The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    My fiancee and I made a last-minute decision to go see Joe Bonamassa last Thursday night. We got tickets on StubHub--front row seats for $25 less than the list price!

    He put on an awesome show--started exactly at 8 pm, played for 2 1/2 hours. The first half was all-acoustic, the second half was electric. He had a top-notch band including Lenny Costa on percussion and Carmine Rojas on bass.

    If you've never seen him live, you have missed one of the world's great living guitarists. I have seen Clapton, McLaughlin and Dimeola among others, and Joe knows all of their tricks and more. The fluidity of his playing is fantastic, as is the range of sounds and styles he brings out. He had about a dozen acoustic guitars--all flattops of various brands--for the first half; for the second he played mainly Les Paul custom jobs, plus a few oddball homemade rigs. He didn't rely TOO much on effects, but when he did use them it was tasteful and just the right touch.

    His songs, most of which he had written himself, were generally blues-based, though the acoustic set provided an opportunity for moving into more Eastern scales, reminiscent of Jimmy Page's acoustic work. And his voice was GREAT--has only gotten better with experience.

    What it really showed was how professional he was, and how good he has been at marketing. A lot of great guitarists barely make a living--think Danny Gatton or Steve Morse--but Joe has been able to sell himself as the premiere guitarist of his generation without having a bunch of hit songs (ala Mark Knopfler) or having a famous band (ala Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, etc.) backing him up.
    Last edited by Doctor Jeff; 04-18-2014 at 12:03 PM.

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  3. #2

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    Thanks for sharing Doc. I have never been able to get on the Bonamassa band wagon, based on your review, time to revisit and explore further.

  4. #3

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    I watched his Live at Albert Hall DVD and was quite impressed both by his playing and his singing.

  5. #4

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    Joe is one of those musicians I knew about and listened to from time to time, but didn't really appreciate til I saw him live. You can't really imagine how those notes are coming from one person without seeing it up close.

    This is where we were (my Tevas):



    And this is him leaning into a solo:



    I think with a lot of shredders chops overwhelm the music, but Joe had a balance between technique and musicality that worked. And he came across as a really nice guy--very appreciative of the audience, and giving each member of his band credit and a chance to stretch out. (I haven't seen a good old-fashioned 8-min. drum solo in awhile, but the break with Tal Bergman and Lenny Castro was exceptional.) I also learned what a nyckelharpa was...

  6. #5

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    I'll have to give him another chance as well. I always thought of him as a technically excellent blues player, great tones, great musical judgment, plays beautifully--but good as he is, I don't hear anything new or fresh. Nothing I haven't heard before from any number of cats. And he seems to have no great songs of his own.

    He really just needs a couple great tunes of his own to put him over the top (in my well-uninformed opinion, that is).

    But he sure can play, no doubt about that.

  7. #6

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    I saw Joe play in a little club in the mid 80's. He was a pudgy 15 year old kid playing in a band called Bloodline (because most of the members were sons of famous musicians) that featured Miles Davis' son Erin on drums. Even then Joe could play, but he played everything exactly note-for-note as on the record- zero improvisation. He was like a recording. I remember thinking Joe had potential, but Erin Davis was clearly the best musician in the band. Obviously he's come a long way since then, but he was certainly a child prodigy.

    Thanks for the tip on Rock Candy Funk Party.

  8. #7

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    He is no longer pudgy or playing rote at this point.

    Thanks for the link on Rock Candy Funk Party--I just listened to their live album at Iridium (Les Paul maybe smiling down at this point). It is pretty awesome funk-fusion, or jazz-fusion with a heavy funk influence. Very reminiscent of early Return to Forever, the Jeff Beck group, the Dixie Dregs and John Scofield among others.

    He had another supergroup for awhile with Jason Bonham, Glenn Hughes and Derek Sherinian called Black Country Communion--British heavy metal ala Led Zep, Deep Purple, etc.

    Re' songwriting, he is accumulating a number of standout tunes which he wrote that are featured on his latest live albums--Live from New York and An Acoustic Evening at the Vienna Opera House. Like Mark Knopfler, I think his songwriting and singing are getting better and better.

  9. #8

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    I think you're probably right, Jeff. He does seem to be maturing and improving even after all of his substantial experience to date. If he can get some SRV-quality songs together, I think he'll join the pantheon of legends eventually. I'm rooting for him.

  10. #9

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    I've also seen JB live and it was great.

    He build the set up nicely and ended up playing a Flying V for the last song complete with flashing stage lights etc. Quite a dramatic finish.

  11. #10

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    ummm...I love bonamassa but comparing him to mclaughlin is pretty silly. Bonamassa is a great blues/rock player but McLaughlin has hung with Miles, Wayne, Herbie, McCoy, etc.

    He's a great player but not a jazzer at all.

  12. #11

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    Just to clarify I didn't say Joe B was a jazzer, but listen to the recordings of Rock Candy Funk Party and tell me he can't play jazz/funk fusion as well as anyone out there.

    I think he has the chops and ear to play anything he wants to (like Jeff Beck). I think he could hang with any of those guys above if he had a chance to.

