NORMZARESKI
there is hope. I can almost play the two-
draw. Idon’t sound likePaulButterfieldor
JuniorWells, but I canplay a simple four-
notebluesri.
ByDay3, I knowwhat a 12-bar shuffle
is.Eachmorning, Igetup torun thecotton
fields,returntomyfunkyformersharecrop-
per’s shack at theShackUp Inn, sit onmy
ricketyporchandpracticeuntil breakfast.
Morningandafternoonharmonicasessions
are followedbydinner andmore jamming
and teachinguntil 10p.m.On the thirdeve-
ning,wearetoplayinfrontofaliveaudience
atGroundZeroBluesClub,whichispartially
ownedbyactorMorganFreeman.
I cannot thinkof anythingmore fright-
ening thanplayingmusic in a club, except
maybea taxauditbecauseof abusinessde-
duction forbluescamp.WhenItellGindick
how terrified I am, he says that fear is
natural, I just need courage, and I should
let themusic come from insidemybody. I
have no idea if the soundwill come from
insidemeor fromsomedivine intervention,
butwhen Igetuponstageand see theband
memberssmilingandencouragingme,Iam
no longerafraid. Ibringmyharp to themic,
inhale,andsuddenlyIam inanotherworld.
TheWelsh Influence
Lookingback,Idon’tknowwhatIplayedbe-
causeitwasn’tasong; itwasajam.Butwhen
Ifinishedmy little solo, theaudienceburst
intoapplause.After, peoplecameup to tell
mehowgreatIsounded forarawbeginner.
Thatmade it allworth it, but then Ihad
aproblem. Campwas over, and I knew I’d
never keep it uponmy own. Howwould I
findagreat teacher inNewYorkCitywhen
Manhattan blues clubs playmainly jazz
and rock? Then I remembered two good
friendsI’dmadeatcamp:Kris fromDetroit
andKate fromAustralia. Katewas taking
Skype lessons fromLeeEdwards, a great
bluesharpteacherwho lived inWales.
want to learn toplay. I travel theworld for
my job, andnomatterwhich country I’m
visiting, children runup tomeandcall out
“hello,” the oneEnglishword they know. I
cansayitbackinBhutanese(
kuzuzangpo-la
),
Korean (
an-nyeong-ha-se-yo
), Japanese
(konnichiwa
) andabout 10other languages,
but that’s the onlyword I know, so I can’t
haveaconversation.But there isauniversal
languagethatrequiresnowords,anditismu-
sic.IfIcanlearntoplayaninstrumentsmall
enough formypocket, I’llbeable to interact
withthe locals inany language.
NotYetaMaestro
By the endof the seconddayof jam camp,
MUSIC
There is
auniversal
language that
requiresno
words, and it
is
MUSIC
.
42
JUNE 01, 2013
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
SMARTERAPPROACH
Smart Phone. DumbApp.
It’s called iAttorney.
Push the button and
it sends you a bill.
We’re recognized for theworkwe do,
not the bills we send.
Dallas | Los Angeles
214.752.8600 626.765.3000
Trial lawyers forbusiness people.
®
