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From: "Welter, Ted"
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 1998 13:55:45 -0600
Subject: RE: What is good? (And a some questions for the gigging pros)

I think that Mike uses the word "good" to mean "technically competent
within whatever genre" and that is where the confusion arises. The word
"good" strongly connotes an absolute and positive value judgment more
than it means "doing what the artist set out to do." These kinds of
value judgments are necessarily personal, even perverse. I think BBB is
saying that to him, Kenny G. is "bad music," (and I concur). Bad music
played competently. And I think what's annoying about it are two
things: JazzLite (tm) (which isn't even jazz, but rather a now cliché
form of instrumental pop music) tries to wear the moniker of jazz while
totally missing the point of the real deal (the passionate virtuosity
and daring of Coltrane, Bird, etc). So in a sense it is the dishonesty
with which it is marketed (and I don't know how much Kenny G. has to do
with that), and its unavoidable presence compared to the real deal that
pisses off the true jazz aficionado. And if you play the instrument in
question, dullards are always asking you to cover what you regard as
something worthless to begin with...

...which segues to the obligatory harp content: I tried out for a
little startup blues combo last night, got the job if I want it, but
they want to do some kinda fakey blues (in addition to covering lots of
stuff that I'd like to work on), and they want to do some Popper
tunes. They aren't bad musicians (not great either-hard to judge as the
drummer was recovering from foot surgery). So, should I begin by
copping off of "Four," or just finding my own lines within the chord
progressions? And if copping is the way to go (at least to start), is
Winslow's book useful? I'm an ear player working on reading ability; tab
hasn't been much help for me in the past.

Time to give that slowmo software a spin, I suppose. I need a few good
workouts on holes 7-10 anyway.

And to close, I gotta say I had a great time at the open jam last
Sunday. I sang and harped on "Down in the Boondocks," in which you can
have lots of fun switching harps to do first and second position
versions of the melodic line. Cool song.

Ted Welter
Ted.welt~pertus.com
TedWelt1~ol.com
Minneapolis, MN