[Harp-L] When Did Fast Become Good?

[Mick Zaklan <mzaklan@xxxxxxxxx>]

   You know, there are players I love who use a lot of notes.  I'm speaking
of Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, and a few others.  Dizzy
Gillespie, too, except that I never cared for his sound on the trumpet.
   Generally, I'm not a fan of machine gun harp.  Though a guy like Howard
Levy is actually connecting his barrages to the tune and I can kind of
follow his thought processes.  As opposed to pre-conceived hot-dog riffs
from some of the other players that don't seem to have anything to do with
the actual song being played.
   I'm guessing that this thread was possibly related to the
earlier Ezequial Salgado vid and I would cut any young kid some slack on
this.  If you're young; it's pretty difficult to restrain your
energy, speeded up metabolism, adrenalin, etc.  You're attracted to
virtuosity.  If you aquire it, you want to show it off.  When I was a young
kid, I didn't want to hear any slow blues tunes.  I wanted to hear and play
fast shuffles and swing songs.  Now that I'm semi-ancient, there is nothing
more perfect to me than a well-played and sung slow blues or ballad.  As a
player, I'm looking for a more relaxed and efficient way to attack a tune
and a solo.  But it's hard to expect kids to play like old men or seasoned
veterans.  And maybe they shouldn't.  There is something to be said for the
energy and aggression that a young player brings, even if extra notes come
with it.
   I appreciate the fact that these folks have put a lot of time into
acquiring these techniques.  It's not necessarily a bad thing.  There's a
Dizzy Gillespie quote that I've always loved; something to the effect of:
"it took me a long time to figure out what to leave out."  As you get older
and your reflexes slow down, it's probably easier to subtract notes than
add them.
   In any event, it's a fascinating topic and I'm glad it was brought
up.

Mick Zaklan