[Harp-L] Low-Wattage Jazz at SPAH

[Slim Heilpern <slim@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Regarding the discussion of beginner jazz jams, seminars, etc... at SPAH...

While I'm greatly in favor of all such things, I can't help but get the feeling that there's a misperception among many harmonica players that learning to play jazz on the harmonica is about the harmonica. It's not. 

I consider myself to be a good slide chromatic harmonica player but only a beginning jazz player. I've been a beginning jazz player for longer than I care to remember (although I do get better, little by little). It's not because I lack talent, or because I don't understand the music that I'm a beginner, it's mainly because I haven't put in the hours to be able to easily play whatever it is that I hear in my head on my axe when things get complex. But I can at times play very sweet sounding jazz harmonica because (again) I'm a good harmonica player and because I have a deep love and appreciation of jazz.

It's my belief that if you need someone to show you how to play jazz (on any instrument), if you don't already hear what it is you want to say in your head, no seminar or jam, beginner or otherwise, is going to be of much help.

You must first absorb yourself in a century's worth of jazz music (which was mostly not played on harmonica), fall in love with it, listen to it so much it's spilling out of your brain so that you find yourself singing your favorite solos (or improvised solos) to yourself at odd times of the day, every day. Jazz has history and the modern forms are built on the older forms. Think you can play swing without understanding dixieland or ragtime? Think you can play Charlie Parker without understanding Lester Young? Think you can do justice to Miles or Trane without understanding Bird or Dizzy? Etc.... I think not.

This is not about the harmonica. It's about music. If you want to play jazz on the harmonica, you need to become a jazz musician. Enroll in courses (a good starting point is a jazz appreciation course), study the music, play with backing tracks, listen, listen, listen. Find other musicians at your level (preferably not harmonica players) that you can play with, year-round. If you haven't already done so, fall in love with the music. 

Every year, there are at least a few fine harmonica players (who apparently don't understand the above) who show up at the SPAH jazz jams and play their butts off with much bravado, but they don't play what I would call jazz music, especially over the more challenging changes. They play wild streams of notes that fit the harmonica a lot better than they fit the music. It hurts my jazz soul to listen. And then there are the jazz musicians who happen to play harmonica -- and what a beautiful sound they make!

- Slim.

www.SlideManSlim.com