Re: [Harp-L] Gindick, Purdy, Gussow, Hash Brown, Cheryl Arena, RJ Harman, "Harmonica" Beane, TJ Klay, SA Johnson Coaching You at Mississippi Jam Camp

[hashbb@xxxxxxx]

 Hey All,
I just want to reiterate what Jon is saying.
This is a great opportunity to jam and learn,
also a fun 5 days in the heart of North Mississippi.
I believe besides what Jon has already mentioned,
there are side trips to famous blues sites nearby, and a 
chance to jam at Morgan Freeman's Ground Zero Club
in Clarksdale, Mississippi. This is always  an experience
well worth the trip, and should be on everyone's bucket list!
HB

 


 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: jon Gindick <jongindick@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sat, Jul 31, 2010 1:35 pm
Subject: [Harp-L]  Gindick, Purdy, Gussow, Hash Brown, Cheryl Arena, RJ Harman, "Harmonica" Beane, TJ Klay, SA Johnson  Coaching You at  Mississippi Jam Camp


Hey Harp-Ls--

I have been lurking and today I decided to make an announcement.  

We have a few more openings at our Blues Harmonica Jam Camp in Clarksdale, 
Mississippi at the Shack Up Inn and Hopson Commissary September 28 to October 2, 
2010. What most campers do is fly into Memphis then share a ride or rent a car 
down to Clarksdale. http://www.bluesharmonicajamcamp.com

The camp is 5 days long, and costs $995 for the seminar. There is still room the 
Shack Up Inn which is right next door to the Hopson Commissary, a old wonderful 
juke joint, where the seminar is held. Rooms are about $70 a night. We start 
about 3pm on Tuesday and end Saturday about 6pm. We suggest coming in early and 
leaving late at the Mississippi Delta Blues Country is like no where else.

Our camps usually end up with about 25 to 30 campers. Our camper to coach ratio 
is usually about 5 to 1. This gives you lots of personal attention and lots of 
opportunity to get feedback. 

Classes start about 10 in the morning, with separate small groups for beginners, 
interediates, and advanced. Remember there's only about thirty people. Everybody 
also gets a one on one learning with a coach, and also a 30 minute phone lesson 
with me. (great for beginners.) Of course we take breaks for lunch and dinner, 
and there are plenty of places to eat.
We help you get to know this old blues town of Clarksdale, and I lead a field 
trip to Sonny Boy Williamson's grave, in a field near a place where a church had 
burned down.

Several of the coaches are guitar players and we teach by jamming with 
direction, feedback, examples etc.. Hash Brown of Dallas Texas is one of our 
coaches. He is a fantastic harp player, and also a tremendous pro guitar payer 
and band leader. TJ Klay, another harp virtuoso/great guitar player. I play 
guitar too. So there's lots of instant jamming for players of all levels. It's a 
safe and productive place to get experience.

Our philosophy is "keep the harmonica in their mouths" meaning to make sure you 
play, play, play... as you learn.

Three times in five days we bring one of the great Clarksdale blues bands, this 
time Daddy Rich, for training purposes. While the band plays the harp players go 
up, over and over again, getting used to the mic, the amp,leading the band, 
relaxing, trying rifs, tongueblocking, singing. It's a joy watching each other 
grow, and there are some astounding musicial moments.

Band play isn't for everybody, all the time, so there's a beginners accoustic 
jam class happening in a separate part of the property. That's one of the great 
things about our camp: there's no noise bleed. All classes taught in very 
separate areas. You can hear your music, you can hear yourself think.

We have a great team of multi-talented coaches. Along with their musicial 
talents, they are valued for their people talents.
We are all masters at giving you feedback in a way you can use. In 5-days, among 
new friends, in a new environment,
surrounded by people who are lovin' it, you can really grow and keep growing 
after camp is over.

While blues harmonica is the main instrument taught, we add in instruction and 
encouragement on total bluesmanship: singing, songwriting, stage presence, 
guitar lessons, even dancing. And your fellow campers: Friends for life if you 
so desire. The instructor/ performers offer a diversity of approaches to the 
instrument:

RJ Harman is 21 years old, Florida State Harmonica Champion, leads the RJ Harman 
band, and is a great communicator/teacher/ encourager. The kid lives harp and 
teach you to tune and repair, to overblow, to bend, get tone, to chug, and his 
performances are awesome. 

Brian Purdy pretty much started at the Atlanta Jam Camp about eight years ago.. 
He went on the develop the Harp Gear Amplifier which every one loves, and become 
a damn fine harp player. Brian is an expert on amplifiers, mics, tone, and he is 
also a great beginners teacher. He really gets people understanding and 
improving. He is very close to the learning process which gives him a great 
insite into developing players.

Hash Brown is a harp playing, guitar picking, vocalizing bluesman and one of the 
nicest men to every walk the planet. Pure tongueblocker.

Your life will not be the same after you have met and jammed with Cheryl Arena. 
She is my JAM CAMP right hand woman, or girl, or person, or friend, or 
inspiration as she co-ordinates the one on ones, and helps campers develop 
specific songs. She is the tremendously talented blues harp diva out of Dallas 
who writes, plays balls to the wall blues harp, and sings in a low sultry voice, 
and loves helping campers get to their next personal level.

TJ Klay is a harp and guitar man, a singer, a songwriter, overblower. >From 
Nashvile, he swings a tad
more country than the rest of us andf is a master of 2nd position melody. 

Our guest coaches are Terry "Harmonica" Bean, a Delta blues man, a tremendous 
harp and guitar juke joint
stomper, slide and harpman. The real deal.

World-renown Adam Gussow from Oxford, Miss will be joining us for some 
instruction and jamming on day 4,
as will Jackson, Mississippi harp wizzard and band leader, Scott Albert Johnson.

And I am there, too, of course, jamming with you, giving you feedback, helping 
you get the most of the camp.

So all music, all harp all of the time, for 5 days in the heart of the blues 
country. At night we Jam at Ground Zero and Red's Juke Joint. About 30% of our 
campers are repeat customers.

I  know there's is an  element of scariness in comitting yourself to a fairly 
expensive and long seminar, especially
involving travel. A lot of people wonder if they will fit in. To make the most 
of Jam Camp, all you need is the right attitude. Our committment is to get you 
to you next musical level.  Even if that level is just getting you to find your 
mouth, we are ok with that even if you aren't.  

We know you won't stay at that level forever. This process works, and it's fun 
and emotionally rich, and campers are accomplishing technical goals, and they 
are also playing in bands, making cds, starting bands--getting the music out 
there, and changing their lives in the process.

The camps is about two thirds filled. Do let me know if you have any questions.

Call me at 310-457-8278 or e-mail me at jon@xxxxxxxxxxx

Jon