[Harp-L] Re: Re: "All Blues" - Sam Friedman (Gary Lehmann) Harp-L Digest, Vol 107, Issue 32

[Richard Hammersley <rhhammersley@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

(late to this thread, I have been internetless)
Sam
I thought Pat Powers pretty much nailed the critique. I am a wannabe jazz on
a diatonic player myself. One very simple suggestion to add: Do not play so
long. Improvising for over five minutes whilst keeping the audience's
attention and playing something worthwhile is extremely difficult. I love
jazz, but I would say that actually very few soloists, on any instrument,
are capable of solos of this length that keep things going well.
  I reckon there were about 3.5 minutes worth of good music in there.

Trane once apologized to Miles saying, "I can't stop playing."  Miles
responded, "Try taking the horn out of your mouth." 
  Some of Trane's 20 minute solos are genius, but he was a genius. Mere
musicians are better leaving em wanting more at least until their genius is
recognised. Audiences have been known to complain that the set was too
short, but do they every complain that the harmonica solo (or the metal
guitar solo, or the sax solo) was too short?
Richard