▁Eth el ▁W aters , ▁the ▁min st rel ▁convention ▁of ▁black face , ▁which ▁surv ived ▁in ▁the ▁vast ly ▁popular ▁performances ▁of ▁Al ▁J ol son ▁and ▁Edd ie ▁Cant or , ▁had ▁become ▁an ▁embar rass ment   – ▁at ▁least ▁to ▁some ▁critics ." ▁ ▁However , ▁" An other ▁critic ... ▁said ▁it ▁was ▁a ▁genu ine ▁human ▁plot ▁of ▁American ▁life ▁and ▁for esh adow ed ▁things ▁to ▁come ▁from ▁G ers h win ," ▁and ▁another ▁wrote ▁that ▁" This ▁opera ▁will ▁be ▁im itated ▁in ▁a ▁hundred ▁years ." ▁Most ▁important ly , ▁a ▁third ▁critic ▁was ▁rel ieved ▁that ▁" Here ▁at ▁last , ▁is ▁a ▁genu in ely ▁human ▁plot ▁of ▁American ▁life , ▁set ▁to ▁music ▁in ▁the ▁American ▁ve in , ▁using ▁jazz ▁only ▁at ▁the ▁right ▁moments , ▁the ▁bl ues , ▁and ▁above ▁all , ▁a ▁new ▁and ▁free ▁rag time ▁time ▁rec itative . ▁In ▁it ▁we ▁see ▁the ▁first ▁gle am ▁of ▁a ▁new ▁American ▁musical ▁art ." ▁Many ▁bi ograph ers ▁and ▁music olog ists ▁would ▁see ▁such ▁an ▁assess ment ▁as ▁a ▁proph etic ▁prediction ▁of ▁the ▁accomplish ment ▁that ▁G ers h win ▁would ▁make ▁th ir teen ▁years ▁later ▁with ▁P org y ▁and ▁B ess . ▁ ▁Blue ▁Monday ▁was ▁one ▁of ▁G ers h win ' s ▁prem ature ▁works ▁and ▁la cks ▁the ▁musical ▁and ▁dram atic ▁s oph istic ation ▁of ▁his ▁later ▁musical s ▁and ▁P org y