Re: [Harp-L] 'Summertime' - playing with 'feel' rather than marvelling at 'sp...

[IcemanLE@xxxxxxx]

Perhaps folks don't THINK "speedy and flashy" means w/out feeling.  They 
listen to someone playing "speedy and flashy" and come away with  the EMOTIONAL 
impression that what they heard had little or no  feel and more speed and flash. 
There's a difference between  "think" and "feel".
 
A lot of what resonates emotionally with the listener is the ability to  walk 
away from a performance and have some of it replaying itself in their  minds, 
like a hook to a popular song. Speed and flash doesn't imprint itself  
emotionally on the memory. After speed and flash, people walk away saying "Wow,  he 
certainly played with a lot of speed and flash." After emotional connection,  
people often walk away humming the tune or part of a solo that really  
resonated.
 
Hard to argue with someone else's emotional impression. It is their's and  
you can't intellectually attack it to try to change the outcome.
 
For instance, Howard Levy's playing is impressive for what it is, but I  find 
it hard to digest after a few minutes. A lot of other listeners come to the  
same conclusion, according to my conversations with them. That's not to say 
that  Howard isn't an amazing musician. However, his playing does leave a lot of 
 people behind in the dust. Personally, I believe that Howard plays to keep  
himself interested and has evolved so dramatically that he is almost no longer 
 of this earth. If his playing leaves some cold, it is odd that one should 
have  get to know him personally in order to change their impressions.
 
The fact that a comment like "so many instantly quip" precedes a retelling  
of someone who wasn't emotionally engaged with the music (plays sans feeling)  
feels like a slant geared towards discrediting these people's reactions  and 
tells more about the poster than accepting the fact that these people  just 
didn't connect w/Howard's music. 
 
In attending a Toots concert, many leave with a real emotional attachment  to 
what they heard. Toots plays fast at times (not flashy, though, in my  
opinion) and really resonates with the audience emotionally. Check the vibe in  the 
air and compare it to the vibe of a Howard Levy concert. They are palpably  
different, (once again, in my experience).
 
Is one vibe BETTER than the other? I don't thing BETTER should even be a  
consideration. They are DIFFERENT. Some like one, some like the other. 
 
The Iceman
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 10/20/2008 11:54:53 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
groovygypsy@xxxxxxxxx writes:

Why do  folks think "speedy and flashy" means without feeling?

Why do people  seem to think playing with feeling equals slow?

Personally, I play both  ways and I know feeling is behind everything I
play. Howard Levy is "speedy  and flashy" and so many instantly quip he
plays sans feeling. If you knew  him personally, you'd know he's one of
the most emotive persons you'll ever  meet.

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