He's using chorus to obscure his inaccurate bends. But if you can overblow decently, this isn't so hard to play in tune. (He also could have used a country tuned harp to avoid the 5 overblow.)
He also doesn't bother to learn the pickups to the main notes, which renders his delivery of the melody a simplified coloring-book version where he just delivers an outline. It seems he prefers striking cool poses to spending a couple of minutes learning the tune properly.
Playing this tune is sort of a cool idea. But if it's worth doing, it's worth doing well. =========== Winslow
He's playing standard-tuned harp. A Lee Oskar Melody Maker would have solved his pitch problems - the 5 OB used to get the major 7th of the scale (which comes in flat) and the 2-semitone Draw 3 bend (which he always plays sharp). =========== Winslow
EDIT: I think that with a little help from us this video could match the numbers of some other less interesting harmonica videos. Maybe one million views? ----------
Doug S.
Last Edited by dougharps on May 08, 2016 1:41 PM
of course us oldsters remember this Herb Alpert...but most do not know how many most excellent recordings he has made in recent years.... ---------- The Iceman
Iceman, thanks for the heads up. I downloaded the album "Come Fly With Me" off Amazon and it is infinitely more listenable than the posted video. I was playing along a little in 1st and 12th position on a Bb harp. The melodies are not hard. Alpert's artistry is not in complexity, but in the great expression with which he plays. I can hit the notes, but matching the feeling is another story.
When I was a kid living at home I had wide taste in music, Telemann, Queen, Bach, Kansas, Stravinsky, Alice Cooper, Walter Carlos, Handel etc. When my dad would come home he would almost always say, "Turn off that noise". The only exception seemed to be Herb Alpert.
Last Edited by STME58 on May 10, 2016 9:22 PM
This is what happens when your cross Ben Stiller's "Zoolander" character with a harp player. I thought the guy's antics were amusing (at least mildly so) but at the same time I'm not completely convinced he's going for satire.
It seems clear that few have paid attention to Little roger's post.
I guess that is likely the case on most threads: people don't read and think through previous posts, just rush to voice their own views. I am probably guilty of this, too.
I read the post by Little roger and reviewed the video. It seems quite clear in the closeups near the beginning that Little roger is quite observant. Upon reviewing, I agree with his take on this video. ----------
Is it Adam? In which case he's been busy, AKA Sugarlips has loads of videos https://www.youtube.com/user/motorgrass and he's playing Lee Oskars, so that would be a whole new persona.
If Rontana is correct and it is a satire on the 'crazy harp man playing wild out of tune harmonica', I'd be happier about the whole thing. Actually there are some interesting uses of effects, for instance on his version of Telstar. The backings are good and I like the video production, very watchable, more interesting than the common 'playing head'. I just wish it was in tune.
I'm sure I couldn't do any better, but as Dr Johnson said, 'You don't have to be a master carpenter to complain that the table wobbles.'
Last Edited by MindTheGap on May 11, 2016 8:25 AM
At great risk of being expelled from the forum ;-), I don't just think it LOOKS like Adam, which it does. I actually think it SOUNDS like Adam. Outing myself again, I have only seen Adam in three videos, one in his car and one in some recent documentary. And his Crossroads video (yes, this guy even moves like Adam in that video! ;-))
What got me thinking is his tone - sorry Adam but this guy sounds like you. Your phrasing, actual tone and attack are all here, even if you are deliberately trying to bend badly. It's actually quite hard to bend badly if you can bend well. It certainly sounds different to someone who CAN'T actually bend well. For those of you who know Adam and his sound better than me, feel free to go back and have a look to prove me wrong. But I would trust me ears more than my eyes here. It's Adam.
Last Edited by Little roger on May 11, 2016 8:40 AM
I didn't know what that referred to so I made the mistake of searching for it. Hmmm. Now I'll not be able to quote Samuel Johnson again. That's a whole raft of useful aphorisms lost to me now :)
I've been waiting to deploy that particular quote especially for when I expressed an opinion and someone challenged me to do better.
Honestly, you could have just let it go by... :)
Last Edited by MindTheGap on May 11, 2016 9:16 AM
Roger: Noooooooooo, I don't think so. Whoever this guy is, he's sorta the anti-Gussow. I agree completely with Winslow's take on his playing.
