Made In Japan

Look what I picked up from our local Bazaar. Although not in my wheelhouse, I thought why not. A harmonica made in Japan by Nippon Gakki (later Yamaha). It’s probably about as old as me – pretty old then, vintage, but not antique!

They obviously made their way across the Pacific Ocean to our sunny shores and I have seen a few here and there in antique emporiums. In 1917 Thomas’ Supply Stores of 15 and 17 Sturt Street Ballarat sold ‘The Leading Butterfly’ mouth organ for two shillings. I couldn’t find any other advertising of Butterfly harmonicas in Australia. There is a mention in Ray Grieve’s wonderful book ‘Boomerangs & Crackajacks’ of a Butterfly harmonica being discovered in the Abercrombie caves.

It’s difficult to date this 23 holer as it doesn’t appear a lepidopterist has done any leg work cataloguing these butterflies chronologically. Over a period of time there were a variety of different boxes for their Butterfly branded tremolos. There’s no doubt they were marketed for English speaking countries. The inside label from my recent acquisition, suggests a 21 hole and a 24 hole (Green & Gold box) was available too.

The only 21 hole I could locate on the inter-web was one made in occupied Japan. These are easier to date. After WWII the allies, chiefly the Americans, administered Japan from 1945 to 1951. The three Butterfly tremolos on offer back then were: number 210 (21 holes) the Symphonic, number 230 (23 holes) the Musicale and number 240 (24 holes) the Virtuoso.

There was a twenty hole at one point (number 200), that came in a blue box with ButterfLy emblazoned in an unusual old English script. Why a capital L? Last month we had a lesson from the Guru (Pat Missin) on Sutterlin script so we handed this over to him for his expertise.

“This is really odd though. It looks like an attempt at some version of Fraktur. Maybe they accidentally put an uppercase L in there. That’s my best guess. Difficult as I find these old German scripts, I can only imagine how alien they must have seemed to Japanese people.”

I responded by stating that I would have said it was Old English especially the B, which is quite different from your version and I also questioned about the y?

“Fraktur is part of the Blackletter family of scripts, which is often generically referred to as Old English, so you wouldn’t be wrong. That last letter though is a very typical Fraktur shape, which I don’t think is commonly found in the other variants and being a German script, Fraktur seemed like the obvious choice for a harmonica. On the other hand, that first letter does look much less typical of most versions of Fraktur. The first letter is a lot closer, but the last two still look wrong. Maybe it is a combination of scripts?

Maybe the poor Japanese designer who got stuck with this job had a book that had all sorts of Western alphabet versions in it and he just picked out what letters looked the best?”

Nippon Gakki (Japan Musical Instruments) first manufactured harmonicas in 1914 and I believe the Butterfly brand variety was too.

In Japanese culture the butterfly holds symbolic significance of temporary beauty and transformation of life.

After Torakusu Yamaha had success rebuilding a reed organ in 1887, he registered the Nippon Gakki Co, Ltd. (the present Yamaha Corporation) in Hamamatsu city.

The origin of the company’s tuning forks logo came about due to an issue Torakusu had with the tuning of his first manufactured reed organ. The company progressed to upright pianos in 1900 and grand pianos in 1902 – all with quality tuning.

I probably should throw in a 16 hole tremolo, The Sky-Lark that has the Butterfly brand manufactured (perhaps) circa 1917.

Why not one more for the road? There was a 24 hole model that had double tabs on the cover plates and a Geisha on the cover box.

Nippon Gakki harmonicas, probably during the 1970’s, had Yamaha and the logo labelled prominently on the boxes of the No – 20 tremolo, No – 23 Musicale and the No – 24 Virtuoso. They all had Nippon Gakki printed under the number, but these weren’t Butterfly branded. The Butterfly brand had officially been decommissioned.

Later harmonicas were identified simply as Yamaha Tremolo’s the 21B, 23B and the 24B when the company was renamed Yamaha (after their founder) in 1987 (the 100 year anniversary).

The butterfly pictured in the top banner is Japan’s National butterfly the Sasakia charonda, also known as the Great Purple Emperor or Japanese Emperor.

