[Harp-L] Levy,Paparozzi,Meurkens Seminar

[dennis moriarty <dmoriarty@xxxxxxxxxx>]

 I am a diatonic player from NYC who was in good company this past  
Sunday at Rob's house in N.J. where he held this iconic seminar. Rob  
has to be the most generous guy in the business, all smiles and  
compliments. Whatever he can do to include and make you comfortable  
always seems to be his priority. Howard is pure music. While others  
are talking he's reaching for his harp or tapping his feet. He soared  
and descended on the harmonica in ways that would wake you up right  
at the point you thought something predictable was about to occur.  
Not being a chromatic player I'm not qualified to qualify Hendrik. He  
sounded very very fluid and expert. His personality was unpretentious  
and straightforward. In general there was nothing grandiose about any  
of these guys. The italian food wasn't bad either. There were  
attendee and teacher biographies. A song or two. And then a division  
of rooms between the diatonic guys and the chromatic guys (other than  
Rob's wife there were as is too often the case no woman). Howard led  
the diatonic and Henrik the chromatic seminars. Rob (symbolic of his  
ease between the two instruments) shuttled back and forth. As always  
there was a range of talent attending the seminars. Howard  
demonstrated and talked mostly about what else: overblows and  
overdraws.   This next part is 120 % subjective: I have attended a  
few of D. Barrett's Masterclasses out in San Jose (hanging with Lee  
Oscar, bumping into Mark Ford, gaping at deLay and Primich, etc.,  
etc.) and I never learn anything. But inspiration. Man these events  
galvanize me. Put me back on stage.   One of the things Howard talked  
about yesterday is the absence of transparency in the structure of  
playing: you can't see a tongue or breath in action. When he listened  
to me momentarily yesterday in a very complimentary way he could  
guess the placement of my tongue. I do what is commonly known (I  
believe) as u-blocking, i.e., kind of curling my tongue right  
underneath the isolated hole(s). This exact habitual form prohibits  
me from emulating some sounds that were demonstrated yesterday at  
Rob's house and years ago at the Masterclasses. Doe's that stop me  
from going. Hell no. For me inspiration is a much greater currency  
than academics. And to witness so many excited people in one place  
with a shared passion. Wow. I hope Rob lassoes more of these  
unpretentious geniuses for future seminars at his home. As a new york  
city (where have all the blues clubs with national acts gone) guy I'm  
starving for them. Finally I have to say that watching the trio of  
Rob, Howard, and Henrik trading solos during a song, Howard doing  
solo piano post seminar, and Rob doing a chromatic song with piano  
accompaniment were worth the price of admission of the seminar.     
dennis (nyc)