[Harp-L] More from SPAH

[Phillip Franklin <pbf@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Bill's report gave a good sense of the convention -- too bad he had to leave, and I didn't get a chance to meet him.  There was no Harp-L meeting this year...too bad.
Friday night's headliners had to be the best show of the week.  PT Gazell, with his genial demeanor, presided over a star-studded grouping -- PT, Brendan Power, Jelly Roll Johnson, and surprise guest Rob Papparozzi.  Superlatives can't begin to do justice to the ensemble playing or the solos from these great players.  I'm not much into jazz, but I can listen to their melodic lines all day long.  At the intermission, I heard someone comment that there was no way the next act could top this group.
Well, I'm glad to say that, while Madcat and Kane might not have topped it, they matched it with their intensity and joyful playing.  I have seen Madcat play solo a few times, but playing with Shari Kane gives him an extra dimension.  The comaraderie they display is more than infectious -- it draws the entire audience into their group.  Kane is an excellent singer and guitarist in her own right.  Madcat even pulled out a chromatic on one tune specifically for us -- he'd never used a chromatic on that song before, and Shari told me later that he almost never played the chromatic on stage; he only did it because this is SPAH.
It's been a great convention, but not much time to get on the internet.  More when I get home.
-Phil in KC