Subject: [Harp-L] Re: Music and perception

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Haka Harri responds to my post with:
 
"I doubt that being European affects one's view of  multi-instrumentalists 
that play harp or makes their opinions even faintly  ludicrous. As I said 
earlier, Stevie is not "faulted" because he plays  other instruments"
 
... I didn't phrase it clearly.  I didn't mean to imply that  being European 
and having that attitude was "faintly ludicrous". My  comment about "faintly 
ludicrous" was in direct comment about Stevie  Wonder being faulted for not 
focusing solely on his harp playing.  I  obviously did not make that point clear 
enough.
 
Being European myself would seem to make it obvious I don't consider  ALL 
Europeans as not respecting Stevie Wonder's talents; was merely making  an 
observation about those who consistently put him down on  these lists.
 
  But I WILL disagree with your take that Stevie Wonder is "not  faulted for 
playing other instruments".  Clearly that IS the case,  when it is so often 
used to describe him compared to other harpists.
 
Every time the "Stevie" argument comes about ...on this list as well  as on 
others, it inevitably involves two or three people who use the same  old 
argument that he doesn't "play enough harp".  "Doesn't devote  himself as 
'so-and-so' does to playing chromatic for X amount of  years"....."plays other 
instruments"....."sings"...."writes"...."plays  keyboard", "drums". (Ergo cannot be a 
serious enough, devoted enough,  "good" enough, harmonica player?) 
 
Like it or not, all the practice in the world cannot make a silk  purse out 
of a sow's ear.  For all any of us know, Stevie Wonder just  may not HAVE to 
practice constantly or devote himself to the  harmonica every day to STILL be an 
absolutely brilliant chromatic  harmonica player...sometimes natural 
talent/genius will have out.   But I can't speak for him..the thing is that his life 
isn't an open  book.  None of us know what he does in his daily life, nor how 
much  time he devotes to his harmonica playing. 
 
In previous outings his version of Alfie was brought up with the  description 
of it as "Schmaltzy" and "boring".  The two people who  dissed him then (just 
a few short months ago)comparing him to Toots  and if I remember correctly 
went so far as to bring in  discussions of European classical composers of the 
17th  century....were German and Dutch, and were like dogs with bones about the 
 subject....wouldn't let it go until I simply stopped playing their  game.   
Am I wrong about you and Pierre both being European as  well?  Many apologies, 
then....if I find it all a bit odd.
 
When pointed out then that he issued the Eivets Rednow album  when he was no 
older than 21 (I believe between the ages of 18 -  21)....it was discounted 
...shunted aside.  Then his next 30 -  40 years of growth as a 
composer/arranger/writer/musician was  dismissed as "pure pop", "Motown"....  So???
 
...as if somehow that made him "less" of a musician.   Stevie  Wonder can 
hold his own with any top Jazz/Blues artist I  can think of.  Has the chops, 
proves his chops...  doesn't HAVE to prove his chops. 
 
...(I was trying to be kind and assuming that living in Europe  precluded 
them from exposure to the Stevie that we Americans are  exposed to...that was 
kind of what I was getting at...perhaps some  folks are still thinking of him as 
someone in his 20's and not the  50+ year old man he is today....)
 
Many of us have heard him....perhaps those who constantly seek to  diss him 
haven't been exposed to all of what we've heard.  I  only ask that instead of 
jumping to constantly refute  his  talents and skill every time his name 
surfaces, that these people who seem  to really dislike him enough to leap at every 
opportunity to put him  down....actually LISTEN to what he's able to 
do...instead of using  something he did or performed over 30 years ago as an  
"example".   
 
Or....how about just stop putting down a musician a lot of other  people hold 
in high esteem?  What a concept!  
 
When did it get to be de rigeur to put down one, in order to elevate  
another?  I never understood that mindset.  Just because David  first said what he 
did about Stevie Wonder's solo with Tony  Bennett...with reverence and so 
obviously moved by the experience, there  was absolutely NO need to begin to dump on 
his take on it.  Most  people didn't....the few who did, did so for some 
strange reason of their  own.  What did they think?  That a simple statement of 
awe  by David, if allowed to remain unchallenged on THIS list  somehow elevated 
Stevie Wonder above their  favourites...so must be refuted?  How  absurd...  
it gets wearying.... 
 
I'm not going so far as to say there's an innate prejudice against a  
contemporary American player/composer but to me it seems to always be  
there...hanging in the air, and the "multi-instrumentalist" argument used  purely as a red 
herring.... make of THAT what you will...  
 
Just my take on it...in my most humble  opinion......as a naturalized 
American from Europe...  and  please note I never once discussed "best" or "better".  
   :)
 
 
Elizabeth  
 
"Message: 1
Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2006 17:29:16 +0200
From: "Haka  Harri" <harri.haka@xxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Harp-L] Re: Music and  perception
To: <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Message-ID:
<E5FFA6164834E94397A82AF6BCCEEF030111A540@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Content-Type:  text/plain;    charset="ISO-8859-15"


Elizabeth  wrote:

> when it 
> comes to  music in 
>  general, and for this thread: Stevie Wonder's talent in   particular.
>  
>   And for the record I've  never once considered him  
> "supernatural"...only an 
>  absolute phenomenon, musical prodigy and genius,  who's never  
> been given his 
> true "due" in harmonica playing  precisely  because he IS an 
> incredible 
>  "multi-instrumentalist" and vocalist,  songwriter, 
>  arranger....who gets faulted 
> because he  doesn't focus  strictly on the harp as far as some 
> people (who  for some  
> reason seem to be mostly European?) are concerned   (something 
> I find faintly 
> ludicrous).

I doubt  that being European affects one's view of multi-instrumentalists 
that play  harp or makes their opinions even faintly ludicrous. As I said 
earlier,  Stevie is not "faulted" because he plays other instruments. I also like  
his very unique style of harp playing but would not put him on the top of  my 
list of best harp players.

Jon wrote a good post on what  searching for "the best" is really all about:

> seems to me that  you all would be much safer and have more chance of  
> success  if, instead of looking for "the best" harmonica player out  
>  there....you'd instead type "my favorite"...which makes total   
> sense...and can be easily defined.....no argument .....who's  
> going to  
> say that your favorite really isn't your  favorite?
> 
> Looking for the 'best' is silly.... especially  if you don't say "for  
> what purpose?"
> 
> toots  is THE BEST at sounding like Toots...

That helps in phrasing my  final comment on this thread: My favorite harp 
player is Little Walter  Jacobs and Stevie Wonder is the best at sounding like 
Stevie Wonder. And  both of them are  American.

Harri"