[Harp-L] re: Brad Kava article--thoughts on Jason, the music biz, blues, Michalek, etc

[Roscoharp@xxxxxxx]

Hey list,
 
 I just read Brad Kava's excellent article on Jason. I think it's a  good 
article & something not too common these days - well written  journalism with an 
engaging 'hook' ; that is: how hard it is to make a living  making music at 
the club level. Especially blues music. The "best blues player"  line is 
qualified by the line 'many consider to be" --- undoubtedly true &  no problem for 
me. Nice job Brad
 
 Okay, now for a little rant, maybe some food for thought:
 
  Artists are not paid for their skill. Artists are paid for how much  money 
they can generate. If they generate enough revenue, they may get to keep  
some. Very, very, very  few people are directly  compensated for how good they are 
on their instrument. I think classical  musicians probably have the closest 
skill- to- fame & fortune  ratio. Maybe not, for all I  know the world might be 
full of  classical virtuosi who can't get work. As good as Jason is, I don't 
see  how being a great harmonica player  translates to making a decent  
living. Sadly, being a great harp player won't get Jason or anybody else  the kind 
of fame & fortune they might deserve as  musicians/artists. Live shows won't 
pay the bills for most club  performers.  The next step up for Jason would be 
the medium sized  500-1000 seat venues & there is a LOT of competition for those 
gigs. If you  can't fill the seats, you won't get booked. 
 Some people mention Jason as possibly having a similar career arc as  SRV. 
Stevie was an amazing guitarist but he was also a compelling  singer, & he 
still didn't get didn't really get known & PAID until  he released an album with a 
couple of  GREAT SONGS. Even then, he  needed a record company & an 
influential champion (John Hammond) to get on  the radio. If you want to cross over & 
make decent scratch, you need to  engage non blues fans. This is what Stevie & 
Robert Cray did so well  in the early 90's.This is also how Kim Wilson got 
well known outside  of blues clubs (The T-Birds.)
  Mediocre to really bad songwriting, along with slavish  conformity to the I 
- IV - V form is, in my opinion, the downfall of every  blues revival. The 
songs truly do all sound the same & are about the same  few subjects. Both Sonny 
Boys, Willie Dixon & Muddy & others wrote  funny, catchy, original songs. 
Most blues songs since have followed their  template too closely. What I don't 
hear much these days is well written bluesy  songs  with back up vocals, 
harmonies, & maybe a bridge.   Paul DeLay is one guy who writes killer songs in the 
blues tradition. So do the  Nightcats, &  very few others. Unfortunately, it 
seems to me that they  are mainly marketed to reach the relatively very small 
blues fan base. 
 Getting any music to the broad public is hard,  getting blues  out there is 
even harder than most styles. My friend Larry McCray is as good as  it gets as 
a guitar player & blues singer. He's known to blues fans all over  the world 
& he's opened for & played with EVERY big name in blues/rock,  including B.B., 
the Allmans, Derek Trucks, etc........ He's still touring the  country in a 
van.
  Jason has ambition, a ton of charisma, & chops to burn, but  it takes more 
than that to get over. 
 
  As for who's the best blues player? I know, but I'm not  tellin'
 
  Now, to the subject of my very good friend Chris Michalek. Chris  often 
draws a target on his own forehead. Even when he writes things that I  agree 
with, he does so with such little regard for diplomacy that his  point gets lost & 
I cringe. That is a given. However, the writer  (Roger?) who criticizes 
Chris' opinions based on what he has heard of C.M.'s  playing is also off base. 
First, one doesn't have to be a virtuoso to make a  valid critical  point about 
art. Second, reducing what Michalek does with a  harmonica to 
"rehashed...fusion" shows that Roger hasn't heard the full range of  what Chris can do. Chris 
has pretty bravely put a lot of LIVE playing, warts  & all, out there on the 
net for people to listen to. Lately it has been  electrified, funkified 
jazz/blues/rock. I happen to love it. But Chris has also  recorded a world jazz 
oriented CD of acoustic harp, & I've personally heard  him play convincing, straight 
ahead, improvised jazz. He is one of the very few  players who can improvise 
outside of the standard blues forms & make  beautiful music. 
I just wish he was less inhbited in his opinions :-)
 
Later,
Rosco


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