Anybody Going to SPAH This Year?

It was awesome and somewhat surreal. That's the short answer.

If you're a little worried that maybe you take the harmonica too seriously, you should go to the next SPAH. You'll feel more normal. If you think you're great, you should go and be humbled. If you think you're terrible, you should go to be with other people, like me, who struggle with their limited abilities but just love the music and the act of playing the crazy thing.

If you don't want to read this whole thing, just read the last couple of paragraphs.

Because of my embarrassingly committed relationship to post-war Chicago blues harp, I would have loved it if the whole convention was centered around that. Not even close. However, blues was well-represented, making it an overall enjoyable event.

It also gave me a (prolonged) glimpse into the broader world of the harmonica, which was interesting and enjoyable.

The hotel was virtually taken over by harmonica folks of all ilks. In the main lobby of this large Holiday Inn, there was an almost constant jam going on . Not blues, but pre-rock and roll American classics (think "Blue Moon," Gershwin, Stephen Foster) played in unison by a group of men (and an occasional woman), mostly in their 70s and 80s, on diatonics, chromatics, chord harmonicas, and bass harmonicas, accompanied by guitars (usually by a guy playing his harp in a rack), and sometimes mandolins and violins, as well as intermittent percussionists.
In the corner of the same lobby, there was a small stage set up with a few rows of chairs, for daily open mic sessions. You couldn't walk through a hall without hearing someone noodling. Wheelchairs and oxygen tanks abounded, but so did teenager and twenty-somethings with custom harps, an annoying amount of talent, and more than the necessary number of notes per harp!

Meanwhile, there were seminars and performances and demonstrations going on all day, with more performances at night. Performers included chromatic players (whose names might not mean anything to this crowd) and superstar diatonic players (Steve Guyger, Dennis Gruenling, Peter "Madcat" Ruth, Joe Filisko, Peter "Madcat Ruth," Buddy Greene, Ronnie Shellist and others). They were all awe-inspiring and essentially flawless.

Acoustic blues jams occurred every night from 11 PM to 1 AM. Informal (we all sat in a circle, and everyone played a chorus in every tune) and low-key, hosted by Dennis Gruenling and Joe Filisko, and attended by both mortals and also guys like Buddy Greene, Todd Parrot, PT Gazell, "Jelly Roll" Johnson, Brandon Baily, Will Scarlett (formerly with Hot Tuna), Ronnie Shellist, Adam Gussow, Jay Gaunt, and even Professor Barrett! Humbling, but fun.

There was also a concurrent bluegrass jam going on out in the hall.

In addition, Jimi Lee hosted smaller daily "standing in a circle" jams that were full of energy and fun.

I have no idea how many impromptu and "private" jam sessions went on, day and night.

And the jazz jams were mind-blowing (and eardrum damaging at times...those old guys really need the amps cranked up!). The speed and agility of the participants was unbelievable. This was not just "Stardust," these guys were tearing up the be-bop. It was scary! And there were some unbelievable Levy-esque diatonic players giving even the pro chromaticists a run for their money (be on the lookout for a kid named Sam Friedman. You will hear that name again!). If you like jazz diatonic, check out Pat Bergeson, who also gave a standing-ovation performance.

Vendors enticed all with products from the major harmonica makers, CDs, Greg Heumann Mic products, and such. You could even try out a MegaTone Amp!

Seminars and demos were varied. Some were blues-related, like Adam Gussow discussing and teaching from the Nat Riddles collection, blues improvisation (Ronnie Shellist), a showcase/QA with Guyger, Gruenling, and Shellist. There were a lot of chromatic-related sessions as well, some of which were interesting even to me. The pros were all friendly and accessible.

The very best part, though-- the thing that would have made the whole week more than worth the time and money -- was Joe Filisko's teach-ins. For about two and a half hours on each of three different days, stations were set up with various pros teaching on their topics of expertise. I can't remember who all was there: Madcat, Will Scarlett, Jerry Devillier (Cajun stuff), a techie guy, probably 8-10 different concurrent sessions. You could come and go to each one as you saw fit.

But I spent all my time at David Barrett's sessions.

I don't have to tell this group what an amazing teacher he is, but observing him interact with a diverse group of students, one question at a time, with laser-like precision and clarity, was a wonder to behold. Student after student would ask a seemingly broad and long-vexing question. David would instantly clarify their question for them, then over the next 30 seconds to 15 minutes (whatever it took, and without ever appearing to be annoyed or in a hurry), invoke a "WOW, NOW I finally understand it" or "WOW, NOW I can do it!" (I don't want to say that it was a religious experience, but have you ever seen a faith-healer make someone throw away their crutches and walk?). I'm pretty sure that the information he shared in those 7 plus hours, plus the practice time and technique that he suggested, would be enough to produce a proficient blues harp player!

And as long as my nose is already this brown, I'll just say it: the experience solidified my opinion that David Barrett is, by a considerable margin, the best teacher - of any subject - that I have ever had or seen at work (and I've had 24 years' worth of teachers, including college and post-graduate school). I now firmly believe that the only thing standing between me and the reaching of whatever potential I have on the harp is to actually DO the things that he keeps telling us to do!

Once he finishes this site, and there is no longer anything left for him to teach about blues harmonica, he should teach teachers how to teach!