Record high temperatures did little to deter locals from gathering to hear harmonica virtuoso Jia-Yi He on the sun-soaked steps of Gantry Park for last Tuesday's Live at the Gantries. Accompanied by his daughter Jenny He on piano, Mr. He delivered an eclectic set of hits from classical, jazz, and pop music as well as traditional Chinese folk songs. Mr. He showed off the fascinating range of sounds a harmonica can achieve in tunes ranging from the Beatles’ “Love Me Do” to a dizzying rendition of “Flight of the Bumblebees.”
Mr. He and his daughter were visibly enthusiastic about the music, bopping their heads along with the beat of a polka. The crowd was just as enthralled, and the father-daughter duo was buoyed along by the many tanned children dancing energetically throughout the performance.
Mr. He charmed the audience with his large arsenal of harmonicas, most notably the “world’s smallest harmonica.” He stuck this tiny instrument inside his mouth to produce a kazoo-like version of “Happy Birthday.” But the crowd was really wowed by the musician’s quirky talent for playing four harmonicas at once by gripping a stack of harmonicas like a Dagwood sandwich. This feat has already earned Mr. He an appearance on TV’s “America’s Got Talent.”
Mr. He continued his display of great showmanship with his next song, which he performed by cycling through 11 harmonicas, each in a different key. Mr. He ended the night with a rendition of the languid tune of “Rhapsody in Blue,” as the sun eased down behind the Manhattan skyline.
Come out on Tuesday, July 13 at 7:00 PM for D.B. Reilly live at the Gantries!
Alice Xie is an LIC resident who pays local taxes and enjoys patronizing events in the neighborhood.
Top photo by Alice Xie.
All other photos by Arianys Wilson, view more on Flickr.
Jia-Yi He live at the Gantries by Renzo Ortega, from Live at the Gantries on Vimeo.
