Harmonica 2006 - at The Folk House, Bristol, UK

October: Friday October 27th to Sunday 29th, 2006

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Welcome to the NHL Festival in Bristol We have built on the positive feedback from last year's very successful festival and Harmonica 2006 should be even better. All You Need To Know First things first, who's playing? A real treat for Blues fans as we have two fantastic players: Steve Baker: has been a full-time blues harp professional for over 30 years and was born and raised in London. He now lives near Hamburg, Germany. His style is both lyrical and expressive, drawing on the blues harmonica tradition and combining it with elements from country, folk, funk, soul and jazz to create a unique fusion. Steve nows runs the Harmonica Masters Workshop in Trossingen, Germany. Check Steve's website at: www.stevebaker.de Joe Filisko: is best known to most people as the best harp customiser, but he runs a harmonica school in Chicago and is an authority on the early country blues harp players and their playing styles. Check Joe's website at: www.filisko.com Johnny Pluck: harmonica chord player who will accompanied by his son. Our usual talented array of UK-based players: Carol Axford, Philip Achille, Gerry Ezard, Harry Pitch There are also some new ideas for the workshops being run so you can be sure of learning lots of new things! This list may change, with additions or withdrawals before the event. Harmonica 2006 Festival Outline Friday 27th October - Informal meet and greet night from about 7pm. Blues jam & open mic play. NHL AGM will take place. We hope as many members as possible will join us to help set up the venue for the weekend activities. We will be there from mid afternoon. All help is greatly appreciated & will ensure the festival runs as smoothly as possible. Please contact Gerry Ezard (01656784904) if you can help in anway. Come and enjoy the night, and meet the committee. Saturday 28th October Doors open 9.15am The competition takes place in the main hall on the Saturday, starting at 9.30am - adult and youth contest (under 18yrs - includes the old junior section). Register beforehand using the form on this web site or register immediately on arrival if their are still places available.. There will be the usual wide range of workshops running through the day to provide invaluable information on all aspects of harmonica playing. There will be four traders with all the harmonica wares you need as well as the opportunity to pick up a bargain in the lunchtime auction. Evening concert starts 7:30pm and runs till late. The itinary is shown above. Sunday 29th October - Doors open 9:30am. Workshops continue on Sunday morning & there is a programme of workshops and activities specially designed for children. A Sunday afternoon concert follows. Contest Information See the contest webpage. Complete the form in the August/September magazine if you want to take part, or you can enter on the day. Here are some recent winners of the competitions. They were members like you when they won, and some have gone on to great things. Diatonic Blues - (1989)Ian Briggs, (1990)Kieran Doherty, (1991)Steve Hillan, (1992)Ken Howell, (1993)Lee Sankey, (1994)John Burr, (1996)Vinny Reed, (1997)Paul Gillings, (1998)Kevin Wells, (1999)Robin Andrews, (2000)Stuart Farquharson, (2001)Stuart Farquharson, (2002) Adam Wirich, (2003) Tony Jukes, (2004)Frank Bard, (2005) Tony Jukes Chromatic Solo - (1988-91)Julian Jackson, (1992)Ken Howell, (1993)John Brassington, (1997)Roy Green, (1999)Levy Bourbonnais, (2000)David Inns, (2001)Stuart Farquharson, (2002) Philip Achille, (2003) Gerry Ezard, (2004) Philip Achille, (2005) Philip Achille. Adjudicator - Eric Jennings, an experienced adjudicator from the Federation of Festivals will officiate for a third year. He will be assisted by technical advisers for each class of the contest. Workshops We have two rooms dedicated to workshops on Saturday and Sunday morning. The workshop topics include the usual wide range through from beginner to advanced. Catering for both diatonic & Chromatic. Shops Eagle Music and Harmonicas Direct will have their new range of harmonica accessories and tuition materials. Keith Parker will be selling some vintage microphones and cables. All will be displayed in one of the upstairs rooms. Auction We will repeat last year's very successful lunchtime auction on Saturday, and possibly Sunday, so bring your cheque books and pick up a bargain. If you have any CDs, music or equipment etc. which you would like to donate for the auction, please let Gerry know. We need your money to run events like this, so dig deep. Volunteers Lots of hands make light work, so please look for ways to help, don't wait to be asked if you see an opportunity. Ask Frank or Gerry at the NHL desk when you register, and they will let you know what needs to be done. You can always email Gerry Ezard in advance to let him know. This