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Videos: Pasadena's Mysterious Jazz Piper Is Your Dad's New Hero
There's a man—some might say a hero—who has been driving around Pasadena while simultaneously playing sweet licks on what appears to be a recorder. It's just as amazing as it sounds, but who is he and why has he come here?
Recently, there have been numerous reports of a mysterious man who cruises around Pasadena while playing experimental woodwind solos over classic rock hits. A video posted to to the Pasadena subreddit by user SeagoatCM shows the white-haired, sunglasses-wearing luminary jamming overtop ZZ Top's "La Grange."
This Instagram video shows him again jamming out in traffic:
Here's another one:
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A commenter on @dotgovgov's Instagram said he's seen this luminary parked on Colorado in Pasadena jazz fluting at least four times. Other commenters said they, too, have encountered the mystery musician, only driving an SUV or van. That seems to be supported by this video of him in an SUV embellishing Pure Prairie League's "Amie."
While most can agree that he's truly fantastic, no one seems to be able to confirm his identity, though Reddit User arffarffarff claimed that this man is her father:
Dad has always been a, well, "artistic" kind of a guy. In the late 80's he was in a jazz band that toured with Kenny G. He was a big fan of acid jazz which is why you hear him playing that wild style. Sadly, my mother divorced him in 1996 because of his weird behavior and lack of money. I think it was the right decision. I still see him sometimes, but he lives in tiny apt on Fair Oaks which smells like cat. Nice enough guy though, wouldn't hurt a fly.
However, this potential origin story can neither be confirmed nor denied.
This video, which dubs him the Pasadena Piper, is taken from inside. You can't hear him, but you can see him relatively clearly as he's parked, headbanging away.
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The moniker 'Pied Piper' leads down an interesting path. The most famous piper in history is the fictitious Pied Piper of Hamelin, who is seen by some as a hero who saved Hamelin from the plague by using his music to lure the rats away. Of course, when Hamelin officials refused to pay him for the gig, he went all "Bitch Better Have My Money" on them and used his music to lure their children away to a mysterious fate, too.
If you have more videos of this man—or know a way to ask him if he does birthday parties—let us know.
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