I love the song, however. My parents had the Herb Alpert record this was on--in fact, three or four of his albums--and I have distinct memories of warm times in the family kitchen with this song cranking and my parents tossing back a few tequila shots (yes, my parents occasionally did that) while my mom fried tortillas for tostadas, grated cheese, made the frijoles, fried the chorizos, opened cans of salsa.....
I may have a Russian-Jewish last name, and I AM a blues guy, but my mother was a Californian, from Alhambra, and my native cuisine, to the extent that I have a native cuisine, is Mexicano, with an "h" on that second syllable.
When I was a busker in NYC, I played this tune in first position. It falls easily there. I need to record this.
My first impression was that the fella in the video above looks like William Dafoe and is just having a bit of fun.
I enjoyed listening to quite a bit of TJ Brass on my Folk's albums as a lad and fondly recall ogling the Mango Pie album and wishing for a meltdown.
As we ponder correct pronunciations, the band's official phonetic name would be Ti-hwa-na Brass south of the border and many points north.
Last Edited by JustFuya on May 12, 2016 1:27 AM
can't let that old video above be a defining image for Herb Alpert, as he is so much more...
what follows is a nice enough version of the song, but it is the artistry in a one continuous shot video that is amazing - almost hard to believe. (Ending shot of bartender and patron is Herb and his wife).
For an amazing music experience (w/out video), this album is a must listen...
I can't fathom how anyone would think this player is actually Adam Gussow, one of the most influential blues harmonica players of the last 30 years. That truly is confusing to me.
@scojo I can only answer for my own short lived thoughts on this.
When I read Little roger's post I re-read Adam's post and found it to be ambiguous and open to interpretation.
Following Little roger's cue, I watched the video again, particularly the beginning with close up and smile. I convinced myself that the character I was viewing was a disguised Adam Gussow in wig and shades, deliberately engaging in a lame rendition of the song, and hamming it up with mock album covers scrolling across. Pretty good covers, too! (Yes, I have terrible facial recognition skills, just ask my wife!)
My thought was, "Wow, Adam went to a lot of trouble to spoof lame internet harp players!"
In no way did I confuse the playing with Adam's. Aside from seeing him in online video, I attended 2 HCHs, and saw Adam there, as well as at Rooster's and at the BBQ Shack gig.
I even looked at Adam's photo on this site and went over the first part of the video several times. I convinced myself I was seeing Adam being silly.
When someone posted about seeing other videos by "Sugarlips" I checked them out and posted my retraction. It was NOT Adam, to my chagrin.
Adam, I never confused that playing with yours except to think that you were deliberately playing poorly as part of a spoof.
There is something about that smile, but if it's Adam pulling our leg he's gone to great lengths. This guy has a web site and everything. (The pics on the site look less Adam-like.)
I have been following this thread and thinking it lends itself well to the oft discussed topic of Showmanship vs Musicianship, and how one can make up for the other. Daniel Joseph is not displaying much musicianship and if it were not for his showmanship, we would not be discussing this.
Herb Alpert has a lot of talent as a trumpeter and a band leader and general creative person, But if it weren't for his showmanship (and the Whipped Cream album cover), we probably would not be discussing him here either. I am not knocking Alpert, I love his music. It, unlike Joseph's is worth listening to even with out the video, I am just saying that Alpert's showmanship adds to the whole package and takes it to a place it would not be based on just the musicianship. I liked the way he placed himself as both the bus driver and the bartender in "Puttin' on the Ritz"
I think an example on the other end of the spectrum with miles of musicality and not a lot of theatrics would be Miles Davis. Not much showmanship but a long lasting impact on music. Louis Armstrong had a similar world changing musical talent, but quite a bit more showmanship.
Showmanship can get you a big audience for a while, but to make a lasting impact in the world you need genius and talent, musical or otherwise.
Last Edited by STME58 on May 15, 2016 12:23 PM
Heard and interview with Herb Alpert on NPR yesterday. I was surprised to learn he did all of the trumpet tracks on many of his albums. I also liked that he quoted Stravinsky about stealing ideas.
This was interesting for me because I am terrible at melodies, but even by my ear, I can tell he's not playing these melodies. Maybe it's because I know the originals so well. Needs much more woodshedding.
But I will take this to the next level and say that this is simply someone wanting to be a YouTube star. It fits the formula - fake talent, over-the-top showmanship, and basic video skills. Combine that with using other people's music without permission to get views and you've got yourself a YouTube star.
I got a couple of Melody Makers recently, and I am working in being more melodic (in 2nd). He inspires me to go away and not come back until I'm ready.
