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Topic: Susan Alcorn Best Jazz Albums of 2020 in NY Times |
Thornton Lewis
From:
New York, USA
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Chris Brooks
From:
Providence, Rhode Island
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Posted 3 Dec 2020 10:31 am |
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Congratulations, Susan! It's been a long road; you have been a pioneer for quite a while now.
Chris Brooks |
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Paddy Long
From:
Christchurch, New Zealand
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Posted 3 Dec 2020 3:51 pm
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Very cool Susan, congratulations :-}
_________________
14'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
08'Zumsteel Hybrid D10 9+9
94' Franklin Stereo D10 9+8
Telonics, Peterson, Steelers Choice, Benado, Lexicon, Red Dirt Cases. |
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john widgren
From:
Wilton CT
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Posted 3 Dec 2020 3:57 pm The real Deal
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Yay for Susan!! She so great! JW
_________________
Steel Guitar Services:
Live performance and recording. Instruments, repairs and lessons. Fresh bait/discount sushi.
(203) 858-8498
widcj@hotmail.com |
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Chuck Stowe
From:
Sycamore, Illinois, USA
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Posted 3 Dec 2020 4:23 pm
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Congratulations Susan!
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1980 Emmons PP D10, Hilton Pedal, Peavey Session 500 & Nashville 112 |
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Ron Shalita
From:
California, USA
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Posted 3 Dec 2020 4:25 pm
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Congrats Susan.. so happy for you!
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Been playing all of my life, Lead Guitar, and Pedal Steel, sing Lead and Harmony.. play other Instruments also but I hate to admit to it.. |
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Joe Krumel
From:
Hermitage, Tn.
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Posted 3 Dec 2020 4:52 pm
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| Congrats Susan! Carry on!!!! |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 3 Dec 2020 8:07 pm
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This is actually historic ! Amazing work Susan
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Bob |
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Ian Rae
From:
Redditch, England
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Posted 4 Dec 2020 12:53 am
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Well deserved
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Make sleeping dogs tell the truth!
Homebuilt keyless U12 7x5, Excel keyless U12 8x8, Williams keyless U12 7x8, Telonics rack and 15" cabs |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 4 Dec 2020 5:14 am
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Congratulations on this well deserved recognition!
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Jack Stanton
From:
Somewhere in the swamps of Jersey
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Posted 5 Dec 2020 9:47 am
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Congratulation, Susan! Well deserved.
You are a musical hero to me because of your fearlessness! |
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Gary Newcomb
From:
AustinTexas, USA
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Posted 6 Dec 2020 6:22 pm
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This album is amazing beautiful! A great day for pedal steel guitar â¤ï¸
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Sierra Session U12, Milkman 1/2, Goodrich Omni, Divine Noise Cables, BJS, Solid cosmic gold, baby 👶🻠|
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 7 Dec 2020 2:08 am
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This is a big deal! Congrats, Susan.
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Those that say don't know; those that know don't say.--Buddy Emmons |
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Tal Herbsman
From:
Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 7 Dec 2020 7:13 am
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| Amazing accomplishment. So proud of you Susan. |
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Susan Alcorn
From:
Baltimore, MD, USA
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Posted 16 Dec 2020 2:22 pm
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Thank you Thornton, Chris, Paddy, John, Chuck, Ron, Joe, Bob, Ian, Mike, Jack, Jack, Gary, Charlie, and Tal - most of you are personal friends.
This was quite a shock and surprise. After I recorded Pedernal a little over a year ago, I had a feeling that things might change a bit - I felt it was going to be a good record; I was lucky to record in a really nice studio with some truly great musicians, and a legendary mixing engineer (Ron "Saint" St. Germain). I figured it would get a few nice reviews, and that would be it; I never expected the NY Times list (and several other ones too), and I've always felt like an outsider (especially on the SGF), so all this attention was hard to wrap my head around - it felt weird.
But the thing I think that is the most important about the attention this album seems to be getting (though very little in the steel guitar world) is that it's a steel guitar album getting recognition. There are so many other great steel guitar players who put out really good albums of jazz, minimalism, microtonalism, and creative music. Hopefully this is a door open for other steel guitar-based albums.
