Re: [Harp-L] Harmonica cutting contest at SPAH

[Philharpn@xxxxxxx]

* Me thinks everybody is overracting. The ragtime piano street fair "cutting 
contest" I described was just a mild collection of mostly ragtime 
performances. 

 * I was talking about a friendly little competition at SPAH.   

* Ranging somewhere above the open mikes where everybody gets up to play 
(sorry) and the international competitions where everybody is judged on the 
ability to perform a competition piece note-for-note.

* Not a traumatic battle where the "losers" would slink of and destroy their 
harps out of shame.

* Not a duel to the death like the original piano, jazz cutting contests.

* This would accomplish the "storied sharing" that always goes on at SPAH 
conventions.

* What better way to "share" than to demonstrate what works in a performance?

* Plus, it would allow people who are not a part of the "regularly scheduled 
performers" (those top-notch players who just happened to attend SPAH) a 
chance to get up and perform in front of an audience instead of being relegated to 
the hallway next to the sandwich stand.

* We had the same thing several years ago when Thursday was Blues Night at 
SPAH and several players got up and played.   It was not billed as a cutting 
contest, but it was clear that some players were better than others and some were 
making their first public performances. 

* And whatever happened to Blues Night?

I'm getting too old to stay up all night -- when I'm not getting paid -- just 
to listen to blues jam and then try to get up the next day.








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