    I love McLaughlin and saw him live back in the 80's--also saw Miles with Mike Stern. I don't really like to rank artists--I love 'em all. I would go see McLaughlin, George Benson, Pat Martino and many other older artists anytime. But I am really interested in younger musicians who are still developing and expanding their artistry. Joe B, Blake Mills, Dave Rawlings--these are the cats to watch IMO.

    Just another comment on a previous post--I listened to Black Country Communion today and didn't care for it much. Too Black Sabbathy, not enough Led Zeppy. I don't think Glenn Hughes is a very good singer or songwriter. The musicianship was good, just no meat.
    Last edited by Doctor Jeff; 04-18-2014 at 11:16 AM.

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    I can't agree with you Doctor Jeff. Bonamassa can play some fast, fusiony, eric-johnson-y licks but the harmonic and rhythmic content of his stuff is very elementary compared to mclaughlin.

    Mclaughlin is a jazz guitarist. Bonamassa is an advanced blues/rock guitarist. Great player but not really comparable. OTOH, mclaughlin couldn't play any of the blues stuff that joe can do.

  14. #13

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    I saw Joe at Shank Hall in Milwaukee right after his "So, It's Like That" release. Shank is small, but there were only about 20 people in the place, and Joe tore it up.

    No, he's not a jazz guy, but he can lay a harmonic minor over a blues riff and it sounds like blues-plus. SRV did the same thing, I'm not saying Joe is SRV (there's only one of him), but he's got some harmonic sense.

    He sat with us after the how for a while, we bought him a bourbon and he smoked a cigar while I dominated the talk (all about guitar stuff). He was using a Chandler esquire, and a strat mostly. Funny how he's a Gibby guy now. We talked about how blues based guitar music was a tough sell, but things go in cycles. Really nice guy. If I can dig that CD up he signed it for me, I'll post it.

    He's a guitarist making it in the Kei$ha era, the Cyrus era. I know it's tougher for jazz guys. Seems like there's diminishing monetary returns for musicianship.

  15. #14

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    Just my two cents here but, I saw him a couple of years ago and nothing was memorable. Ive heard tons of his stuff but cant remember a single tune hes done. Hes quite able to pull off anybodys chops and Im not taking anything away from his abilities. But my take on him is ,hes what the Monkees were to the Beatles. He reminds me of a young kid who came into my guitar shop a couple of years ago with his dad. The kid played like 6 Hendrix tunes note for note , very well I might add too. Someone in the shop at the time asked him to play something of his own and it sounded the same. I just don't get it. Again, this is my take on him, I certainly don't want to offend anybody here. Bob

  16. #15

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    It's real difficult to compare guitarists of different genres, because ultimately the only way we can ever know how one compares to the other is to get them together and have them shoot it out. Bonamassa excels at blues and rock, and McLaughlin excels at fusion.

    Two examples: George Benson and Santana performed way back when on The Midnight Special. They jammed on GB's Breezin', and while their styles are very different they are each equally great at what they do, and they both sounded great.

    The other involved Brian Setzer. At one time he was living next door to some serious jazzers. Upon returning to his place one night there was a jam going on next door. The guys thought they would have some fun with him and invited Setzer to sit in, thinking that he would not be able to hang with the jazzers. Not only did he hang just fine, but he kind of tore it up.

    My main point is that we like to make assumptions based upon our preconceived notions of which genre is more difficult to play, and which is more legitimate. Ultimately, to play any style of music at a high level takes a great deal of talent. Anyone can learn the jazz, blues, rock, country chops and sound good, but to play any music at the highest level takes a rare combination of technique and feeling, and the ability to then express that feeling with the instrument of choice. To have one without the others is nice, but won't get one to the top. Also, having those qualities in one genre does not preclude one from being able to have them in any other genre, but it doesn't necessarily translate across genres either.

    There are many examples of jazz musicians, such as Barney Kessel and Bucky Pizzarelli, doing a ton of studio work in many genres outside of jazz. On the other hand, John Pizzarelli, for one, started as a teenager by playing rock, and was then able to play jazz at a level that has few rivals. We ultimately follow the musical path we are born to follow, and they are all equally as impressive to me.

    Man, I talk too much once I get started.

  17. #16

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    I have a couple buddies that are Bonamassa fans the one is a scary level fanatic. I've listened and I'm not a Bonamassa fan, he just sounds like a Lick Machine to me. Sure technically he's got chops, but I don't hear the phrasing and soul of the legends before him. Bonamassa made one of his album available for free download and I've listened a couple times and does nothing for me. I don't get it.

  18. #17

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    To my total amazement, I recently discovered during a visit that my 80 year old Dad is a huge fan of his.He brought over a DVD and we watched it on my mega watt Home Theater system. I also discovered that has some hearing loss. The windows were shaking at the SPL he wanted!
    I had heard his stuff before and it didn't move me. However the DVD with the visual was entertaining and fun.
    After the show I asked if I could put one of my favorite guitar players DVD's on and he said sure. I loaded up a Joe Pass video, and you guessed it-he was allseep on the sofa in 10 minutes.