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Hi all.
what advice would you have for a very accomplised classical guitarist ( it's definately not me!) who wants to get into the jazz idiom.
he is a graduate of new england conservatory, studied with eliot fisk, oscar ghiglia et al and is now a faculty at a university in boston.
he has several cds out on a major label and his playing partner is also a really good violinist also thinking jazz.
my first and most obvious suggestion would be Django/Stephane arrangements, maybe some Dave Brubeck-Paul Desmond, Take Five, Rondo al Turk.
they will be playing together and I am really excited because sometimes classical music makes me sleepy
Any advice or tunes you can recommend. I'll be sharng this with him so all comments appreciated.
thanks.
jonathan
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02-28-2015 06:16 PM
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...........My opinion as soon as I read this - I would get him to hear / listen to Ralph Towner as soon as possible.......I believe he's going to end up there anyway, so the sooner he gets there the better.....
.. while RT may not have specifically done a duet w/ violin, once you say ' jazz' and gut string guitar, he's it....the violin would fit if you get the guitar right.....
some titles: any " Oregon ", "Winter Consort ",...Ralph w/ Gary Burton', etc etc.......
Of course, MHO and all the best luck to him !!
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Thanks DennisB. Yeah the match book(?) recording is nice, and especially Icarus.
RichB- at first I thought your comment somewhat well,... but then I thought about the Joe Pass with Andre Previn or Jean piere Rampel crap and and see absolutely what you are saying! So thanks, I get it.
However, if determined where would you start. His bachground like many of us is rock-blues and I believe he "feels" the music and will be able to swing.
Jonathan
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[QUOTE=
His bachground like many of us is rock-blues and I believe he "feels" the music and will be able to swing.
Jonathan[/QUOTE]
......the original post said this player was an 'accomplished classical guitarist'......now he's a 'determined rock/blues' player ?.....
.......scratching my head....
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Andrew York, of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, has written three volumes that your friend might find of interest
- Jazz for Classical Cats I: Harmony (method book w/CD)
- Jazz for Classical Cats II: Chord/Melody (method book w/CD)
- Jazz for Classical Cats III: Improvisation (method book w/CD)
They are published by Alfred Music. The series was written for the National Guitar Workshop and pitched at intermediate classical guitarists. But if you friend hasn't had much exposure to jazz playing and theory, it might be a good place to start.
The music of the String Trio of New York (guitar, violin, and double bass) might provide some inspiration, though I think guitarist James Emery is a jazzer playing on an archtop. STNY is a really fine example of jazz chamber music, with an avant-garde tinge.
In addition to listening to Ralph Towner, Charlie Byrd and Laurindo Almeida are two must listens.
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Lionel Loueke maybe? Certainly not a conventional jazz guy. Plays finger style and on nylon strings most of the time as far as I know. Might make for an interesting bridge.
As for him staying in his area so he doesn't trash "our" music....seems like we already have plenty of guys in our own area that trash the music plenty. I say follow your passion. We shouldn't be imprisoned by the music we loved yesterday. Always growing, opening up to more and more. There are plenty of bad players in all areas and styles. If he's interested in jazz, he should follow his heart and his intuition. I came onto our team from the rock thing. I sucked for a long time at jazz, just like everybody else. But I fell in love with it and it became my passion. 12years later and I only half-suck at it now. Looking forward to a decade from now when I only quarter-suck at it!! hahaha
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if they live close to Houston have them call me. lolol I sure would love to add a combination like that to my act.
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Stuart thank you for that I will pass this along!!!!!!!!! Charlie byrd definately.
Jordan wow is all I can say! Very encouraging words!
thanks to both of you guys.JL
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Aw thanks Jonathan. I've been lucky enough to spend a little time with some unbelievably gifted players in the jazz world these last 12 years. And for the most part, the better they are as a player, the more open and inclusive they seem to be. It's almost a direct correlation. Open about the styles of music they'll listen to, the musicians they'll transcribe, the songs they'll cover...and the way they try and open themselves and the music up to anyone and everyone. It has been really inspiring for me to be around.
I live in NYC and, much like a lot of places in the world, it seems to breed this over the top competitive thing with the musicians. We're always trying to vibe out the other players and one up them. It's so easy to get pulled into that energy. I can go into that mode sometimes...usually just by instinct. And it's REALLY easy for me to play terribly when I can feel other guys vibing me. It's like the creative parts of me start to feel vulnerable and just shut down. I often have to breathe and think about my time with some of these guys and remind myself just how inclusive they are. Helps to remind me what to focus on.
That's just me though. I've certainly met a few monstrous players who were vibey as hell!!! Hahahahaha...worked for them. I guess to each's own. There's a place for everyone at the table that wants to be at the table.
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If he's a professor of music Who has studied with Oscar, the answer is very simple. Have him contact Oscar to recommend if he knows anyone who is a master of both jazz guitar and classical guitar. I can almost guarantee you 99,999999999% that Oscar will recommend one person above all that fits this criteria.
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The single line BS will happen eventually, the jazz feel may never happen. But who cares, if they have fun and make $, best of luck. The guitar player needs to learn how to Comp. Most classical and rock/pop guitarist never seem to get this skill together... hell most jazz guitarist can't comp.
