[Harp-L] Subject: Re: Everything in life is competition

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Add me to that...and since I'm still catching up on earlier digests having  
been away - Smojoe's simple explanation of Jason  'being  love'...says a 
lot of it for me..and ties in with what you guys had to  say as well. Those 
who don't get it now I doubt will ever really  understand. 
 
Thankfully most who attend the Conventions and watch or sit in  with Buzz' 
brilliantly run Blues Jams at Spah DO 'get it'....and the friendly  
camaraderie among all you great guys is what brings us all back year after year  to 
participate and be surrounded by those good and warm feelings. Give me guys  
like you and J any day of the week over the kind who think their entire 
lives  (including their wives!) were only achieved through competition..whew.
 
If you're from another 'planet' Splash, let it be 'Saturn'!!! along with  
J.  <G>
Personally, I'm from Venus ;)
 
..and extremely proud to be included as one of Buzz' 'personal' friends and 
 I 'even' have the card to prove it<G>
 
..and speaking strictly for myself, I'm glad I didn't become a bonafide  
musician early on in life. I know for sure I never had the dedication  Jason 
needed to make his band a success and elevate his own playing to the  
stratospheric and innovative levels he's achieved. Watching him at a sound check  
alone is a lesson in perfectionism.
 
I liked what Michael Rubin had to say with the major exception  that his 
take on Jason left out that indefinable 'it' factor JR  has in abundance which 
makes people flock to him and brings his audiences back  time and 
again.**(Reference SmoJoe's wonderful review of His first time  attending a JR&NB 
show ...yet Smokey's primarily a Jazz player  and far from a 'young kid').  
Neither is  Jason's playing rehashed riffs from others as some here also claim 
or  think and seem to want to convince others to believe. They  either 
aren't really paying attention or haven't actually ever been to one  of his 
shows. Even I as a relative harp newbie can hear that he's  doing something 
absolutely extraordinary and different when he plays...isn't  copying anyone but 
is creating his own brilliant level of harp playing. 
 
It's there in the murmurs and exchanged looks between the harp playing  
members of the audience...the incredulous reactions and jaws falling open when  
they realize what they've just heard and been witness to...then the 
constant  bursts of applause. But..you have to BE there!
 
It might not be to your taste. Fine. To each his own..but having one's own  
taste and choices in music does not grant anyone the right to put  down or 
put down by proxy other harmonica musicians in favour of  those they do 
like.  
 
What those who talk about the 'encompassing' ideas of music as a wondrous  
thing are trying to get others to see is very simple...music by its very 
nature  is not a 'competitive sport' and never will be. If you still think it 
is  you're in it for all the wrong reasons and/or haven't yet matured enough 
to  grasp just what music is (or should be) all about, and just might be 
better off  with the Papparazzi run, bubblegum type of lip synching, noisy, 
wall of  sound, name-in-lights, sell more records than the next guy 'music biz' 
aspect of  what some people think of as 'music' rather than anything 
remotely related  to the realities of harmonica playing. 
 
I'd suggest watching a couple of the Playing for Change videos to see some  
real musicians who, despite some current measure of success because of the  
attention brought to them by the documentary, even while now achieving some 
 measure of fame and recognition, STILL prefer going outside with just a 
guitar  to play for street audiences because that's where they're most 
comfortable and  where they get instant and personal feedback from passers-by. 
Someone  taped Clarence Bekker playing/singing on a quiet, dark street (I think 
in  Amsterdam?) in the middle of all the hoopla of the recognition of the  
documentary, which is astonishing. It's clear he's where he's most 
comfortable  in his own skin.
 
In between his vast number of gigs, Jason himself actually does something  
similar to this...he plays acoustically outside with whomever he runs 
across,  sometimes sitting outside the venue after having played for hours  
inside. Occasionally it's caught on video if anyone is lucky enough to  have one 
handy. There's one particular such video on YouTube of him playing  chord 
harmonica as backing for Aki Kumar on diatonic.
 
