Re: Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Repertoire for Jazz hall jams at SPAH 2009

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

To address the specific  concern about Band-in-a-Box not knowing your tunes:

BIAB can play hundreds and hundreds of tunes in many different styles, as long as somebody has entered the chord changes into a BIAB file - and a huge library already exists.

What I might suggest is that if you have specific tunes you'd like to play, that you email Randy and let him know in advance. And perhaps he can let you know whether he has those songs or can get them.

(Sorry, Randy, maybe I'm increasing your responsibilities here without asking you.)

Winslow

Winslow Yerxa

Author, Harmonica For Dummies ISBN 978-0-470-33729-5

--- On Wed, 6/3/09, EGS1217@xxxxxxx <EGS1217@xxxxxxx> wrote:

 
What I keep thinking about is another kind of set up - similar to and
perhaps also involving a combo (or single pianist or guitarist?)...I'm not
greedy; maybe even Randy's idea of Band-in-a-Box - except my concern
with BIAB is what songs would we be playing to? Many of us don't know a lot of
the older standards played at the regular Jazz jams (at least the
last several I've attended), and I suspect BIAB could be a
similar issue. I'd like to play MY music, not what someone else chooses for
me.
 
If those who are 'strictly amateur' among us were to get our feet wet
without having to deal with the intimidation of the major bar/nightclub setting
and having a couple of people such as yourself and Randy or any others of the
better players attend too (or run it) to lend their expertise (you, Phil
Caltabellotta, Charles Spranklin have always been especially kind
and encouraging towards me in particular) to guide us and critique the playing,
it would give someone like me a huge step forward to understanding just how it
all works...never having experienced a real jam. 
 
I suppose I'm talking about a combination of first a jam - and then a
Q&A or seminar afterwards, but very loose and relaxed and not set up as a
'classroom' but more working with us within the jam perhaps even right at
the mics?  Real, practical, hands-on instruction?
 
Playing among friends is always so much less intimidating as well...and I
count more than a few great players among my friends, even though you
are all dozens of rungs further up the ladder than I'll ever achieve.
 
My participation in the Jazz jams so far has been as videographer. I
wouldn't have missed any of them for the world..they've been wonderful and
amazing.  (I thoroughly enjoy the impromptu playing in the hallways as
well, whatever the genre)...But the 'official' jams (the ones you and I are
both talking about - the last couple of years where they really took off) are
pretty much dominated by the pros who play at the top of their game, with no
room (or very much patience) for those of us further down the ladder, and then
the rest of us way at the bottom just beginning our climb.
 
I certainly don't have the answer but am hopefully suggesting perhaps
finding space for something where beginners like me at Jazz don't intrude on or
spoil the Pros' fun while getting a measure of a similar kind of
experience. There really are a huge number of jazz or smooth jazz/R&B
oriented players of both chromatic and diatonic who attend SPAH, with
seemingly more showing up every year.  We're not 'Blues'...we're not 'Trad
jazz', so where do we fit in and how do we get better? 
 
 I'm thinking more of carving out some time at SPAH for this. Perhaps
if someone floats the idea, see if there is any interest (other than from me
<G>?)
 
Thanks to you and Winslow for your input......you're both on the right
track.
 
Elizabeth
 
P.S.  Just read the disagreement with your take on the 'lameness' of a
couple of jazz set ups...and can't agree more with your take on it since I
attended that 'jazz jam' with you with much anticipation when it ended up
with perhaps 5 people on stage and 6 in the audience - and the room all the
way down the end of a corridor tucked behind the bar! It took about 15 minutes'
walk to find it.  Now that was 'lame'! Everyone at the time was upset and
quite vocal in their disappointment.  I remember in particular that
you were quite embarrassed since you'd been touting the jazz jam as
something I would find exhilarating (I'd previously attended blues
jams instead). The only exhilarating part of that particular jam was
hearing Chris Michalek achieve on a diatonic what it took everyone else to play
on a chromatic. Now that was cool.
 
This was the year before Randy took it over and brought the
jam out into the bar 'nightclub' setting.  
 
The next year we had HUGE attendance at the bar with hotel
guests (even those not part of SPAH) stopping by to listen in. It was
actually too dark for most of the players to register on my camera - but the
combo worked and the music was great, albeit way above my head. The speed these
people play at can be mind-boggling.
 
Jazz HAS grown in leaps and bounds at SPAH and again (as usual) you're
right again about perhaps catering a bit more to the people who make up the
backbone of SPAH - those of us who always have to fly in no matter where a SPAH
is located given our home locations; who never will play 'a slot' onstage; who
pay our dues to give the stars their chance to get up onstage and spend our
money to buy the products sold there and the CD's to support the artists. 
 
I see Warren Bee being a hugely effective addition to the SPAH roster
because he's all about this kind of encouragement, equality and helping make
everyone's SPAH adventure be the best possible.  SPAH for me isn't
about showing off...I learn something new each year, have a wonderful and
different experience each time, and perhaps what it's finally about is
accepting that I really am a musician and relaxing enough to enjoy the
wonderful camaraderie I find with people I haven't seen from the previous year.
I've made so many friends from all walks of life I would never have known
otherwise. 
 
So I don't mind at all that I help finance all the rest. But I do expect to
be treated with a modicum of respect by the elected officers (as I have been
from day one) and not ignored in favour of the top players (as you've just
pointed out). At every Filisko teach-in every player is treated as well as any
other...whether at Buckeye or SPAH, so if they're not part of the roster I
sure miss them. If SPAH was indeed 'meant for the superior player' and
Buckeye 'for the beginner'...then just whose money was going to pay to put
on SPAH? - and clearly nobody told Jack Ely that 'Buckeye was for
beginners'.
 
  Anyone expecting to run a convention has to remember
first and foremost just who is the bread and butter of their membership
and just whose dues bring the stars to the convention. To my
mind, the people of this Diamond Age of SPAH we're still in have certainly
more than proven they know how it works over some who insist
there was a 'golden' age. Perhaps it's elitism mixed with pride
which truly goeth (or went) before a
fall?

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