Larry Adler and Cerys Matthews perform the Sinatra classic, Young At Heart

Описание: This week’s Pop Factory Thursday throwback clip, celebrating 25 years of the iconic TV studio in the former Corona Works in Porth is right up there with the best of the top ten moments of The Pop Factory; when Cerys Matthews met the legendary harmonica player Larry Adler and performed the Sinatra classic ‘Young at Heart’.
It came from a series we made called This Way Up! for ITV Wales, shot in the grungy, atmospheric basement of the Factory with MTV’s Eddie Temple Morris presenting. This performance led by musical arranger extraordinaire John Quirk is simply mesmerising.
For me, when I first met the unassuming Larry through my close friend and erstwhile Co-Producer/Director, Med Parri, I was conscious that when I shook Larry’s hand that this was the same hand that shook the hand of Gershwin and the French composer Ravel. Both big favs of mine in terms of works, Boléro by Ravel and Rhapsody in Blue by Gershwin. Larry played a prominent role in elevating the chromatic harmonica to a concert instrument and played both these pieces to international acclaim. Just search for “Rhapsody in Blue + Larry Adler” when you next get a moment and be enthralled.
I will never forget Tom’s reaction to Larry when he came to open The Pop Factory by smashing a bottle of Dandelion & Burdock against the side of the building. Earlier that day on his arrival, Tom came out of his limo to the delight of the hundreds of fans present and he looked at me, visibly shocked and said, "How the hell did you get Larry here?!" and I said back “I know! And how did I get you here?!”
Tom was starstruck as much as I was that Larry had come and I couldn’t get over the fact that both icon legends had turned up at the gates of the factory to witness the start of The Pop Factory.
To most of the people in Porth on that day Larry was just some old guy in a raincoat. If only they knew they were in the presence of greatness. After Larry’s unforgettable harmonica rendition of Men of Harlech in the opening ceremony, he gave me a miniature harmonica in a case as a gift which was incredibly thoughtful of him at the time and which I treasure under my bed to this day as a keepsake.

Emyr Afan OBE, Founder The Pop Factory