Re: [Harp-L] jazz

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Chris Michalek wrote:
*************
I have known Clint Hoover for 20 years.  
He's got fantastic tone on the chromatic and stellar chops. I also
like his vibrato and his in one of the reason I have evolved mine to
such a high level.
I also think he has superb folk/country-style blues chops on the
diatonic.  He is a very good jazz chromatic player but I wouldn't put
him in the jazz diatonic class.
*************

Well, the message above makes no sense, and in particular it's confused about the difference between technique and music.  The thing that makes you a jazz player, on any instrument, is your conception.  Clint's jazz conception is very strong, whether applied to chromatic or diatonic.  He certainly knows how to use all the chromatic techniques available on diatonic, not that it's necessarily essential to playing jazz on the diatonic.  His recorded diatonic work is mostly about early jazz, but it's certainly jazz.

I'm starting to feel like I don't understand what's supposed to make someone a "real" jazz diatonic player, given exclusions like this one. 

Regards, Richard Hunter
hunterharp.com