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I have played with people in jam situations that have touted themselves as "Blues Musicians" that were completely lost with a 16 bar blues. I've met guitarists that call themselves "Blues Men" that wouldn't know the difference between Buddy Guy and Otis Rush. Come On! Learn the tradition! Stevie Ray Vaughn did not invent this stuff, nor was he the culmination. Check out Lightnin' Hopkins, Robert Nighthawk, Earl Hooker. Learn where it came from and who got it going. I'm not saying that nothing of value has happened in the past twenty years, but you can be sure that Johnny Lange, Dave Hole, Ronnie Earl and any other "modern master" has spent time reviewing the tradition. I once heard a band play "The Thrill Is Gone" the entire way through with the guitarist playing in A Major while the bass player was in A Minor. Fools like that have no business playing ANYTHING in front of people, let alone calling themselves a "Blues and Jazz Band". On the other side of the coin, I have also run into more and more technically brilliant musicians who have "Come Back Home" to the beauty and profound emotional power of The Blues. These guys are able to respect the tradition and still bring new ideas and direction into the music. I suppose that listeners will always get what they deserve: drunken fools in meat market bars; and club owners and managers who will book the lowest bidder will get, and unfortunately accept, mediocre (at best) musicians and music with no regard for the music and for that matter the audience. Let's just hope and pray that Sam Cooke was right when he sang... "It's Been A Long Time Comin', But I Believe A Change Is Gonna Come"!
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