John's Jazz Oasis

Getting back into the Jazz Blogosphere!

2008-03-13T11:47:00.002-05:00

I have been superbusy these past couple of months and have not found time to do much blogging, as work and family have occupied most of my time, but I am hoping to get back to blogging again in the near future. Here are some of the topics I am hoping to look at in more detail:

-album reviews of some of the jazz legends
-looking at the mind-body-spirit connections in jazz and musical improvisation
-building bridges from jazz and blues to other styles
-the music theory behind jazz vocabulary
-jazz as a metaphor for the creative life

More to come soon!

Peace,

John

Top Ten Favorite Jazz Guitarists

2007-11-17T02:39:00.000-05:00

I thought it might be fun to post a few lists of my all-time favorite jazz musicians. Jazz Guitar is my instrument, so that is where I will start. Each player is unique and hard to compare, but here goes:

1. Wes Montgomery- hands down my favorite
2. Joe Pass- his Virtuoso cds knocked my socks off when I first heard them
3. Charlie Christian- his life was cut tragically short at 26, but he was a genius
4. Django Reinhardt- An early pioneer of Gypsy jazz guitar
5. Barney Kessel- played with a fluidity and talent like few others
6. Charlie Byrd- known for helping bring bossa to the U.S.; a nylon string virtuoso
7. Chet Atkins- incredible fingerstyle jazz-rockabilly genius
8. Jim Hall- a skillfully sublime jazz guitarmaster; rich harmonic ideas & phrasing
9. George Benson- amazingly versatile in his mastery of jazz guitar
10. Earl Klugh- excellent melodic solo ideas, fingerstyle, and harmonic textures

Honorable mentions: Pete Smyser (my teacher), Kenny Burrell, Johnny Smith, Tal Farlow, Les Paul, Grant Green, Pat Metheny, Russell Malone, Mimi Fox, Pat Martino, John McLaughlin, Mike Stern, Eddie Lang, Jimmy Raney, Bucky Pizzarelli.

Liberty Jazz Fest- Earl Klugh, Bob James & band!

2007-09-13T23:31:00.000-05:00

Bob playing a lively rendition of "Angela," the instrumental theme from "Taxi."

More photos from Liberty Jazz Fest!

2007-09-13T22:55:00.000-05:00

Earl's guitar

Great bass solo amidst Earl & Bob's set...

Bob James is an amazing jazz pianist!

Earl getting into it... :-)

Photos from Liberty Jazz Fest!

2007-09-13T22:24:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos from The Liberty Jazz Festival- on Sunday, September 9th in Jersey City, NJ across the river from Manhattan.

The featured performers for the day were: Earl Klugh & Bob James, The Joshua Redman Trio, Gil Parris, Kyle Eastwood, and Branford Marsalis. It was incredible!

I went out to hear Earl Klugh- one of my guitar heroes, but I enjoyed them all!

Earl in concert with Bob James and an incredible band!

Me with Earl. A big highlight of a great evening of excellent jazz!

Plumbing the Depths of the Spirit- one song at a time...

2007-08-17T15:09:00.000-05:00

During the summer months, while my wife and daughter are frolicking down at the shore and I am home working, I have a lot of evenings to myself. One of my passions is playing jazz (and blues and folk and classical and rock) guitar. Well now, I have been playing and studying the guitar for almost ten years and LOVE IT. It takes a lot of hard work to begin to journey toward mastery of the instrument and the expression of musical art through that instrument. I still have a long way to go on that journey, but I feel good about where I am with it right now.

Lately (for the past few months) in addition to velocity exercises, chord inversions and progressions, I have been working on a great jazz tune called "Lament" by jazz trombone great J.J. Johnson.

A seemingly simple melody with a very straight forward chord progression. Yet, I am finding there are so many nuances of expression within those notes if one really truly "plumbs the depths" of each musical nook and cranny that the melody evokes. This is the essence of jazz- focused, collaborative, synergistic creative expression through music.

Contrary to what some may think too- despite that jazz is a freer, more creative medium that incorporates improvisation, it takes excellent mastery of the instrument, knowledge of the genre, and fluency with the lingua franca, or common language of jazz. The great jazz masters- like Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis or Wes Montgomery, commanded such a mastery of the instrument and the art, that their performances and improvisations sound so effortless to the untrained ear. This sense of "effortless," flowing musical expression, at its best, speaks to the deepest parts of the human Spirit.

This does not happen by the artist just sitting down without having ever practiced or prepared and just starting to play. No- all the jazz greats first had to "pay their dues" in the woodshed practicing and practicing. Practice can seem tedious without a greater vision or sense of purpose in it. However, when the time is put in, and effort consistently made- the fruit of this labor can be amazing and almost ethereal.

After practicing "Lament" literally for several months on end- carefully learning all the chords, every last note in the melody, then playing the chords in all the possible inversions, and finally putting chords and melody together at the same time with embellishments and improvisations weaved in to fit with the chords- there was recently a moment of epiphany of sorts.

After practicing very methodically, note by note, chord by chord- playing the challenging spots over, and over, and over again until it went from labored stumbling to a smooth, beautiful effortless flow- I finally had an "a ha!" moment where I realized why I had been working so hard for all this time, and why my teacher had patiently guided and encouraged me through all that work and practice.

