Subject: [Harp-L] Levy,Paparozzi,Meurkens Seminar

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Dennis writes:
 
" 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)"
 
.....that's a marvelous review, Dennis...and I've been kicking myself for  
some time for not accepting Rob's offer because I believed I was far too  much 
of a neophyte to be in the same room as these instructors (or the much more  
advanced players who would be attending)...but it would have been amazing  to 
just sit in the corner and listen to them (I'm also a big fan of Howard's  piano 
playing as well as his harmonica).  As you've said, the  Inspiration alone 
would have been worth the price of admission.   Unfortunately, I would have 
ended up having to cancel as I just lost my 14-year  old dog over the weekend and 
have been much too sad to do much or go  anywhere.  I hope that at Robert's 
Grand Canyon seminar I might acquire a  bit more gumption to show up if Rob 
decides to do this again. 
 
Thanks to you and Steve Merola for your reviews....very nice.
 
Elizabeth