Advice on Blindfold Test of Eddie Higgins

[Dan Gould]

I have managed to finagle an interview with Eddie Higgins next weekend. He has also graciously agreed to subject himself to a "Blindfold Test" and I am now trying to decide the approach I should take.

I am not promising to follow the results of the board but I am interested to hear the suggestions of board members. I am leaning toward option 3 as it would hopefully trigger more memories/commentary and it would also ease Eddie's one expressed concern, looking foolish if he doesn't recognize the music/musicians.

Because I do not want to post this at AAJ since I may approach them with the finished article, I have temporarily withdrawn my self-imposed posting ban.

Thanks for the feedback.

[Dan Gould]

Thanks John, the one problem is I do not know just how much time Eddie is allotting me so I may not get a chance to play more than 5 or 6 tunes at most. That's also making me think exclusively in terms of shorter tracks which unfortunately eliminates a tune that would be othrwise perfect. Its from Ira Sullivan's Delmar LP with Johnny Griffin, I can't think of the title but it features Sullivan on all of his instruments plus Johnny Griffin on both alto and baritone ... Eddie has played pretty regularly with Sullivan in South Florida, so I am definitely considering something by him, but this tune runs 18 minutes or so and I can't see listening to the whole darn thing!

[jazzbo]

I made the leading vote. . . for the fourth choice. I think this would be very interesting, and could lead to some nice discussion.

I really like your idea for a play of that Ira Sullivan tune. . . you wouldn't have to play the whole thing, my guess is that he either will know or have no clue in a few minutes and you can go from there into discussing Ira and Johnny, etc. . . . .

Anyway, congratulations on the opportunity; I know you will make the best of it!

[pryan]

My vote was for the first choice because I think it might be more interesting/intriguing to find out Eddie's opinions on some of the more 'contemporary' artists out there. While the other choices may trigger some thoughts about the old days, I think his ideas and opinions about some of today's pianists and other jazz artists might be more compelling. However, I wouldn't limit the blindfold test to solely contemporary artists, throw in a few older things as well, but not necessarily limiting the material to people Eddie played with.

In sum, though, take the approach that you feel best suits both your time restraints and what will solicit the most interesting and thought-provoking answers from Higgins. And possibly such an approach will not relate to how such 'tests' are conducted in mainstream jazz publications.

The above is all IMHO, and best of luck in your interview Dan.

[Jim R]

I've already corresponded with Dan about this, but I'll just pop in here and say I like option #5 the best.

The bottom line is, find out why Eddie turned down Art Blakey!!

Dan, have fun- I know this will reveal some new things about a current favorite artist of mine, and I'm looking forward to hearin' about it!

[Jazzmoose]

I'm not much on blindfold tests. It seems to me that fans ought to be the ones going through this ritual. After all, we're the ones with the obsession for listening; the artists should be busy creating more music for us to listen to! Still, as I always have to make a choice in these things, I went with the "other piano players" option. Still, I'd count my vote as a half vote, Dan.

[Rooster_Ties]

I voted for #5 too. You know, I've found over the years that many musicians are less steeped in the music than many fans. They're often too busy making music, to be as obsessive about listening.

[Aggie87]

How about dispensing with the blindfold test altogether, Dan? That would certainly alleviate Higgin's concerns about appearing foolish for not recognizing something.

In it's place you could simply play him some tunes from musicians that he has played with/recorded with, tell him who it is in advance, and just let him discuss the music/his experiences with those musicians.

This will allow him to share his wealth of knowledge in a relaxed atmosphere, and not be so concerned with identifying who you're spinning.

[Dan Gould]

Not a bad point, Aggie. Though I think that if I go with the option of playing tunes by people he played with/Chicago musicians, after a couple of spins he will see what I am doing anyway. He may not want to hear a selection to trigger a memory or thought-for that I could just play "Name Association" with him.

Thanks to everyone for the input.

[Brad]

Dan,

You lucky dog. How did you manage to get an interview with him? Sounds like a lot of fun. I voted for number 2 although 5 is a close second for me. Of the articles that I've read that had blind tests, number 2 sounds like the obvious choice because a musician usually has studied the various styles that has come before him or her in developing his or her own style. Since this is their chosen field, it would be likely that they'd be able to recoginze who those people are. That actually leads to another question. Will you play past masters or contemporaries of his or a mix of the two?

Anyway, those are my thoughts, for what they're worth.

[Dan Gould]

Well, I wanted to thank the participants for their opinions. The final result was that I chose music that was a mix of "Chicago Players" and people Eddie worked with because I wanted to use music as a trigger for memories and I also hoped to choose tunes or at least players that he had a good chance of remembering. The blindfold part went OK, though in the end he missed most of them including Ira Sullivan who he has known for over 50 years-he was definitely disturbed at that.

However, I will also tell you that the interview itself went ten times better than my fondest dreams. Eddie is an exceptionally personable and accomodating gentleman and to my great surprise we ended up speaking for a little over two and a half hours (and to think I was concerned that for whatever reason he might set a time limit that might effect my ability to conduct the blindfold test). He must have ultimately felt very comfortable because he shared some wonderfully moving anecdotes as well as some very funny ones and very informative ones.

When I have written my article and found a home for it, y'all will be among the first to know.

B)

Edited May 11, 2003 by Dan Gould