Some of the reviews have been kind of funny. One in France said the pedal steel reminded him of a sewing machine (?), and another one compared it to IKEA because we're always putting the guitar together on stage. Some reviews have called it a "steel pedal" or a lap steel, and most of them hear the album as being country-flavored, Americana, or reminiscent of the west - a typecasting of our instrument which I hope will lessen with time. I guess it's like someone playing jazz on the bagpipe (it's been done and done well) as sounding like Scotland. The album does contain fiddle and steel, so maybe that's what they hear, but mostly I'm glad that they liked the album and that a steel guitar instrumental album can be taken seriously.
The pedal steel guitar had a golden age in the fifties, sixties, and seventies - great and legendary musicians who had such facility on the instrument and such originality. They could play pretty much anything they set their minds to (as can current musicians like Tommy White, Paul Franklin, and Travis Toy), but they lived in Nashville and their collective genius was mostly funneled into country music to the point that most of us have a hard time imagining country without the pedal steel. Here's to hoping that someday soon we can have another renaissance to the instrument that is played well and excels in other genres of music. In fact, listening to great players, many of them younger, I think the renaissance is well underway. Who says it's a dying instrument.
Well, I was going to just write thanks, but I got carried away and wrote an essay - my apologies (and thanks).
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www.susanalcorn.net
"So this is how you swim inward. So this is how you flow outwards. So this is how you pray."
- Mary Oliver
Last edited by Susan Alcorn on 18 Dec 2020 10:31 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Craig Stock
From:
Westfield, NJ USA
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Posted 16 Dec 2020 2:34 pm
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Well said, Susan.
Congrats to you on your fine acheivement, people are listeningðŸ‘ðŸ»
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Regards, Craig
I cried because I had no shoes, then I met a man who had no feet.
Today is tomorrow's Good ol' days |
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Andrew Goulet
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Posted 18 Dec 2020 6:42 am
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This IS a big deal!! Congratulations, Susan, and thank you for your ambassadorship of the steel guitar.
(It would be nice if the pedal steel was also a sewing machine available at IKEA because it would be more practical, affordable, and readily available  )
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Marlen S12 and a ZT Club |
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Dale McPherson
From:
Morristown, Tennessee, USA
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Posted 18 Dec 2020 9:59 am
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| Congrats Susan |
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Larry Coombs
From:
Lockhart,Texas, USA
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Posted 18 Dec 2020 5:27 pm
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Congratulations on your award and successful career. I’ve enjoyed following your work through the years.
Be happy and be safe,
Sincerely, Larry Coombs |
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Billy Knowles
From:
Kenansville, N. C. 28349 usa
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Posted 29 Dec 2020 4:41 pm Cd
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Susan,
Congratulations
Billy Knowles
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Billy Knowles
STEEL GUITAR EAST
Emmons authorized dealer and approved service technician
my web site: http://www.steelguitareast.com |
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Al Evans
From:
Austin, Texas, USA
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Posted 25 Jan 2021 6:19 am
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I finally got my copy of Pedernal a couple of days ago, and listened to it Saturday night. I was amazed. My wife was amazed -- she said I could just leave it on forever!
I ordered four more of them yesterday for friends who really need to hear this. Wow!
Thank you, Susan Alcorn!
--Al Evans
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2018 MSA Legend, 2018 ZumSteel Encore, 2015 Mullen G2, G&L S-500, G&L ASAT, G&L LB-100, Godin A4 Fretless, Kinscherff High Noon |
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Joe Krumel
From:
Hermitage, Tn.
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Posted 25 Jan 2021 6:40 am
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| Hey Susan, I was reading some of the Funny reviews and descriptions you got of your pedal steel. They reminded of my cousin asking me about my "Iron Guitar" |
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John Larson
From:
Pennsyltucky, USA
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Posted 25 Jan 2021 7:15 am
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| Susan Alcorn, Daniel Lanois, Heather Leigh, and Chuck Johnson for everyone that says "oh that weepy country instrument." It's like saying the electric guitar is only capable of hair metal. |
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Dale Rottacker
From:
Walla Walla Washington, USA
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