is important if our events are to continue. Prices Entry to the Folk House and access to all the daytime activities/workshops/shops/videos etc., including watching the contest which take place on Saturday, but not the Saturday evening concert - NHL members £12.50 (Non members £20.00) Saturday evening festival concert - NHL members: £10.00 (Non members: £12.50) Family ticket for the Sunday: £5 The Content entry fee is £12.50 for NHL members and £20.00 for non-members. Contest rules and information are on the contest webpage Click here for the festival booking information. Location The two and a half day festival will take place inside the Bristol Folk House (0117-9262987), a popular Adult Education Centre in Bristol. It is a multi-level building at 40a Park Street, a hundred yards north of the Cathedral, in the centre of Bristol. It has a concert room, a licensed café, and half a dozen workshop rooms. The main entrance is through a short passage between two shops on Park Street, a lively shopping area. There is limited on street parking, but cheap all day parking on Saturday and Sunday in the Trenchard Street (P1)and West End (P2) multistorey car parks marked on the map. The one drawback of this venue is its many levels and tight staircases which make it very difficult or impossible for anyone with physical disabilities. Bristol is a great location, as everyone found who attended last year's festival. There are lots of things to enjoy - click here for information about Bristol for tourists. The old docks area has been refurbished and brought alive again. The new interactive "At Bristol" development complements the old streets, pubs, restaurants, churches, museums, and restored old sailing ships. With lots to do, even for non-harmonica players, why not make a weekend of it. Transport Bristol has a compact city centre and is very easy to reach by motorway, coach, rail and air. If travelling by train the station is 'Bristol Temple Meads'. Or why not take advantage of the cheap flights into Bristol airport? Accommodation Bristol has accommodation of all types and prices, but don't delay booking as the best goes very quickly. There is a YHA (0117 922 1659), and the Bristol Backpackers (0117 925 7900) in the city centre, both at around £14 per night. Information on B&Bs and rooms, at a range of prices from £25 upwards, can be obtained from the Bristol Tourist Information Centre (08454080474). These are usually away from the city centre. There is a Travel Lodge and a Holiday Inn Express in the centre at about £50 per room. If you want a modern hotel, our suggestion is Jurys, one of the best hotels in Bristol where the artists and organisers will stay. The room prices they have quoted for our Festival are very reasonable, considering the high standard of the accommodation. If you want to take up the offer, don't delay as we have only reserved a fixed number of rooms at these prices, and any not taken up will be released in October: Single rooms - £65, Double/Twin rooms - £75, Family rooms - £80. These are room prices, so sharing brings down the price to £30 per person or less. They also include full English breakfast and overnight parking. The hotel is situated right in the centre of the redeveloped docks area, within easy walking distance of most attractions. It has an NCP car park built into it, and is about half a mile from the Folk House. Festival Contact Information Click here for booking forms for the festival/contest. Bristol Folk House, 40a Park Street, Bristol BS1 5JG, UK. Tel:0117-9262987, http://www.thefolkhouse.co.uk. Bristol International Youth Hostel, Hayman House, 14 Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA. Tel: (0)117 922 1659 - Fax: (0)117 927 3789 - Email: bristol@yha.org.uk http://www.yha.org.uk Bristol Backpackers, 17 Saint Stephen's Street, Old City, The Centre, Bristol BS1 1EQ England. Tele: (0)117 925 7900 http://www.bristolbackpackers.co.uk/ Bristol Tourist Information Centre, Bristol Tourist Information Centre, The Annexe, Wildscreen Walk, Harbourside, Bristol BS1 5DB, UK - tel: 0845 408 0474 Here are some city centre hotels from the Tourist Information Centre search page Jurys Bristol Hotel, Prince Street, Bristol BS1 4QF, UK, Tel: 01179230333. To book accommodation contact Jurys’ Reservations Manager, mentioning the NHL Festival. - http://www.jurys.com/uk/jury's_bristol.htm Click here for maps of the area Annual Contest Information If you are interested in the annual contest, which covers a range of age, harmonica type and music sections, check out the contest rules. If you wish to take part, print and send both a festival application form, and a contest application form, with your payment. Contact Peter Wheat (0118 901 4234) about tickets for the festival workshops and concert, any questions about the competition rules, classes (blues, chromatic etc.), and how to take part. View details of last year's festival: Harmonica 2005 Return to top