchestral instrument, although he certainly succeeded in impressing some of the major composers into writing for him.

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Q. Which composers
A. In no particular order, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Joaquin Rodrigo, Malcolm Arnold, Arthur Benjamin, and Gordon Jacob. Most famous of all was George Gershwin, who, after hearing Adler perform his most famous work, Rhapsody In Blue, advised Adler that it sounded as if it had been written for his mouth organ, high praise indeed, and a statement that was instantly added to Adler anecdote file for many frequent future repeats. Adler was equally fond of reminding listeners that no less an authority than William Walton had once declared "The only two musical geniuses in the world are Yehudi Menuhin and Larry Adler."

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Q. Was Adler really just a musician for the older audiences who grew up with his music

A. No, even though he was invited to play at Prince Phillip's 80th birthday celebrations, Larry Adler's credibility with a generation of younger music lovers was already assured when he released an album of Gershwin tributes in 1994, to celebrate his 80th birthday, accompanying modern stars including Elton John, Sting, Peter Gabriel and Elvis Costello. The album ensured he became the oldest artist ever to be awarded a gold disc for record sales. Last year he officially opened The Pop Factory, a new multi-media complex in Rhondda South Wales, where he performed with cutting edge Welsh stars Cerys Mathews from Catatonia, and Kelly Jones from The Stereophonics.

Q. Did Adler never retire
A. No, he was performing in theatre concerts until the time of his death, doing what he enjoyed most, which was combining an evening of stories and music for small to medium sized theatre audiences in his adopted country.

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