Bio – Tollak Ollestad

TOLLAK OLLESTAD, Harmonica

Beginning his career as a keyboardist and singer for Ambrosia and Bobby Caldwell, he became an in demand harmonica player when he played the theme to TV’s Northern Exposure.

He played live with Andrea Bocelli, Don Henley, Chet Atkins and Kenny Loggins before beginning to record with Al Jarreau, Earth Wind & Fire, Natalie Cole, Gino Vanelli, Billy Idol, Brian McKnight, and Dave Grusin, among others.

For 16 years, Tollak’s resided in the Netherlands, where he plays and teaches, and created a TED Talk entitled, “Discovering the Musical Subconscious.

“That’s why I tell aspiring chromatic harmonica players, “Listen to great vocalists, and copy how they’re phrasing; try to capture that feeling in their singing, and the little nuances…try to capture that…because you are ultimately speaking a language of feeling, and you want to connect to people in that place where the greats connect to them—whether it’s Billie Holiday, or anybody, any musician; Stevie Wonder, Miles Davis, Chet Atkins, whoever, it doesn’t matter who it is.”

Tollack Ollestad

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