[Harp-L] Re: Genius? LOL

[Patrice Rayon <stpat95@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

No problem Bill :) and "Merci" Jérome ;) !...

I am missing a lot of messages of the list because so many things to do :) but I want to have a reaction on a way to analyse what happend in France (since I better know this subject).

If I well understood what Jean Jacques Milteau is often saying that he is really passionated with the blues. So if he is well known for the harmonica, that is mainly thanks to the blues that he wanted to play, through the harmonica. So he also wrote several methods to teach the harmonica, and lots of people here in France, before to know anything on the subject started by bying his methods. He also organized a very good workshop with harmonica and other instruments (Guitare, Bass, Drum, singers..) where he discovered a young Polish guy whose the name is "Greg Szlapczynski" and that he encouraged (as a kind of godfather).
Jean Jacques Milteau was giving free Masterclass in a famous Bar called Utopia in Paris and he asked to Greg to take a suite.
Since then Greg could teach harmonica in 4 levels to hundreds of students (about 40 people by periods of 3 months) every saturday in this place and among them new talents very inovatives (I thing that when you have the influence of lots of cultures, every culture makes you more rich again to have many thinks to say).
At the same time there is this guy "Sebastien Charlier" who is playing very well, more Jazz oriented, despite he does not want to be limited to this kind; but he is a very good teacher as well, generous to show to the other and with a conversational passion, but also with his famous sentence "all depend of your level of exigence".

At the same time there is a dynamic on internet that helps the people a bit lost in their countryside to find teacher, meetings of harmonicas players (3times a month in Paris area plus others places in France, more and more thanks to harmonica de France which the french association of harmonica, equivalent to the NHL in UK or I think the SPAH in America) ... 
So there are many things to say, but above all I guess that thanks to festivals, meeting of harmonica players, workshops, passion, its normal to see more and more people playing very well in different styles...  
The harmonica is a lot developed, it seems mainly in America, but also Asia (Asian people are very good also perhaps because of their culture, their exigence with themselves, a way to live etc etc...). In Russia or countries from the ex USSR, it seems there are very very good players (I think of a young guy whom the name is Alex Paclin for example). 
In France that was very silencious after a period with some guys like "Albert Raisner", but Milteau arrived and I think he is at the origin of this new breath here because he launch the "Marine Band" Clubs everywhere on the territory to develop again harmonica here, and that produced also festivals like the one in October near Limoges (Condat sur Vienne), where harmonica players meet each other very passionnated and get friends and close somewhere and more in love again with their instrument.... That's finaly a big familly with a kind of spirit I never felt with other instruments...
When you meet also so nice people like "Joe Filisko" or "Carlos Del Junco" or "Brendan Power" or "Adam Gussow" or "Jason Ricci" or "Vitor Lopes" or "Steve baker" or ..."Michel Herblin" or "Hermine Deurloo" or (the list is so long) ... How can you not be more in love again with a way to play, seeing what they can do and they are even ready to give you all in different styles...

So I believe that the dynamic, the meetings, the workshops, the festivals, masterclasses, "Internet !!!", etc...being opened as much as possible to what happend in the world is a lot to learn to be able to propose something to share...

But that's my point of view and you are not forced to share it of course :)) ...

All the best :) !

Patrice Rayon (So many things to say...sorry for my bad english...)


> Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:26:38 +0100
> From: "Bill" <bill.eborn@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> 
> Thanks Jerome and apologies to Patrice
> 
> I'll check out Laurent Maur, thanks for the tip.
> 
> One of things about genius that may be mistaken is that it underestimates 
> the importance of precedence, nothing really happens in a vacuum - Levy's 
> solitary pursuit of chromaticism aside perhaps? - the majority of great 
> discoveries come from more of a collective effort, just like scientists and 
> philosophers, musicians have 'peer review' and maybe the great one's add 
> that insatiable human desire to find something new to say.
> 
> That power of precedent in defining what's possible that's the key maybe. 
> I'm often struck by (and jealous of) how exciting and innovative the french 
> harp scene is with a veritable cluster of so many great and innovative 
> players. I think, and no doubt others could say more of about the influence 
> of Jean Jacques Milteau but my thinking is that this has been enormous and 
> if so i think we should all be very grateful to him.
> 
> I think the future looks good for the harp myself and the more people find 
> out about the potential of the instrument the more those frontiers of what's 
> possible will shift.  Add to that the better instruments that are coming out 
> and it gets rosier and rosier.
> 
> Great I think!
> 
> Bill 
 		 	   		  
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