Re: [Harp-L] Harmonica cutting contest at SPAH



I agree with you Phil.
smo-joe

On Jul 27, 2007, at 10:29 PM, Philharpn@xxxxxxx wrote:

* Me thinks everybody is overracting. The ragtime piano street fair "cutting
contest" I described was just a mild collection of mostly ragtime
performances.


* I was talking about a friendly little competition at SPAH.

* Ranging somewhere above the open mikes where everybody gets up to play
(sorry) and the international competitions where everybody is judged on the
ability to perform a competition piece note-for-note.


* Not a traumatic battle where the "losers" would slink of and destroy their
harps out of shame.


* Not a duel to the death like the original piano, jazz cutting contests.

* This would accomplish the "storied sharing" that always goes on at SPAH
conventions.


* What better way to "share" than to demonstrate what works in a performance?

* Plus, it would allow people who are not a part of the "regularly scheduled
performers" (those top-notch players who just happened to attend SPAH) a
chance to get up and perform in front of an audience instead of being relegated to
the hallway next to the sandwich stand.


* We had the same thing several years ago when Thursday was Blues Night at
SPAH and several players got up and played. It was not billed as a cutting
contest, but it was clear that some players were better than others and some were
making their first public performances.


* And whatever happened to Blues Night?

I'm getting too old to stay up all night -- when I'm not getting paid -- just
to listen to blues jam and then try to get up the next day.









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