Robin D. G. Kelly's Thelonious Monk: The Life & Times of an American Original---to me one of the truly stellar jazz biogs.
Anything by David Hajdu; especially Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life and his biog on Nat Cole. (I've also corresponded w/him and he seems truly nice).
Frank Buchman-Moller's You Just Fight for Your Life---the Story of Lester Young. (All the Pres biogs are worth reading).
Art Pepper's autobiog (written with Laurie Pepper); and Miles (written with Quincy Troupe) are self-gratifying and hampered by loads of BS, but I've read them both numerous times. Pepper is a spellbinding raconteur, and his insight into other musicians' work is interesting to read (if his comments about his own 'genius' are slightly delusional). Miles talking about music has been great food for thought.
The Benson book was mentioned. One thing that cracked me up: some poetic justice. I knew Eddie Diehl for years, and he had a bug up his ass about Kenny Burrell. It had to do with a record date where he was sent home and replaced by Kenny b/c the company wanted a 'name'. He neither ever forgot nor stopped bad-mouthing Kenny's playing til it came out of your ears. I guess it's SOMEWHAT understandable. Eddie WAS one of the best, and a truly good-hearted guy underneath it all. We're all sensitive, and rejection---perceived or real---can really hurt.
Anyway, in George's book when he got the call to go with McDuff he was to replace Eddie. His comments---and they were respectful---were (paraphrasing): '(Eddie) was a formidable musician----not on the level of Kenny Burrell...., but he definitely could play'. Eddie was still alive when that came out. I hope he read it---it MAY have shut his mouth. I doubt it though---shutting Eddie's mouth about ANYTHING, especially guitar players he was jealous of (their stature in the biz, not their playing), was a tall order. But I had quite a chuckle over that one...
Sounds good Archie! I love Rich's tone too. It's one of my favorite recreations of the '60s jazz guitar sound. I wonder where he keeps the guitar tone control? He uses surprisingly light strings...
Silly me, I should certainly know better. It has a few of his compositions but obviously not that one.
Thanks for the correction and apologies to DB, I'll crawl back in my hole now, but before I do...
I do a fair amount of duo stuff where I happen also to be the (only) singer. I use a TC Helicon VoiceSolo (“personal pa” with built-in effects and vocal-oriented presets) for vocals and a guitar amp....
I have a rare and excellent book put out by Columbia Pictures Publications in 1985, The Genius of Benny Golson that contains a bunch of the composer's own piano arrangements. The version of...
When I started playing guitar as a real thing, at about age 11, my dad figured it was a passing thing. But one day he listened to me and declared that I could actually play, and we drove over to...
I am super intrigued by humbucker Jaguars but the stock humbucker model (Kurt Cobain) seems to be loaded with very distortion oriented pickups.
Anyone who as experience with humbucker Jaguars? I...
I'm finding the same thing to be true. I find a guitar with so many specs I love and then I ask for neck specs (or look them up) only to see tons of people saying such and such guitar has a thin...
I don't think you have to learn anything, you just need to play something. If it sounds good, that's good enough. Everybody's so frightened of everything!
Last night I wrote out a very diatonic AABA progression in C and noodled over it a few times without really thinking, just as it came out. Fact is, I never hit a single avoid note. No F's over C, or...
LaBella Jazz Flats on all my electrics. Man, I love a good flat wound string and will never go back to roundwounds. Better, more even sounding chords and still plenty of snap off the LaBellas on the...
Fender Jaguar with humbuckers
Today, 08:40 AM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos