06 April,2009 11:24 AM IST | | Aanchal Kurmi
Jia Yi He, an artiste from China, enthralled Puneites with some dazzling renditions of Bollywood numbers and Western classics on his harmonica
Puneities were awestruck when a Chinese harmonica player belted out Aawara Hoon, a popular Hindi song picturised on the legendary Raj Kapoor, along with some dazzling renditions of the Western classics on his harmonica, which is popularly known as the mouth organ.
Jia Yi He performed at the Mazda Hall yesterday and left the audience mezmerised and wanting for more. Speaking about his maiden visit to India, Jia said, "I always wanted to come and perform in India and I'm glad that my wish has come true. I did a show in Delhi and will be doing one in Kolkata as well." He added that initially he was sceptical if there were any harmonica players in India, but was amazed to see several clubs dedicated to harmonica.
"I would like to learn the Indian way of playing the harmonica. Also, I would like the Indian artists to perform at the Asia Pacific Harmonica Competition to be held in Singapore in 2010 as it will serve the best means of cultural exchange," explained Jia.u00a0
Speaking about the kind of response he received from the audience, he said, "At times, people start dancing to my tunes and this gives me the zest to perform even better." Explaining the expertise he uses to play the organ, he gleefully said, "Playing harmonica is just about inhaling and exhaling with music. For beginners, it is the easiest musical instrument to play. However, one definitely needs to practice to master the art."
When asked about his love for the instrument, Jia said, "Though I can play several other instruments, harmonica is closest to my heart. I have been playing it since I was 11 years old. And now, I'm trying to produce sounds of all instruments on the harmonica." Along with playing the instrument, Jia even has a decent collection of harmonicas. "I have around 300 different types of harmonicas," said a visibly-excited Jia, as he demonstrated some of the different kinds of harmonicas that he had brought with him.