But again with duos learning how to comp in jazz style will be the most difficult and time consuming. Unless they're just going to read through charts. Most of the violinist I gig with have fairy written out performances, with small improv sections.
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I believe the cd " at the garden party" Ed Bickert with Don Thompson illuminates a pretty clear path on comping in a duo setting. Of course there are as many paths as there are players but this one, to me , stands out. Also if your buddy came to classical guitar through rock and blues maybe some jump blues like Louis Jordan might get him to "swinging", or definitely Count Basie, just to get the feel, loosen up the rhythmic wrist... Jazz is a small word with a million billion definitions, but in my opinion getting the phrasing and feeling of the players you dig through transcribing is the one sure fire way to play.
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Reg said "The guitar player needs to learn how to Comp. Most classical and rock/pop guitarist never seem to get this skill together... hell most jazz guitarist can't comp
" there are thousands of guitar players who can comp well. I mean colleges and camps are full of them.. having the ability to comp well is nothing special...even playing extremely well in all styles is nothing special in the guitar world.
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Yeah...no. Really good comping is an art in and of itself.
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Thanks for all perspectives guys! I'm tying to think of any classical guys that crossed over to jazz in a good way and the one person I can think of is a guy from Chicago, Fared Haque.
I think that classical has more of an emphasis on the 1 and 3 beat where As jazz seems to be more 2 and 4. A few Emily Remler videos shes doing 2 and 4.
now I could be completely off here so go easy on me.....
Thank again!
JL
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Originally Posted by Jonathan Levin
can you expand on this question please? he wants to "get into" it how? is this a repertoire question? is he looking to add a couple of numbers to his gigs to liven things up for the audience? is he looking to convert to being a jazzer? does he want to study improv?
based upon your take, it sounds like he's just looking for some repertoire. if that's the case:
- Brubeck was an excellent suggestion,
- Django and Stephane too, depending on the tunes,
- then there is the jazzer's take on the second movement of Rodrigo's Concerto De Aranjuez (i.e. Corea's Spain or Jim Hall's take),
- Latin jazz and Bossa Nova are both rich sources,
- then there is what some people call "Chamber Jazz" (MJQ etc.),
- McLaughlin, De Lucia and Di Meola did a few interesting tunes....
Improv is a another challenge (a rather huge one), so maybe some simple arrangements with very little to no improv might be a way to start.
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Fumblefingers, thank you.
yeah I think he would like to expand his repertoire and not only for a somewhat wider audience but because he really loves the music.
being able to read and play most sheet music would might make chord melody stuff easier
for him than, well, certainly for me. Getting together the whole "soul" thing, well that will take time I'm guessing.
Thanks again.
JL
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lots of jazz styles out there... jazz is every thing from a 4/4 to a clave...I do mostly fusion now did the whole swing thing and combo thing in college . no big deal it is a lot like playing Chopin. not played exactly as written but once they get the swig triplet down it is easy. guitar players like to think they are the only one who can play good. I learned a long time ago I am not the only one who can rip Steve Via note for note. when you audition for high paying gigs you learn just how many. the feel Is easy to teach reading fast compacted scales and riffs is not.
Last edited by EOE; 03-01-2015 at 04:33 PM.
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I'm going to throw a new spin on this...don't think it if as 'crossing over' to jazz but rather adding and broadening your musical skills. I say this as there are a lot of great things in classical guitar playing that shouldn't be put to one side when you start to learn jazz. Originally Posted by Jonathan Levin
Ralph Towner is a case in point. To my mind, part of his appeal is that he incorporates jazz improvisation with classical guitar technique. This gives his music an interesting and unique identity. He doesn't sound like a lot of jazz players as I suspect he hasn't thought too much about categories or genres of music. It is all simply music and he takes simply extracts and develops what sounds good to him.
Don't try too hard to sound like a 'jazz player' at the expense of loosing some of those wonderful classical guitar techniques and sounds. Use it all, it will give you a broader pallet and hopefully further develop your own unique voice or style.
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The guitarist in question here is my nephew, the one and only Adam Levin!!!! Had to plug him!)
Adam Levin Guitar :: Home
I hope he's not p**ssed I post this but I don't think he will be. I'm just thrilled he's interested in the whole jazz thing and time will tell where this all goes!
His playing partner is Will Knuth on violin, and together they make Duo Sonidos:
Duo Sonidos › Homepage
Right now as far as I can remember they do a version of "Summertime" and a really cool version of Astor Piazolla "Nightclub 1960"
Histoire du Tango - Nightclub 1960
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that cat will have no problems ..
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Wow, impressive. I believe I've seen videos of him at Guitar Salon.
If he's in Boston he could certainly collaborate with someone at Berklee with regards to repertoire and arrangements.
I sat in that very chair (but did not play quite as well to say the least, hehe).
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He might want to check the trio recordings by Ralph Towner, Wolfgang Muthspiel and Slava Grigoryan: Originally Posted by Jonathan Levin
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Listen to Charlie Parker.
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Thanks everyone. Adam has been following this thread and the dozens of emails I've been sending back and forth. He really appreciates this forum as well!!!
I think I'm driving him nuts, so my suggestion for him is to think about two tunes: Ralph Towner's Icarus, beautiful song, and he now got the LAGQ version. And Djangos Nuages. Just to think about two for now.
Icarus just seems to make sense for Guitar and violin too. And Nuages...well....
JL
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