Which is the True Purist-- the one who faithfully reproduces a much-loved style or performer exactly as the orginal first did it (or exactly as one imagines the orignal might do it it if still alive and pickin')... or the one who embodies the creativity of the original, but not necessarily the exact style?

To put it another way-- the band that duplicates the instrumentation, phrasing, and overall sound of the original, or the one who takes a cue from the original by using whatever is at hand, lets the song be the song, and captures the spirit if not the sound of the original?

Whatcha think? What do YOU aim for?

~Susan