[Harp-L] Famous Harmonica Players (John Popper)

[The Iceman]

yup, touched a nerve....look at all the explaining going on!
I'm not a fan of fast sequential pattern playing that ignores the chord changes......not disputing his popularity at all....glad YOU like it, so no reason for debate with me pros/cons here.





-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Hunter <rhunter377 at xxxxx>
To: harp-l at xxxxx <harp-l at xxxxx>
Sent: Tue, Jan 29, 2019 11:12 am
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Famous Harmonica Players (John Popper)

The Iceman wrote:
oh Richard.....touched a nerve, did I?
(tee hee).

Not really.  I just get very, very tired of harmonica players complaining,
on the one hand, that the harmonica and the people who play it don't get no
respect, and on the other hand relentlessly bashing the one serious
harmonica player in the last 20 years who actually achieved a high degree
of mass interest by taking a very innovative approach to the instrument.

Can't have it both ways, man. A few weeks ago people were saying on this
list that the best-known harmonica players are, to put it bluntly, not very
accomplished on the instrument: Dylan, Jagger, Young, etc. etc.  Popper is
accomplished on the instrument--try to play what he plays and you'll find
that out in half a minute.  And yet all he gets for it from most harp
players is "that's not Little Walter."

Wishing that your favorite blues player had the kind of mass recognition
that Popper has achieved doesn't cut it.  The audience voted.  He won.

Regards, Richard Hunter