[Harp-L] Mid-Ohio Valley Harmonica Championships

[robert mcgraw <harpbob@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Just wanted to take this opportunity to thank David Payne for his gracious hosting of this event. It was great fun! Also thanks to Jason Ricci for driving all the way up from Nashville, on his own dime, to judge the event. [ man was I nervous having the great Jason Ricci as a judge...but he's such a good guy, and he really did his best to make us all feel at ease]. Thanks also to Jeff Spoor, Mr Cumberland Cases himself, for donating the very cool harmonica pouch as a prize, and to Rupert Oster [sp?] for donating the Seydel 1847...and a Bb, which I needed anyway. It's a good harp, one of the best out-of-the box harps around. I bought a few of these some time ago from Warren Bee and I like 'em!
 
I was lucky to win, that's for sure. Young Dan Ridgeway is SO talented...far better than I was at 23 and really a far better diatonic player than I am... I did a couple of tunes ["Take the A Train"...messed up the head :-(  and "Song For My Father"] with a guitar player friend who came up with me...Dan just got up there and played solo! If he had had an accompianist I think he would have won cause he sure played great. After the contest we all played a shuffle together onstage with my guitar player friend playing guitar. He played the shuffle very jazzy, and Dan's playing was wonderful...really liked his phrasing and his technique on diatonic is impressive. Only 23, he's defiantly a player to watch in the future. Heck, he's a player to watch right now! 
 
Anyway, thanks again to David, Jason, Jeff and Rupert...it was so much fun!
WVa Bob
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