That's the Jason we all talk about because we know the heart of the man..  
and his soul. He's not some snooty, unreachable star up on a stage 
surrounded by  'handlers'. He's vital and real and connected to his friends and those 
who  admire him so much. He doesn't need or require 'fame and fortune' 
because he's  already achieved it in the minds of the thousands of fans around 
the world who  'get it', and those of us who love him. No 'mania' 
here...simply, as SmoJoe  calls it 'love'. 
 
Elizabeth
 
"Message: 6
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:30:21 -0500
From: Buzz Krantz  <buzzo@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Re: Everything in life is  competition
To: Splash <celtiac@xxxxxxxxx>
Cc:  harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx

Hey Splash
Thank you . Finally a voice of  reason...  I agree with you. The only 
competition  should be with  yourself.   Why do it if it doesn't make you 
feel  good.
buzz................................................


Splash  wrote:
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Anthony  Smith"
> Everything in life is competition and music is no  exception.  Each and 
every
> musician is competing against every  other musician for the consumers time
> and money.  Everything has an  "opportunity cost" associated with it.  By
> choosing a PB sandwich,  you forgo eating a roast beef sandwich.  By 
choosing
> "this", you  forgo choosing "that" and that is the point here.
>  -------------------------------
>
> I have chosen to live in a  different way.  I live in a Universe full of
> abundance.  There  is more than enough to go around.
>
> For example:  Some people  have recently on this list expressed that they 
do
> not particularly get  enthusiastic about Jason Ricci's playing.
>
> However, his shows  always have plenty of people in the audience.  There 
is
> an  abundance of people who do like what he does and are enthusiastic 
about
>  it.  I enjoy watching him play, and even more appreciate his  
acknowledgement
> of the fans as an integral part of the process.   There is no lack or 
need in
> his world.  Only abundance.  He is  not competing, no matter how much his
> supporters or detractors try and  fuel the debate.  He just writes and 
plays.
> And  gigs.
>
> The competition is only within ones self, to try and bring  yourself 
greater
> satisfaction and happiness.
>
> Once I was  driven to be "better" than the other guy.  That's a losing 
game.
> We  are all magnificent!  Each of us just have a different angled light  
to
> share.
>
> When I stopped trying to be what others  expected, or wanted me to be, or
> what I thought they wanted, and I just  focused on what got me jazzed up 
and
> able to communicate, everything  changed.  I got Zen, or something.  And
> people started getting  the message.  I became better able to just
> communicate.  And  that's enough.  Actually, it's everything.
>
> I realized that  writing and playing for the satisfaction of creating was 
all
> that  matters.  And when I stopped caring whether anybody else "got it"  
and
> communicated first to myself, and second to my musical partners,  that
> communication path opened up like never before.  And the  audience
> understood.
>
> People came up to me after playing  and told me how much they liked the 
"new"
> me.  I even have people  coming up and saying they enjoyed something I did
> many months  ago.
>
> And that was never possible when I was in a "competition"  for some other
> external thing.  I only try to be better for  ME.  And that is mostly done
> when practicing or woodshedding.   When I play for others these days, I 
stay
> within myself and don't push  things.  I just let it go and give it all 
away
> by not thinking  about it.  If I communicate and they get it and take some
> home with  them, that's even better.  But that has no bearing whether I am
>  happy with my performance or not.
>
> Sometimes I don't give as fine  a performance that I know I am capable of.
> But that's life.  I  acknowledge my humanity to myself and move on.  Being
> human means  that every now and then you suck.  Such is life.  Even a 
sucky
>  performance has some cool moments, and sometimes it's the boo-boos that  
upon
> later reflection are the coolest.
>
> Being in a  constant competition is a self-imposed stress maker.  I 
choose to
>  do music the other way.  Stress Kills!
>
> Life is meant to be  fun.
>
> PEACE
> Splash
>
> "When yer havin' fun,  winnin' takes care of itself."  -  Satchell Page
>
>  _______________________________________________
**************A Good Credit Score is 700 or Above. See yours in just 2 easy 
steps! 
(http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1221823307x1201398715/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072&hmpgID=62&bcd=
JulystepsfooterNO62)