[Harp-L] Circular breathing anecdote...

[William Jennings <will@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Cheap joke content follows:

"Kenny G set a world record for holding the same note the longest time.
Something all his records appear to confirm."

In a more serious mode,  Katie Laur, who is a great singer and has  
led some great
bluegrass bands over the past several decades (based out of the Queen  
City of Cincinnati,
or "North Kentucky" as some might want to point out), was known for  
her ability to hold a
fairly loud note for a very, very, very, (you get the point), long time.
She did this to great effect (note: NOT affect), on "T" in the Jimmie  
Rogers tune, "T for Texas, T for Tennessee".
The first time I heard her do this, with the band vamping to the  
point of exasperation behind her,
I thought it was a gimmick and a fine bit of occasional stage presence.
Subsequent occasions didn't cheapen the effect. In truth, she was  
just holding a note, she
was shaping it, crafting a minimalist sort of dynamic, and really  
nailing it's closure to
a very profound climax...in a bar where much of the audience was  
yakking, clanking plates, etc.,
it had the effect of slowly getting on everyone's aural radar...as  
her dynamic built, your could hear
the audience get quieter (the sound of people beginning to pay  
attention), and when she had most
of them in her palm, she slapped 'em but good.  I miss hearing her  
since her band no longer seems
to tour out our way.  When she sang a song, it just flat out stayed  
sung.

Kenny G's loooooong notes? Naw. I rather watch him do card tricks  
than listen to his playing.

-Will