[Harp-L] Harmonica cutting contest at SPAH

[Philharpn@xxxxxxx]

Last weekend (July 21-22)   I attended the Ragtime Street Fair at Greenfield 
Village   (Henry Ford's collection of historic buildings on 90 acres in 
Dearborn, Michigan).   

One of the events was a discourse on ragtime music by "Song Plugger" Nan 
Bostick, ragtime historian, in the historic A.J. Terwilligar's Music Store 
adjacent to the Wright (Bros.) Cycle Shop.

There was a River Raisin Ragtime Revue and Dixieland Jazz Parade.

But one of the more interesting events was a Piano Cuttin' Contest,   which 
featured 14 contestants of varying abilities. Several offered exciting 
performances of mostly ragtime music but the winner was "Perfessor (sic) Bill" who 
killed the competition with his version of Tiger Rag that included brilliant 
glisses and left arm slams for an outstanding musical rendition capped with 
showmanship.

The contestants ranged from a 15-year-old girl who played one song ("The only 
ragtime song I know.") to several others of professional caliber who were 
familiar to the ragtime circuit. One woman (who plays for ragtime dancers) 
virtually broke the speed record with her rags, with more drive than the steam 
locomotive that kept blowing its whistle as it circled the village.


NUT GRAF: Why doesn't SPAH sponsor a cutting contest? Some of the pro players 
could act as judges. 


There has to be a couple of hours where there is nothing else going on that 
could be allocated to a harmonica cutting contest.    What about Saturday 
afternoon when everything shuts down in preparation for the Saturday night show? 
There's got to be a lobby or corner that is available somewhere in the hotel. 
Maybe even an outside patio.

It could be a combined diatonic-chromatic contest. Or separate. Each 
contestant would get about 15 minutes to offer his/her best stuff. It would be open to 
anyone except possibly "scheduled evening performers." 

If too many people sign up (more than 20) maybe the performance time would be 
reduced to 5 minutes.

Phil Lloyd




 








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