[Harp-L] SPAH Jazz Jams

["John Balding" <John.Balding@xxxxxxxxx>]

To those on the list who are SPAH members, and those who have attended
past SPAH conventions:
 
I am not cuurently a SPAH member, nor have I been to any SPAH
conventions yet, so my question is one of curiosity, and born of good
intention. Forgive me if this has been covered in the past.
 
Is there a possibility that the Jazz Jams could be divided into two
ability levels, i.e. - Pro and Beginner/Advanced? To me, this would help
alleviate some of the ego problems or beginners' fear issues which may
have surfaced in the past. The less advanced players know that they are
on stage with players of their calibre, and the pros are comforted
knowing the same. After the beginner/advanced set, these players could
sit back and enjoy, as well as learn from, the Pro players up next.
 
I do not play Jazz, but have the utmost respect for those who do. From
the exposure that I have had to the various styles of Jazz, I find some
forms extremely difficult to play. In the case of Classical music, which
is very structured, the assesment of the player seems to be based on the
accuracy of his/her recitation. However, with Jazz, the assesment of the
player seems to be on the player's interpretation of a given piece, but
in a different way than is the case with Blues or other genres. I can't
imagine how intimidating it must be for a newbie or intermediate-level
Jazz player to take the stage with the pros. I play Blues, and would be
reluctant to share the stage with Hummel or Portnoy, etc. Don't get me
wrong, I'd DO it. I just feel that it would put undue stress on me to
perform like I'd never done before, most likely resulting in more
mistakes than I had ever made before. I would much rather do my thing,
then sit to watch my heroes do theirs. 
 
Just an idea. 
 
John Balding
 
P.S. For what it's worth, I have had the honor of seeing Gary Primich
perform numerous times. Twice, in one particular sports venue, he
played, in my opinion, just enough to get by, packed his stuff and cut
out. In fact, at one of those performances, he was watching the NCAA
basketball tournament on the TV set across the room while he soloed!
Yet, the other six times I saw him perform in one particular Blues
venue, he peeled the paint off the walls. Sweat dripping, eyes closed,
Bandmaster growling and the crowd screaming. What beautiful memories.
For whatever reason, the vibe was right in the Blues club, and just
didn't exist in the sports bar. I'm sure that all players have their
moments. God knows I've had mine. But I have never seen the effects so
pronounced with a pro player as I did with Primich. 
I really hope that the point in time has not come when Primich fans
start using terms like: "when he was in his prime" to describe Primich's
playing. I am holding my breath, hoping that this is just a transitional
period for him, and that the best is yet to come.