Re: [Harp-L] John Popper Performance at NAMM 2015

[robert <harpbob@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

You know what, Michelle? John Popper really IS a great player, isn't he? When he first appeared on the scene, I loved what he did; however, over the years I sort of cooled on it, began to find him boring and quit listening. This was the first time I've really listened in several (8-10?) years...and huh? He has a unique, original style. For all his excesses (IMO), he is an original. How many players are that? Few.

For me, original equals great.
WVa Bob

Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 2, 2015, at 8:23 AM, "Michelle LeFree" <mlefree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> J Schaman wrote:
> 
>> Here is the complete John Popper performance at the Fender booth at NAMM
>> 2015:
>> 
>> http://youtu.be/3FkotY95kCA
> Thanks for that terrific link, John. Very high quality audio and video close-ups of a rare acoustic Popper.
> 
> I had seen the first part with him playing "Runaround," probably my favorite Blues Traveler song, but I hadn't seen the second song (the name of which I do not know -- I'll call it the "Train" song). Having listened to "Runaround" a thousand times or so I was more impressed with his "Train" song in which he really lets go with his pyrotechnic playing style. What I found particularly interesting were the close-ups of him playing (9:00 - 10:20), which you almost never see as most other videos I've seen are taken from a distance with him on a big stage. I loved watching all the things he does with his face, mouth and jaw and breathing. They are all orchestrated in constant motion of one kind or another. I noticed a heavy reliance on "jaw flicks," which it seems many really fast players use, but I had never seen Popper doing it.
> 
> Even if you  don't care for his playing style, this high-quality video sequence of him with a single unseen guitar player in an acoustic setting offers a rare opportunity to gain insights into a great player's unique style.
> 
> Michelle
>