The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    OK, here is a backing track and a lead sheet for "But Beautiful". This version Has an Intro, 3 choruses and a standard ending. It is a BIAB realtracks Jazz guitar trio. Have fun with this nice ballad!

    wiz

    Backing Track---->Box

    Lead sheet----->Box

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    haven't learned this one but am working on it now, listening to some inspiration




  4. #3

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    This is one of tunes that I've been playing for a while. Here is a recording I did 2 years ago at school. It's pretty long so I just cut most of the tune and left the solo.

  5. #4

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    This is a version I recorded about a week ago. It has a 4 bar intro, 3 choruses and a standard ending. The backing track is a BIAB realtracks jazz guitar trio (bass, drums & guitar). It is a simple, laid-back version mostly by ear. I hope some of you enjoy it, please feel free to comment on the approach to the song.

    wiz (Howie)

    https://app.box.com/s/gw1hxumlzwbmqctx5cpdibifk3g8x2i6
    Last edited by wizard3739; 02-12-2015 at 06:53 PM. Reason: description clarification

  6. #5

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    Really nice, Howie!

    The trio setting is a great vehicle for your playing. And you coax a pretty good bass and drums out of BIAB. I'll be posting my version pretty soon - I have to create the CD-R in my Korg D1200 to transfer files to soundcloud and hopefully via Windows Movie Maker to YT.

    Jay

  7. #6

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    Joe Pass did a lovely version of this on acoustic guitar (with piano, bass and drums). It's on the 'Catch Me' sessions.


  8. #7

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    My contribution, with a warning that it gets a bit noodly here and there. Critiques encouraged, as always!


  9. #8

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    Here's mine.

    This was done late at night so I used my Ibanez Artist solid-body, to avoid complaints from the missus! (I prefer using the Gibson 175 but it makes too much acoustic sound for late-night sessions.)


  10. #9

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    I love your tone and style, Graham! Really nailed this one. Can you give some info on your recording platform, and how you realize such nice backing tracks with the bass, piano, and percussion. I could listen to a CD of this type of music every day. And pay for the pleasure as well. (I know - it's old fashioned.)

    I was listening finally to your Youtube site, especially that fabulous rendition of Blue Bossa. If you do not do this as a living, then the world is coming to a sad, sad end. Take it for what it is worth, but I pronounce you the Best Guitarist on this site - the rest, not even close.


    With much respect,

    Jay
    Last edited by targuit; 02-25-2015 at 05:54 PM.

  11. #10

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    Jay

    Thank you very much for your appreciation! I really can't claim to be the best player here, I mean there are guys like Reg, Henry, Jeff and others who do this stuff for real! I am just an amateur. But I have been playing for a very long time, 35 years playing jazz, and for about 10 years before that when I had classical guitar lessons. So I guess I've finally worked out how to do some things right!

    As far as tone and style go, all I can say is that I have really listened a LOT to all the great players, for me listening to jazz has been like an addiction. I have always loved hearing people like Dexter Gordon, Chet Baker and Wes Montgomery playing ballads, so I suppose I have absorbed some ideas of vocab and structure from them, especially when playing ballads. By the way I am not a very fast player, I don't care about speed much, and I can't get really excited about theory, so I have some big limitations! I'm more interested in getting a good sound, I think that is very important. Kenny Burrell probably has the kind of tone I'm always striving for.

    Playing guitar has always been a hobby, as I have a busy job, family etc. But I hope to retire in a few years and then maybe I'll try and do something more with it.


    About the recording stuff, I've copied this from a previous post, which should cover it:

    I record on a small Korg SOS recorder which allows overdubs, these are stored as separate WAVs which I can then export to my computer. It's ok to use for about 3 tracks, I wouldn't try to do more than this. So when I've finished recording, I import these WAVs into Audacity on my computer, and do all the mixing etc. there.

    The backing tracks are generally created using Band in a Box Real Tracks. Typically I'll get the bass and drums as a single WAV file created from BIAB.

    Then I might record a guitar comping track, and pan this about 30% left.

    Then I'll record the guitar solo track, and put this about 10% right.

    Usually I record the guitar from the direct line out of my Roland Cube 80x. But sometimes I use the onboard mics in the Korg, (e.g. for acoustic guitar) as they are quite good.

    For reverb, I clone the guitar tracks to new tracks, then apply 100% 'wet' reverb to the cloned tracks only. This makes it easy to mix the 'reverbed' tracks against the original 'dry' tracks until it sounds right.

  12. #11

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    Graham - your modesty befits your prodigious ability as a musician and guitarist. I've been around the block a few times, too. And I can honestly say that I think your musicianship and playing is on par with the best I've heard.

    When I was just graduated from college, I sat through a night of George Benson live at the Jazz Workshop in Boston, MA, sitting at a table before the master about five feet from me. February 27, 1973 if memory serves. It was inspirational to me. Your playing is easily on a par with the best I have ever heard, at least your playing that I've heard so far on this site and YouTube. Tonight I'll check out your Soundcloud site. But, I stand by my assessment on the basis of some fifty years of playing, including classical guitar at eleven or twelve (can't remember for sure) for several years and playing progressive rock, fusion, and finally jazz from twenty years old on.

    As for speed, I could care less. That is for those in the cheap seats. I thought your take on Blue Bossa was masterful. Really. Let me put it this way. If I had a choice one night to see George Benson, Pat Martino, Pat Metheny, Jimmy Bruno, Wes Montgomery (resurrected), or even Joe Pass ....I would chose to see you perform. That is from the heart and the soul. And just one man's opinion.

