Chris Michalek
Encyclopedia
Chris Michalek was an American
harmonica
player.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
, he was an accomplished modern diatonic harmonica player in many styles including Jazz
, Funk
, Blues
and World Music
. Michalek was also the organizer of the Global Harmonica Summit in 2000. Michalek was known for using the overblow technique, which is used to play chromatically on the diatonic harmonica.
When he was a teenager, Michalek's harmonicostic talents were discovered by members of the Twin Cities Harmonica Society, including the prominent harmonica player and one-time Harmonicat Dick Gardner.
It was the music of Howard Levy that opened Chris' eyes to the possibilities of the harmonica. Levy's overblow, a kind of controlled bend, makes available all notes on the diatonic harmonica. It allowed the combination the excellent tone of the diatonic harmonica with the melodic possibilities of the chromatic. An instrument that once seemed limited became somewhat flexible.
Chris quickly began to play jazz and to experiment with other styles of music. He was still playing up until recently with well-known bassist Mahlon Hawk in the Buddha's Groove. He died of a stroke on December 16, 2010.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
player.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
, he was an accomplished modern diatonic harmonica player in many styles including Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, Funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, Blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and World Music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
. Michalek was also the organizer of the Global Harmonica Summit in 2000. Michalek was known for using the overblow technique, which is used to play chromatically on the diatonic harmonica.
When he was a teenager, Michalek's harmonicostic talents were discovered by members of the Twin Cities Harmonica Society, including the prominent harmonica player and one-time Harmonicat Dick Gardner.
It was the music of Howard Levy that opened Chris' eyes to the possibilities of the harmonica. Levy's overblow, a kind of controlled bend, makes available all notes on the diatonic harmonica. It allowed the combination the excellent tone of the diatonic harmonica with the melodic possibilities of the chromatic. An instrument that once seemed limited became somewhat flexible.
Chris quickly began to play jazz and to experiment with other styles of music. He was still playing up until recently with well-known bassist Mahlon Hawk in the Buddha's Groove. He died of a stroke on December 16, 2010.