[Harp-L] Jason Ricci/Spah

[fjm <mktspot@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet so here I go.  Jason is very 
genuinely obsessed with harmonica.  He's so very enthusiastic and very 
accessible.  Not at all what I expected although I'm not sure what I did 
expect.  His displeasure with the band was certainly reasonable.  For 
what he does it did not work.  A lot of what he does musically is sawing 
off branches that he's standing on and trying to catlike always land on 
his feet.  Tough to do with abandon if your drummer can't play a 
shuffle.  I'm so very glad to have had the opportunity to meet Jason and 
talk to him one on one.  A presence very different from any other I've 
ever experienced at a harmonica event.  It turned out that we share a 
harmonica hero.  Pat Ramsey.  Jason tells the story of working a 
landscape job and saving his money, $800 or so I think.  He just up and 
moved to Memphis so so could see Pat gig.  Now that's dedication, his 
ability is definitely hard won.  To experience his intensity and focus 
was a special treat.  Spah was much more intense this year than I've 
experienced in the past.  Emotionally draining.

I keep telling myself I'll get around to writing a blow by blow 
description of my Spah experience, as time goes by I find myself much 
less inclined to do so.  I will mention that the blues style workshop 
was one of the most amazing harmonica events I've ever seen.  Jason 
Ricci, Rob Paparozzi, Steve Guyger, Dennis Gruenling, and Madcat.  They 
all sat up on the stage in a row and took turns playing a verse or two. 
 Truly amazing.  This went on for over an hour and then they took 
audience questions and talked about some of their harmonica early 
influences.  My pick of the show for Spah 2004.  In a couple of years 
I'll wax rhapsodasicly about the good old days of Spah St. Louis and the 
Blues Styles Showcase.  Very low key and for me that was the beauty of 
the whole thing.  Again some of the very best diatonic harmonica playing 
I've ever heard and I've heard a lot.  Guitar, voice, harmonica.  Does 
it get any better than that?  Thank you Tom Albanese for stopping me 
from walking out on this one.

Much has been said regarding differing approaches to the running of Spah 
the event.  One very important thing that Mr. Eisenberg mentioned in 
passing is overall volume levels.  Dallas was especially bad in this 
respect.  I fled several shows because of the extreme level of volume. 
I always wear customised earplugs with a 25 dB cut and I wasn't willing 
to hang with the Paul Harrington show or the Mark Ford show.  I think 
this one factor more than any other is what emptys the room of the older 
Spah folks so quickly.  Something to consider for the future.  fjm