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The harmonica being auctioned at Bonhams was played by Larry Adler for over 20 years |
Begin the bidding – for the Rolls Royce of harmonicas
THEY are around four inches long and cost no more than £15 for one in fully working order. But if the harmonica once had Larry Adler placing his pursed lips upon it, the price rockets.
A mouth organ – as he insisted they were called – owned by the performer is being auctioned at Bonhams and is expected to go for around £7,000.
The musician and renowned raconteur lived in Primrose Hill and was a regular face for lunch at the now-demolished Cafe Delancey in Delancey Street, Camden Town.
Proprietor and former New Journal restaurant critic Tatiana Von Saxe ran the restaurant – and became a close friend of Adler.
She recalls how Adler, who died in 2001, had mouth organs made for him by music company Hohner and would some times show off a gold plated instrument over lunch.
“He first came in to Delanceys in 1984,” she said. “I knew he was a restaurant critic then for Harpers, but actually did not know much about his career as a musician. I soon found out – he used to come to my mothers house for dinner and would play her favourite [Cole Porter] song, Begin the Beguine.”
Adler was born in Baltimore, USA, in 1914 but moved to England in 1949 after being harassed by the Committee for Un-American Activities due to his left-leaning sympathies.
He settled in Camden and had music written for him by leading classical composers – Ralph Vaughan Williams, who also lived in Camden Town, penned numbers for him to perform. He was also a regular collaborator with some of the biggest names in the business and performed with the likes of Sir Elton John, Sting, Cerys Matthews and Kate Bush.
Auction house Bonhams’ entertainment memorabilia specialist Stephen Maycock said the mouth organ, which is solid silver, was owned by Larry for more than 20 years and he played it at some of the world’s leading concert halls. He said: “This is the Rolls Royce of harmonicas. Larry used it to make his 1994 album Glory of Gershwin with Beatles producer George Martin and played it right up to his death.”
The purchaser will join a number of well-known names who have a Larry Adler mouth organ. He once gave one to the British Wimbledon champion tennis player Virginia Wade and the Queen Mother.
But despite his virtuoso ability on the mouth organ, Ms Von Saxe recalls him being reserved about his talents. “He did not like to be asked to play it,” she recalls. You just had to wait and hope he’d bring it out – and if he did, you were in for a real treat.”
The harmonica will be sold on December 16. |
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