[Harp-L] Re: Illustrative story (a bit long)

[Moandabluz@xxxxxxx]

Having just returned home from a satisfying night at a blues club and reading 
Harp-L.... I will share my view of "sitting in."
    I have been on every end of the sitting in situation....
    I played harp with some bands at jam sessions when I was oh so pitifully 
not ready .... But I was aware of my lack of ability ( most of the time) and 
usually I had some sort of quasi-friendship with the musicians and they were 
tolerant....
    They knew I was just so hooked on the music and this was the only way I 
could participate....
    Fast forward to tonight... One of my most satisfying blues/harp 
moments...
    I went out of my way to make it to this little blues club in a little 
town not-close-enough-to-home because I knew that Curtis Blake, from Minneapolis, 
was playing there.. Bear in mind, Curtis is a veteran, a survivor, and as 
good a blues harp player as anyone I know. In other words, Curtis is one step 
past cool....
    Anyway, I said hello when I arrived and they were on break, name-dropped 
Chris Michalek's name and reminded Curtis of a not-so-cool jam session a few 
years back..etc.
    Late, the band played "Thrill is Gone" and afterward, I complimented 
Curtis on his third position playing, which was killer.... "You know about third 
position, man?" he said. You got any   harps with you?
    So, I went to the car for my harps... And the last set they played 
Siegel-Schwall's "Hush'Hush"... and he called me up during the song....   I have 
enough sense by now to let the band leader lead ... so, after they had played 
their rehearsed part of the song... he gave me a long solo. I did pretty well, 
very well for me.... then I laid out until the end and let them do their thing.. 
But here's where the pro player is so good.. At the end   of the song.... 
Curtis got me trading some pretty basic licks with him, just as an ending.. 
Nothing great, but it was fun.... and the people liked it a lot.. and it made me 
feel like I had passed muster....
    So... I come home glowing,   the pros go home with their pay, and the 
people there had almost as much fun as I did....
    I would never ask a band in a situation like that if I could sit in... 
but   if they offer and they are as good as these guys.... that's what it's all 
about in my book..
    And my ramble ends. . . 
Still a fool for the Harp
Steve 'Moandabluz' Webb