I played (or 'comped') the chords into the digital "looper" I have in my basement hooked to an amp, then pressed the loop switch, and began my workout- I was finally ready to "plumb the depths" of this song- having put in the time, struggled through the practice leading up to this point. After a time or two through warming up, I began to feel a pull from my inner Spirit, guiding my fingers to the notes and chords that best expressed how this tremendously moving melody was speaking to my heart.

I started with a basic statement of the melody as written over the chords- then I built on it, and built on it. I played, and I played, and I played- polishing the spots I had struggled with, and seeking to explore new creative musical territory as I went. The music was drawing my deeper and deeper- and at the same time God was speaking and ministering to my heart through this music- perhaps something like David must have felt when he played his harp and sung the Psalms he had written.

When I finally concluded the session, my fingers ached a little bit and I had gained a new callous or two, but it felt good- I had completed (or God had completed in me) a labor of love! This brought me the greatest peace I had felt in a long time, and was cathartic for me in many ways. Playing and studying the guitar is one of the ways that I meditate and plumb the depths of my inner Spirit.

I borrowed the metaphor "plumbing the depths" from the vocation of river pilots, who are knowledgeable experts at navigating a particular stretch of a river or waterway. They explore, learn about, study and get to know that stretch of river better than almost anyone around. They know where the channels and shoals are; they know where the sandbars and hidden rocks lie; they know the idiosynchrasies of the currents and weather conditions, and most of all- they know the best way to pilot a ship through that stretch safely and efficiently.

In many ways, God's Holy Spirit guides us in a similar way on our journey- a river pilot or jazz guitar master- has an amazing, genius-like skill in one particular, focused area. God's Spirit, though is always with us, always goes before us and knows the way.

The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery

2007-07-07T00:00:00.000-05:00

Wes Montgomery was, without a doubt, one of the greatest jazz guitar legends of all time. In less than ten years as a solo artist he recorded one of the most impressive canons of jazz guitar music ever assembled. First and foremost among his worthy offerings was "The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery."

This ambitious title album lives up to every bit of its name- as any serious jazz guitarist worth his chops will tell you. He is capably accompanied by Tommy Flannigan-piano, Percy Heath-bass and Albert Heath-drums.

In this great album Wes puts on a clinic for aspiring guitarists and jazzers alike. There is scant a plunked note or unfinished solo idea to be found amongst this amazing treasure trove of spectacularly crisp and original jazz innovation.

West Coast Blues is one of my favorite tracks on this album. In this one, Wes starts out by playing through the theme twice. It is one of four original Wes Montgomery tunes on the prodigious album. In it, Wes takes a swingin' blues progression, throws in an awesome tri-tone chord substitution leading to the IV.

After stating the theme, Wes makes ample use of the classic ii-V-I in a variety of keys spiraling on a journey through a variety of keys, finally arriving back in B-flat where it began. Over top of this great progression, Wes lays down amazing solo after amazing solo- starting with sequential patterns, moving to octaves, then to chord-melody and capping it off with amazing riffs highlighted by brilliant chord substitutions. Percy Heath then chimes in with three solid choruses on the piano.

Four on Six starts out with a driving bass riff solidly backed up by a driving drumbeat. Then Wes enters stating the theme crisply and succinctly. Again, brilliant soloing from the master guitarist ensues. Absolutely spectacular for any true jazzer! Another great original from Wes. This one really cooks!

D-Natural Blues is a capable jazz blues with some interesting variations to the classic 12 bar blues pattern.

Mister Walker (Renie)

Airegin- by Sonny Rollins

Gone With The Wind

In Your Own Sweet Way- by Dave Brubeck

Are also solid tracks on this pioneering jazz guitar album. If you have not listened to it already- pick it up and check it out. It is one of Wes' best studio albums- and, I believe, surpassed only by his later live albums: Smokin' at the Half Note, and Full House.

Keep on jazzin'!

Peace,

John

Jonesing for some Stevie!

2007-05-25T19:35:00.000-05:00

Lately I have been really getting into some of Stevie Wonder's incredible soul-blues-jazz-funk.

This first clip is a version of 'Superstition' recorded live for (believe it or not) an episode of "Sesame Street" (otherwise known as ADD theatre for generation X-check out the young headbanger in the background)- it still kicks it pretty good and hey- it's Stevie doing his thing!

And dig those groovy duds ;-)

Charlie Christian-The Genius of The Electric Guitar

2007-04-27T06:13:00.000-05:00

Charlie Christian was one of the pioneering innovators of the jazz guitar. Christian started playing as a young boy in Texas then Oklahoma, and as a teen began playing in small clubs as a sideman. He eventually ended up in Kansas City on the club scene where he was discovered by producer John Hammond. Hammond was immediately captivated by Christian's dazzling single-note solos and arranged for Charlie to fly out to Los Angeles to audition with bandleader Benny Goodman.

