Subject: [Harp-L] Festival

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Message: 7
Date: Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:03:11 -0500
From: "Walter  Scanlon" <scanlon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] Festival
To:  <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>

> "Hey folks,
> Man, that was a great  experience! Chris Mastakas said everything about 
> the Festival that I  would say-only better! That too was my first harp 
> event and I was blown  away by the incredible talent-in fact, somewhat 
> intimated. Not only was  the music great but there were lots of 
> laughs-both among those just  hanging as well as just about everyone 
> who got a mic in their hand. And  the Master of Ceremonies really had 
> some great material-most of which  was impromptu. (I think he might 
> have stolen some of from Jackie  Mason-who was appearing next door.) 
> The jam on Friday night was very  hip-just dudes getting together and 
> doing some blues." 
 
"While the late night hang with Chris, Elizabeth and 
> Smo-Joe was  bad (Elizabeth-I mean that in a good way!)", 
 
**Haha, I know just what you mean, Walter. I'm hipper than some  people'd 
like to portray me here ;)  It was extremely cool and a  pleasure meeting you 
and finally putting a face to Chris Mastakas' harp-l  name.  Chris is great 
and I agree, everything he said was on the  money.  You're both very nice 
guys and we did have a great time  'hanging' that night, although a couple of 
us were supposed to be  practicing, and we spent far too much time talking 
into the wee hours  instead. :) This is what tends to happen at any 
harmonica festival. 
 
"everyone I met 
> made my day (and night)! It was a pleasure being  at a conference where 
> CEUs weren't awarded and PowerPoint presentations  boring everyone."
 
**I should explain that NO harmonica festival I've ever attended does  that 
sort of thing, although it has crossed my mind before that some new to  
these conventions might not be aware of it and think of a harmonica  convention 
as the type set-up with 'booths' and those dry PP  presentations.  I'm very 
glad you brought it up. As you've seen, the Hotel  is filled with non-stop 
harmonica playing - wherever there's a small corner  or a couple of chairs 
(or even a wall to lean against) with the Seminars  taking place in rooms (or 
even occasionally outside if it's a Summer Fest) and  are only and always 
all about the music.

> The only criticism I have is of the new CD of Chris  Bauer-"Straight 
> Ahead. The cuts were everything I expected-great; but  the quality of the 
CD 
> really sucks." (snipped)
> 
**I can't speak for Chris' CD production of course, but in his defense  
just about every harmonica player putting out a CD today usually does so on  a 
fairly limited budget so is forced to self-produce it. Maybe at  some point 
someone with the knowledge to do a real professional set up for CD's  will 
come forward to focus on harmonica players and their needs? Would be  nice... 
 
> "I dug every performance-even those my mother/father would have called  
> "Joe McGee." I am looking forward to the next event (Minneapolis?)  
> Wally (aka Manhattan Walter)"
 
**You're exactly the 'Convention Newbie' hoped for. Someone who can enjoy  
all genres and feel right at home at his first Convention. This was an  
especially wonderful Festival for your first. It took a couple for me to  begin 
to feel really comfortable...although I did make friends I still have at  my 
first Buckeye (in Columbus, Ohio)... 
 
...While I love SPAH, I can't say enough about how brilliantly Val Redler,  
Phil and her few 'elves'  turned GSHC around from a completely dead fest  
(nothing in 2008) to a most vibrant, exciting, fun-filled, entertaining  
'happening' this year. What a fabulous lead-in to the holiday season.  I'm  
still in awe of the woman - on her feet 20 out of 24 hours handling all the  
details, dealing with any glitches and still with a smile and  looking amazing 
on the last night,  even to getting onstage and  playing chord harmonica 
with the HarpBeats. They'd have been carrying me  out feet first. 
 
...Although I've heard many of the performers at least once before, new to  
me this year was Hendrick Meurkens whose jazz I've previously thought  was 
perhaps just a bit too 'avant-garde' for my personal tastes despite his  
brilliance. Quel surprise!  He was very pleasant to chat with during  dinner, 
then funny, entertaining, played for the audience - and played  the kind of 
jazz I do enjoy, while deferring to Enrico Granafei as his  friend and the 
lead onstage. For those interested, Hendrick plays Hohner 270's  for their 
tone  ;) I was interested enough to do a bit of  research on him and found out 
that he's also a great vibraphone  player.
 
...They played separately and together, and both shined.  Enrico was a  
revelation (It turns out he owns the famous Trumpets Jazz Club in  Montclair, 
New Jersey - a scan of their upcoming performers reveals the  wonderful Gina 
Fox (very familiar to so many of us) on the schedule for November  28th!) 
Enrico has a wonderful, relaxed sense of humour as well. I've  heard him play 
guitar and harp in a rack at GSHC 2007, but this time he did  so much 
more...then hung around to play guitar in the lobby for a group of  people to jam 
along with on their harmonicas late at night.... during his turn  he 
scatted. That was so very, very cool. Such a nice man.
 
 
...These are the little moments making up a harmonica festival. Even  if 
not captured on film, they stick in one's head. Combined, they  make up the 
over-all experience, and can make or break the  feeling one goes home with. I 
was on a high leaving this one.
 
...  A festival's only as good as the people...from the ones in  charge, to 
those who attend and are open to meeting others entirely unlike  
themselves.  If SPAH with their long history, big name and with an  actual budget can 
get 400 - 450 attendees, and GSHC with no budget at all  can manage to bring 
in 225 including some of the top players to be found  anywhere a scant 3 
months after SPAH, they're sure doing  something right.... Will Gallison (one 
of my personal favourite jazz  chromatic players) - participating with Randy 
Weinstein and some other of  Leighton's Leightons in a tribute to Charley 
Leighton (to whom this  festival was dedicated with his gorgeous harmonica 
wafting over the speakers  during dinner) then jamming on guitar playing 
backup for Enrico and  Hendrick? Wow... It doesn't get cooler than this...
 
... Rob Paparozzi (nominated for a grammy for his new and brilliant CD  
'Etruscan Soul') singing and playing his heart out and bringing Howard  Levy, 
Jeez! -  you know something special is happening with all these great  guys 
in the house.  I was just a happy camper to be a part of it all.  I don't 
think I stopped smiling the entire time, and had a hard time tearing  myself 
away to turn in for the night.
 
...As I think of more performances I'll post about them, but can't omit  
Stan Harper. When he got up to wow the crowd with his remembrances of Charley  
and his jokes about their early days in showbiz he had us all first 
laughing  then in tears with his beautiful performance. He's a real entertainer and 
still  going strong in his late 80's.
 
...What an experience! 
 
...Assuming nothing else goes awry in the meantime - I'll see you in  
Minneapolis next summer and I certainly hope right back at our own East Coast  
'SPAH' at GSHC next November.  I've recently joined the GSHC club even  though 
it's a bit distant for me though I will try to hike to a meeting every so  
often... but they could sure use all the hands-on support by volunteers and  
enthusiastically involved harmonica players and music fans as are 
interested in  helping out as they build on this great success. It's a brand new day 
for  GSHC and you're getting in right at the ground floor. Ain't that  
grand? 
 
Elizabeth



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