[Harp-L] astute posts

[Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I have to agree with Paul--that was a very astute post by Richard  
Hunter on Popper's influence on this Miller kid (I saw a bit last  
night while wishing I was doing something other than watching TV but  
not motivated enough to actually do anything else).

Ironically I was just having a conversation about this very subject.   
A friend pointed out that it takes about ten years after someone is  
popular for them to really impact the next group of players coming  
up.  Peers might change in some ways, but the real disciples don't  
come along for a decade or so.  About ten years after Hendrix you  
started to get a new crop of Jimi-inspired players (Van Halen,  
Satriani, etc..--I know, many will shudder at the thought, but they  
all took his technique as the starting point for their own), Parker  
changed all of jazz with Dizzy and others), but it wasn't until the  
late 50's we started to see sax players like Trane and Coleman who  
used Bird as their first reference.  So, now, ten years or so after  
"Blues Travellers" height we are seeing some young players come up  
who play in the Popper style, Miller being one.

It is interesting, and pretty much discounts my previous notes that I  
don't see much Popper influence amongst young players.  Of course,  
that was ten years ago, so I shouldn't have even been looking back  
then.  That was when Levy's wave of disciples first came on the  
scene--about ten years after the "Flecktones" first got some  
exposure, notably.

BTW, Buzz is a very,very astute individual, and I don't believe for a  
second he had to look up that word.  Now, he may have to look up the  
word...damn, I always sucked at vocabulary.

Finally, I've seen a lot of Elvis Costello bashing lately--first in a  
letter to "Downbeat" and then here.  The subject is usually the same:  
"what's he done to deserve exposure".  Well, he sold a lot of  
records.  Maybe not all that many recently, but I bet he's sold more  
in his career than most  someone like Piazza--by a lot.  Not to say  
he's better or worse for that, but that's what he's done.  If you  
want to get exposure as a professional musician it's simple: be  
successful, ie, make money.  Not necessarily for yourself, but at  
least for your record company.  Then exposure will come.

Finally, plans on the baritone chromatic proceed.  It will be ready  
in the year 2021.  I'm taking orders now, starting at a low  
introductory fee of $5,000, deposited in full (deposit will be  
forfeited if depositor asks for product or time-table of product  
before the year 2021 or if the builder so wishes).




 ()()    JR "Bulldogge" Ross
()  ()   & Snuffy, too:)
`----'