Charlie auditioned for Goodman by playing "Rose Room," in which Charlie amazed Benny and the band by unleashing chorus after chorus of fresh solos- all creative, original and crisp. The young 22 year old from a small town in Oklahoma had arrived on the national jazz scene. The jazz world would never be the same.

Over the next several years, Christian played, toured and recorded profusely with Goodman. These recordings remain among the best jazz guitar playing ever recorded. Sadly, the arc of this rising prodigy was cut tragically short when he came down with tuberculosis and died shortly thereafter in 1942 at the young age of 26.

The Genius of the Electric Guitar, is an excellent compilation of some of Charlie's best work with Benny Goodman and his band. His solos are clear, crisp, creative and innovative. He played the guitar like it had never been played before- as a viable jazz solo instrument that captivated everyone who listened.

The tracks from this compilation are all excellent, but the ones that are particularly noteworthy in highlighting Charlie Christian's incredibly innovative and pioneering jazz guitar style are: Rose Room, Seven Come Eleven, and Solo Flight.

Jazz guitar legends who came along in the next generation, like Wes Montgomery and Barney Kessel said they were so captivated by Christian's solos, they listened to them over and over again memorizing every note and riff. Charlie Christian was a truly incredible and pioneering jazz guitar innovator, whose life was cut tragically short by tuberculosis in 1942. He left an incredible and impressive collection of recordings behind, though that are well worth delving into voraciously- for aspiring jazz guitarists and fans alike.

Enjoy and keep on jazzing!

John

2007-04-05T17:53:00.001-05:00

I just found this great clip of Nat King Cole, Oscar Peterson, Coleman Hawkins, and Herb Ellis performing the jazz classic "Sweet Lorraine." Enjoy!

If you love it, then live it...

2007-02-13T18:11:00.000-05:00

Lately I have been reflecting on my love for playing and listening to great jazz music as one of my passions in life. When one is passionate about a pursuit or interest, there has to be a committment there to back up the talk. For me, as a person who has a full-time day job, and is learning jazz guitar on the side, along with trying to be a good father and husband, I need to discipline myself to practice each and every day.

Practice is not instantly gratifying, but, if done consistently and effectively it definitely pays off...

A lot of the exercises my guitar teacher had (and has me doing) don't always seem to make sense in the short term, but eventually, once practice time has been devoted consistently enough, there will come some epiphanies and "a ha!" moments, where we (and hopefully others also) experience the fruits of our labors...

Here's to practicing, working at, and immersing ourselves in the music we love!

Peace,

John

In Blues Kinda Mood...

2007-02-06T07:42:00.000-05:00

When I woke up this mornin' I was in a blues kinda mood, so here are a few choice blues clips I found:

Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King & Albert Collins with a sizzling rendition of the SRV classic "Texas Flood."

B.B. King and friends blues jam- "Everybody Wanna Know Why I sing the Blues." Some big name players, playing (and singing) some really tight blues- Chicago style...

Enjoy!

More great jazz & blues to come soon!

Peace,

John

A few more clips from my fav jazz guitarists...

2007-01-26T07:56:00.000-05:00

Here are a few more clips from some of my favorite jazz guitarists. I am hoping to post some album reviews, interesting jazz links and resources in the next few days, so be sure to check back...

and keep on jazzin'!

Joe Pass riffing on "All the Things You Are"... be sure to check out his "Virtuoso" albums if you have not already- absolutely INCREDIBLE!

Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grapelli's "Hot Club Quintet"- Django was one of THE early jazz guitar pioneers who paved the way for all who followed... there is a bit of commentary in the beginning, but keep listening for some great gypsy jazz! Notice Django's unusual two-finger fretting technique- apparently he was maimed in a fire as a boy and had to develop his own unique way of playing with fewer fingers- he was amazing!

Check out this great clip from Russell Malone. I saw Russell perform live the last time he was here in Philly, and had the opportunity to meet & talk with him after the show. He has played as a sideman for the likes of Diana Krall and Harry Connick, jr., among others, and plays a mean jazz guitar (in the best sense of the phrase- this guy is amazing!). Some of his stuff leans toward the avant garde, but he also has solid classic jazz chops...

Enjoy! More to come soon...

Some of my Favorite Jazz Guitar Performances

2007-01-23T07:46:00.001-05:00

Here's one of my absolute favorite jazz guitarists- Wes Montgomery playing "Full House"- enjoy! (it always amazes me how he plays with his thumb like that- do not try this at home, people :-)

The great George Benson playing a scorching jazz guitar rendition of the Brubeck classic "Take Five"...

Chet Atkins, George Benson and Earl Klugh playing the jazz classic "Cherokee"...

The Barney Kessel Trio playing a cool rendition of "Misty"...

Herb Ellis & Barney Kessel trade some smokin' jazz licks...

More great jazz guitar to come! Stay tuned & check back often!

Peace,

J

Welcome to John's Jazz Guitar blog!

2007-01-23T07:33:00.000-05:00

It is my hope that this bog will be a web oasis for jazz guitar fans to see and hear the best jazz guitar performances, read great jazz CD & DVD reviews, and find excellent resources.

Thanks for checking it out! Stop back often, as I am hoping to update it regularly.

Keep on jazzin'!

Peace,

John