[Harp-L] 5th WV State Harmonica Championship winners

[Jim Rumbaugh <jrumbaug@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The 2nd Diamond Teeth Mary Blues and Art Festival 2011 was a success as well as the 5th WV State Harmonica Championship. The event was one our best, with 2 participants from out of our area, The winners were:

1st place Scott Gray from Mount Solon, VA 
2nd place Mark Cabell from Huntington, WV
3rd place Shane Swezey from Lexington, KY

Our judges were Adam Gussow, Phil Wiggins, and David Payne. They worked hard and serious at their duties of grading and selecting our winners

Here is a quote from Adam Gussow about the event.  "The high point for me was the Saturday night performance by Phil Wiggins and Nat Reese. Reese alternated between deep blues and much lighter swing fare, the sort of songs that he and the late Howard Armstrong, jazz/blues fiddler, used to do. Phil was masterful. He was masterful on the uptempo blues, masterful on the swing stuff, and amazing on the slow blues."

For me, the high point was the Saturday night "after jam".  Not only did we have many talented people playing, but toward the end, there was a tune where Adam Gussow and Phil Wiggins both played and traded lead breaks, in an exchange that was exciting, professional, and memorable.