    Not to pry, but you can answer generically if you would. Your day job - in what field is it? I'm a physician by day. Btw, I tend to set up my recorded soundstage in the same manner, including a rhythm guitar track panned the same degree on the left and a lead guitar track around 1 to 2:00 on the right. Vocal usually dead center and occasionally a bass and piano track as well. I use a legacy Korg D1200 but I do any processing there. I tend to keep it minimal, sometimes just a little stereo delay and compression. Keep it real. My intention is to post more of my musical musings on the standards soon.

    Again with respect,

    Jay
    Last edited by targuit; 02-25-2015 at 08:29 PM.

  13. #12

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    My inspiration for this song ever


  14. #13

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    Jay

    Thanks again for your comments - I'm very flattered! I really cannot begin to compare myself with players of that calibre! But I am sincerely pleased that you enjoy my playing so much. When I listen to my favourite musicians, I get a good vibe or feeling from the music, and when I play I'm trying to get into that zone, rather than think about notes and scales and stuff. So if I have managed to convey something on that level, then that's great.

    There's something about that Blue Bossa video a lot of people seem to like - it's had 79,000 views which amazes me. I must have been a bit inspired that day! There are some lines there that I have no recollection of playing, or where they came from. I guess that's what jazz is all about!

    I am a systems analyst for a large company. Involves a lot of data analysis, specification, testing, a bit of programming in SQLplus, but basically it's all logical deduction. Especially when something goes wrong and we have to quickly figure out why! I can see some application in playing jazz, i.e. analysing tunes, figuring out the best notes and lines to use - logic is useful.

    Friends have occasionally said I should chuck it and become a musician, but I just say who's going to pay the mortgage, pay for the kids, bang goes my pension, probably end up divorced before long, no thanks!

    cheers
    Graham

  15. #14

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    I do understand, Graham, especially the part about mortgages and financial risks. Jazz seems marginalized today. Systems analysis sounds much more complicated and challenging than playing music, but at least the pay scale is likely better. Here in the US primary care physicians like myself are being driven out of private practice and getting creamed financially. I may be forced to retire quite prematurely from my profession. Despite the government propaganda about economic recovery from the "recession" (read "depression"), alternative job opportunities are very scarce. And my son is a year away from starting college. Fortunately, he is a top student, but the future looks intimidating.

    Nonetheless, your talent is obvious. Keep playing. I'm always inspired by the lyrics from the song This Is All I Ask by Gordon Jenkins:

    And let the music play as long as there's a song to sing,
    and I will stay younger than spring.

    George Benson does a nice job with this tune on his Tenderly CD.

    Jay

  16. #15

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    That's great Pkirk - reminded me of Art Farmer and Jim Hall. The flugel player is very good, lovely sound.

    Did you have to transpose it to Eb on the fly? - I couldn't do that!

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by grahambop
    That's great Pkirk - reminded me of Art Farmer and Jim Hall. The flugel player is very good, lovely sound.

    Did you have to transpose it to Eb on the fly? - I couldn't do that!
    Yeah I had practiced it a couple times in G before the rehearsal, and he said "I wanna play it in the key Freddie (hubbard) played it in", and just started.

  18. #17

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    Sounds like the kind of stunt Freddie Hubbard would pull on his sidemen!

  19. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by grahambop
    Sounds like the kind of stunt Freddie Hubbard would pull on his sidemen!
    Actually, I performed one tune with a quintet with Freddie once 25 years ago: In the theatre of the casino in Monte Carlo, of all places, and he pulled off a similar stunt: he gave us a lead sheet with unclear road map, and then changed it slightly on stage. He was so badass that it didn't matter, and when we got in synch with him it was great.

  20. #19

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    the one I posted before was so embarrassing, I had to record another just to show myself that I can sort of play

    SoundClick artist: Paul Kirk - page with MP3 music downloads

  21. #20
    dortmundjazzguitar Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by pkirk
    Actually, I performed one tune with a quintet with Freddie once 25 years ago: In the theatre of the casino in Monte Carlo, of all places, and he pulled off a similar stunt: he gave us a lead sheet with unclear road map, and then changed it slightly on stage. He was so badass that it didn't matter, and when we got in synch with him it was great.
    holy moly, you played with freddie. what tune did you play?

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by dortmundjazzguitar
    holy moly, you played with freddie. what tune did you play?
    I don't remember the tune. It was an original of his. It was in 1992: David Baker somehow got Johnny walker liquor to pay to bring 2 big bands from indiana university and some jazz luminaries to Monte carlo for 2 weeks to play some concerts and hang in the hotel with these guys. In addition to Freddie (who, like baker, was from indianapolis and Baker knew him when he was a kid) , we opened up concerts for and hung out with Joe henderson, dave holland, al foster, betty carter cyrus chestnut, clarence penn, michel petrucianni, dave brubeck, louis bellson, jimmy and albert heath, ted dunbar, tony purrone, and a few others, and hung out in the hotel during the day where they were supposed to talk to us and teach master classes. Only Freddie and Ted Dunbar actually played with the big band I was in, and Freddie wanted to do a small group thing on one show so that's when we played the tune with him. It's unbelievable to me now when I think of it, but I didn't have a clear an idea of how great he was at the time. Incidentally, only Holland, Brubeck, Petrucianni and Dunbar were friendly to the students and played with us outside the official concerts. Dunbar took me aside and showed me a few things. The rest wouldn't play or teach unless they were being paid, which I now get. Definitely a highlight of my musical life. I wish I had been able to appreciate it as much as I would if it happened to me now. Baker tells me he has recordings and even video of it all, but he's getting pretty old now and I doubt it will ever see the light of day.