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

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

"Message: 8
Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2007 06:20:26 EDT
From:  IcemanLE@xxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Harmonica cutting contest at  SPAH
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID:  <d53.f46ea77.33dc726a@xxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain;  charset="US-ASCII"

In the "old old days", the Thur night blues show was  an act or two followed  
by an open electric jam. This was transformed  into the more substantial Thur 
 
night Blues Show, with more attention  paid to performance by the pros. It 
was 
a  great concept - (witness the  legendary 98 Blues Blow Off, it that 
recording 
is  still  available).

The acoustic late night blues jam took the place of this  electric blues  jam.

Harmonica Players have a lot of "gunslinger"  attitude, for some strange  
reason. I don't believe you will be able to  have a "Not Cutting Heads  
Harmonica 
Blow Off" at SPAH without this  negative energy creeping into the  
proceedings. 
Already, some of the  comments made indicate "gunslinger".

The Iceman"



... ....IF this is a reference in any way to Jason Ricci's Third  Annual SPAH 
Harp Blow-Off, you couldn't be further off track or more  wrong.  Those have 
been amazingly great musical evenings filled  with terrific playing and 
camaraderie, with some of the very best  harmonica players ever to show up at SPAH 
and for me, SPAH wouldn't be anywhere  as much fun without them.  The players 
Jason has chosen to  participate in his Blow-offs have, without fail...given 
the audience an  absolutely wonderful lead in to the next morning's SPAH 
festivities.  
 
This year he might even have a couple of players who wouldn't usually play  
at a "Blues" harp-Blow-Off.  There has not been the merest hint of  "negative 
energy" at any one of them.  These players all admire and like  each other, and 
happily share the stage with mutual respect. Have  you been to a single one?  
>From my understanding it's been many  years since you last attended a SPAH 
convention, so why comment  negatively?  
 
None of the comments made so far indicated "gunslinger" attitude,  
actually...contrary to your statement.  As a matter of fact each person  went out of 
their way to make sure they did NOT want it to end up in a  "cutting 
head"/competitive/judgmental/ contest, if you were talking about  Phil's suggestion, even 
Phil himself, who made sure we knew he  was talking about a "friendly" 
competition, not a harp blow-off. There is  only one Harp Blow-off, and that is the 
one held by Jason Ricci  Annually on the Tuesday night before SPAH. 
 
Elizabeth



************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at 
http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour