[Harp-L] Fw: Rob P and B S & T in Gothenburg (re-post)

[martin oldsberg <martinoldsberg@xxxxxxxxx>]

(I wrote a few words on Rob P and B S & T the other day, but it appears not to have made it to the list, so I re-post.)

--- On Sat, 6/5/10, martin oldsberg <martinoldsberg@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:








Rob Paparozzi is a well known presence here on Harp-l, and I have a couple of his records w/ the Rats, I hear him on Youtube, but have so far never seen him live.
  Tonight he played with Blood Sweat & Tears here in Gothenburg and I was fortunate enough to attend. Great fun. (And for once this inclement place that we masochists call "home" provided agreeable weather.)
  
BS&T kinda fell off my radar sometime in the 70s (I´m not particularly unique there, I guess), there´s only one original member still in the band, and they have a catalogue of numbers that "must" be done -- and such things doesn´t always bode well: it can be more lika a "brand name" touring the world than actual musicians. 
  Happily these guys put on a great show, at an impossible venue (an amusement park ... not their fault) and gave a slightly hungry impression, which was very sympathetic.
  Rob, if you haven´t heard him, has a deep and powerful soul voice, and an easy stage presence. Professional in the best of senses. 
  Gotta envy the guy, playing the harmonicas at the level and then sing as well.
  Of course BS&T aren´t primarily a showcase for Rob´s harmonica playing, but he snuck in a couple of nice chromatic solos and a very appreciated version of a Nordic folk song, "Who can sail without the wind" (you can also hear him do it on Youtube).
  Steve Katz, bandleader (?) with a somewhat fleeting stage manner ... plays a bit of harp as well, not bad, but I´m sure he would profit by some lessons from Rob. (But don´t say I said so.)
 
Anyway, the wife and I had a great time and I recommend you good folks to catch BS&T if they´re in your part of the world. 
  Rob is accessible and no diva and he will sign your T-shirt or whatever you bring along, even your ... -- trombone?! (I didn´t get that one ... probably some sexual connotation that escaped me.)
 
 Thank you Rob, for this injection of musical vivaciousness and best of luck with the rest of the tour.
 
Cheers from,
Martin,
a giddy headed insomniac.