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I can think of maybe twenty professional chromatic players--in order to qualify, they can't have a day job.
That lets you out, Neil Adler and Slim Heilpern, and you too, Ed Coogan (he plays Power Chromatic) and Phil Caltabellotta (he plays standard).
Stevie Wonder, Will Galison (he occasionally uses that Paddy tuning, it's like bebop but replaces the redundant C with an A), Rod Piazza (mote famous for diatonic), surely there are more "professional chromatic harmonica players" I just can't think of.
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Hey, I no longer have a day job, does that make me a professional? :-)
I make very little money playing harmonica though, have to live off savings.
Actually, I was a professional musician for about 19 years (no day job and I played chromatic, but guitar was what brought in the not-so-big bucks). That was before I gave in to the allure of (relatively) easy money (software development).
I wouldn't get hung up on the professional moniker. I've heard plenty of professional musicians that I would not take advise from as well as "amateurs" that could play circles around some so-called professionals. What matters, to me, is do you have something to say (musically), and how well you say it.
I don't know why, but I still consider myself a professional on guitar and harmonica -- can't explain it, maybe I just like to fool myself.
As for your list of professional chromatic players I think you can safely add Hendrik Meurkens, Tolak Ollestad, Antonio Serrano, Yvonnick Prene, Brendan Power, Filip Jers, Robert Bonfiglio, Hermine Deurloo, Rob Paparozzi, Joe Powers, Dennis Gruenling. That's just off the top of my head, I'm sure I'm forgetting many and many whose 'professional' status I'm unaware of... Maybe some of the above have side gigs to supplement their harmonica income, but really, they are all true professionals in my view (and they all play mostly or at least a fair amount of chromatic, many otheres play _some_ chromatic).
I don't think any of the above play either diminished or augmented. But that doesn't mean those tunings aren't better than solo. If you're interest is being able to improvise in all keys, diminished and augmented tunings are both inherently easier (better?) for that specific purpose. But, obviously, there are other considerations as detailed in this and other threads. When taking those considerations into account, most of us stick with the standard (for better of for worse).
Me, I'm just starting to feel like I'm getting good in all 12 keys in solo tuning, and I love this tuning for the variety it brings when changing key centers. In most cases, the same lick will not flow well in more than a few keys, so this ends up forcing variety, and I like that. And hopefully my listeners are less easily bored with my playing than they might otherwise be.
- Slim