They got music in the solar system
They rocked around the Milky Way
They danced around with Borealis
We're space truckin' every day
(Space Truckin’ - Deep Purple from Made In Japan)

🦋 🦋 🦋 🦋 🦋

Y’all Got Your Ears On

Down Under

Long nights and weary eyes. 
Rewrites, little lies. 
Spotfires and second wives. 
You and I don’t even have to talk. 
(Spotfires - Kane Vincent)

Three recent Aussie releases featuring the moustache trimmer.

First up is Miss You The Most by 8 Ball Aitken and Taya Chani, who teamed up penning tunes during their first Australian tour. This single is a laid back blues, with feeling. A groove reminiscent of J J Cale. A tasty combination of slide, smoky vocals, soulful harp, tender harmonies and even ivory tickling. An album ‘Nightbird’ is not too far away.

The album has an array of fine musicians: USA saxophone legend Buddy Leach (George Thorogood & The Destroyers), drummer extraordinaire Declan Kelly, and 8 Ball’s younger brother Dillion James Aitken on keys.

---

Next up for your aural pleasure is South Aussie husband and wife duo Snooks La Vie and Courtney Robb. Both are seasoned performers, who are now billed as Tin Town. The name was derived from the Port Adelaide Wool Stores Heritage Precinct, a place they now call home. Their first single is Things I Got From You a reflective dedication by Courtney to her Dad. This melodic, alt country ditty is highlighted by Courtney’s textured, emotive vocal and Snooks’ haunting harmonica. Out now on Bandcamp. An album is not too far away.

---

Lastly, but definitely not ‘leastly’ is Spotfires by Kane Vincent. Kane takes us on a road trip with his mate. We share their intimate thoughts of dark times, but also of their renewed sense of purpose and direction. I’ll bet you start crooning to the chorus.

Spotfires was co-written by Kane with Lachlan Bryan, Andrew Hume and Charlie Brown. Charlie also plays the tasty harmonica on the track.

Do yourself a service and wrap your lug holes around these cracker toons.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Up Over

I was born in Mississippi. 
I was raised In Tennessee. 
Looks like everywhere I’ve been 
the blues have been tailing me.

The great man has done it again. He’s dropped another cracker album Look Out Highway. Eleven fine tracks. Nine newly penned tracks by Charlie, a reworked CM tune and a cover.

The title track, and first single (for obvious reasons), has an awesome groove and harp to boot. Charlie’s inspiration for the tune was derived many years ago when strolling by a church in Memphis, where he heard a hypnotic rhythm vibrating from the Lord’s establishment. It lived as an ear worm for many years until lyrics finally emerged.

Two other trax that I’m mad keen on are, Storm Warning and Baby Won’t You Please Help Me. The latter track is a revamped, 2025 juiced up version of his song from the 1967 debut record, Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite’s Southside Band. It was then titled Baby Will You Please Help Me. Plenty of licks to borrow off this album – especially that melodic intro on the title track.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

You’re Jokin’

As they frequently exclaim on the Antiques Roadshow and as eloquently as Mike Wazowski questioned, “You’re Jokin?” The used Hohner Blues Bender pictured above left was advertised in a store that converts instruments for cash for more than what you can buy a new one – pictured right!

Huff’n’Puff

Peejy dropped in for another Huff’n’Puff that aired on Tuesday 20th May. The normal (what is?) shenanigans were on offer and even a Peejy tale regarding a science experiment gone wrong back in High School daze. There was no cigar in naming that riff, so I had to sing red gold and green! Sorry about that chief.

Laurie from Anglesea enjoyed the banter and he had an honourable (dishonourable?) mention during the program as he was Peej’s partner (culprit?) in the forementioned science experiment.

Little Jackie & Pte. 2444 – Update

Duck Egg!

Zilch! Zippo! Zero! Nothing! Nil! Nought!

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT – “Holy Mackerel”

This is officially our last monthly review blog. We are winding back our output here at HRR headquarters. The pays no good! In future, a post will drop when something of National harmonica significance occurs or when there’s a new Ol’ Shep Dawg Hisself recording.

I thank my regular followers for their ongoing support and hope you won’t be too upset.😢

Please check home page for copyright details