DVD-The Blues/Rock Piano of Johnnie Johnson Review

Johnnie was Chuck Berry's piano player for years, Chuck pretty much copied Johnnie on his guitar and made a bunch of money. This is another DVD from Homespun.I bought Dr John's 2 DVD set. It is the benchmark now for all these instructional DVD's I seem to be accumulating.
Dr. John plays solo, Johnnie has a back up band.
The sound on this video is good, the band is too loud in some spots.
What it horrible is the camera work. In Dr. John's DVD's the camera is fixed above his head, you get optimal view of both hands. The camera guy for Johnnie is all over the place, creating angles and missing the second hand, or both hands way too much, also, when Johnnie is cooking, I don't care what the other players look like, let me see his hands!!! Too much time spent wandering around the room. The included booklet is too small and has lame transcriptions (all the homespun dvd's come with this). I gave it a 5 rating because of Johnnie, the man is an American Music Icon and $20 is a bargain to watch him play up close.

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Product Description:
Take a lesson with a true legend of American popular music! This DVD gives us a rare, up-close look into the style and technique of the man who co-wrote and played on all of Chuck Berry's biggest rock 'n' roll hits, including "Back in the USA;" "Memphis, Tennessee;" "Sweet Little Sixteen;" "Roll Over Beethoven;" "Rock & Roll Music;" and Berry's tribute to Johnnie, "Johnny B. Goode."
In a conversation with pianist/teacher David Bennett Cohen and guitarist Jimmy Vivino, and backed up by a top New York rhythm section, Johnnie breaks down his songs and grooves for blues piano enthusiasts, giving insights into his musical ideas and the history of rock and blues music. Our unique overhead camera angle provides a clear view of how Johnnie improvises the bass lines, chordal figures and lead parts that have made him so popular among musicians and fans alike. He performs each tune with the band, then patiently plays each one as slowly as possible for the sake of the learning pianist.
Johnnie performs and talks about a variety of powerful grooves: boogie woogie; slow blues; rumba rhythm; medium-tempo blues shuffle; rockabilly-style groove and more. Each one will provide many hours of repertoire-building ideas and techniques.

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2 DVD's-The Piano Styles of Dr John Review

I was expecting more dissection of what Dr John was playing than what is contained on these DVDs. There is an vast abundance of material but very little breakdown of it. To tell the truth, I think the moderator was a little intimidated and didn't want to press the issue of having the good doctor slowdown and explain some of the cliché' riffs he was playing. This would have been a huge benefit to aspiring hacks like myself wanting to learn some of the tricks of the trade. I feel I could of bought a few cds and been just as well off transcribing rather than purchasing this package. I suppose you could slow down the DVD and catch what he is doing. And, if you have the patience to do that you can probably gain a lot. But personally I would have rather been shown the breakdown of Dr John's riffs in a more instructional manner.

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Product Description:
These two DVDs and videos provide a rare opportunity to visit with Mac Rebennack (a.k.a. Dr. John), one of America's most brilliant and distinctive musical voices. This masterful piano player, prodigious songwriter, two-time Grammy Award winner and celebrated ambassador of New Orleans music demonstrates his remarkable instrumental technique, discusses his influences, and shares intriguing stories of a life in music. With his encyclopedic knowledge of musical styles, Mac plays and analyzes more than 30 tunes, from traditional New Orleans blues to the compositions of Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Doc Pomus and others. 2 DVDs or 2 VIDEOS * INCLUDES MUSIC * LEVEL 4

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