Harmonica Dreams

Album Review

In listening to the veteran harmonica player's stylistically eclectic, dreamy, and joyous debut — billed on the packaging as "the world's first smooth jazz harmonica CD" — a quote from Clifford Brown about the legendary Toots Thielemans comes to mind: "Toots, the way you play the harmonica, they should not call it a miscellaneous instrument!" While certainly not the household name Thielemans is, Randy Singer has amassed an equally impressive sideman résumé working with the best pop, country, Latin, and Brazilian singers — from Blondie to Garth Brooks and Djavan! Only time will tell if this winning indie effort can break through the sax/piano/guitar domination of his chosen genre, but catchy, melodic tracks like the zesty samba "Rio Dreams," the reggae-tinged "Jamaica Jam," and soulful, laid-back "Bells of Venice" would fit into the format perfectly. Singer shows his romantic side both instrumentally on the lush, moody "My Love" and later on a series of vocals, which are pleasant enough but limit his beautiful instrument to a quieter, supporting role. Although it's not the track most listeners will gravitate to, his best vocal is an eloquent, classically tinged revisit of Lesley Duncan's "Love Song," first popularized by Elton John on 1971's classic Tumbleweed Connection. Perhaps Singer's biggest dream is that he can bring his instrument into a center-stage role for both himself and others who, like him, master the beauty of it. This collection is an impressive first step.