The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    In case you never heard of this player he was a phenomenal player, teacher and writer of guitar books, as well as flute and bass. He was located in the bay area of Northern California and was teaching back in the early 1970's and 1980's. One of his best books goes on sale on eBay but sellers are asking for ridiculous prices.
    Attached Images Attached Images Warren Nunes, anyone familiar with his books?-nunes-002-jpg 

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Oh Man! I had that book and a few others of Warren Nunes. I don't know what ever happened to them.

  4. #3

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    "one of the greatest guitar players ever" junior watson about warren nunes

    nunes played in junior watsons moms band..she was a singer...

    he refused to teach jr..good bit here

    around 11 minute mark




    cheers
    Last edited by neatomic; 11-21-2015 at 07:20 PM. Reason: correction

  5. #4

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    Wow that's too much. Warren was a speed monster no doubt about it, he made a CD 'Half Moon Bay', if you can get a copy check it out as it's a very good example of Warren's speed, I'll post a link. Warren passed away in the early 1990's or even sooner unfortunately. I just remembered, Warren used to make his students pics, he would widdle down a regular pick somehow. Steve Crowell is making them now, he used to live with Warren for a couple of years.

    Easy Jazz Guitar - Stuff For Sale

  6. #5

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    Glad to see Warren mentioned here. He was my only jazz guitar teacher. I discovered him in 1974, but didn't get around to actually studying with him until 1995, in private lessons and in jazz workshops all the way up to his tragic and untimely death in 1999. Can't say enough about him. He was the fastest and cleanest playing jazz guitarist I've ever seen. I wouldn't have appreciated jazz music and jazz guitar if it were not for Warren Nunes. I feel very fortunate to have been accepted as a student. As mentioned above he would make students that he liked a custom pick out of real tortoise shell. In his latter years the supply had run out and it was illegal to buy or even possess tortoise shell. I was fortunate to get one of his last ones. Sadly it split apart into pieces about 5 years ago

    I have all of his books, as well as many scribbled handwritten studies for technique and soloing


    ~Eddie
    Last edited by EddieLastra; 11-23-2015 at 11:48 PM.

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by EddieLastra
    As mentioned above he would make students that he liked a custom pick out of real tortoise shell. I have all of his books, as well as many scribbled handwritten studies for technique and soloing ~Eddie
    Interesting caveat about the picks. Yeah, Eddie I've seen your playing on youtube, good stuff!!

  8. #7

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    Thanks fathand I'm just an intermediate level student, his advanced students are just incredible players

    Yeah, I've been seeing some astronomical asking prices for some of his old books, those all went out of print decades ago, so they have become collector items. Those books included a small 33 1/3 rpm flexible plastic record of the practice tracks and soloing examples.

    ~Eddie
    Last edited by EddieLastra; 11-23-2015 at 11:50 PM.

  9. #8

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    Somebody recorded his Jazz Blues book's music from the little floppy record and put it on Youtube.



    There is also a video of the our very own Dutchbopper playing the chord progression to a backing track. Very nice backing track and playing.


  10. #9

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    What a talent. He was a Hawaiian with large hands like Tal Farlow. Actually, Warren was teaching in the late 60's. I still remember going to his house for lessons. A small room at the back of his house was his studio. I still remember to this day, he and I took his L5 to an Oakland luthier to be refreted. He used my Guild A500 to play a gig. I sat there watching him play and said to myself "that guitar will never see days like this again".

    I too still have some of the instruction material. He had his students practice with the a Klose' clarinet book. I lost contact with Warren but did manage to visit him once at his studio in a music store in Hayward.

    He also toured with George Shearing but gave that up. He hated it. He also performed at times at North Beach in San Francisco. I think he only did that because he needed the money. I never found out what took his life. I miss him.

  11. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by EddieLastra
    Thanks fathand I'm just an intermediate level student, his advanced students were just incredible players

    Yeah, I've been seeing some astronomical asking prices for some of his old books, those all went out of print decades ago, so they have become collector items. Those books included a small 33 1/3 rpm flexible plastic record of the practice tracks and soloing examples.

    ~Eddie
    Eddie, you are way too modest, my friend. You may consider yourself an "intermediate level student...", but in my view you can keep up with the best of them. Plus, I consider you an advanced level teacher.

    Tim

  12. #11

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    My God. Listen to how this Warren's notes bloom. If you check out the photo here, he did have huge hands that just engulfed the neck.


  13. #12

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    Came across this pdf from one of Warren's books. Hope it works
    Attached Images Attached Images

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by fathand
    Came across this pdf from one of Warren's books. Hope it works
    Where did you find this? Are there more?

  15. #14

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    I studied with Warren for a couple of years. Maybe not quite that long. Great player. In my experience not the best teacher. I lost track of him too. He had issues. He'd get into bar fights. Big guy. Funny. I think he wasn't better known because of this. I loved him.

  16. #15

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    I also obliquely knew Jerry Snyder. He was the guitar publisher who thought the world of Nunes and edited and published his books. His son Ned Snyder was a student of mine. He died tragically in an airplane accident. He was a pilot and a great guy.

  17. #16

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    In the late 70's, I was in a trio in Berkeley, CA with another guitar player (Rick Pollack) who was studying with Warren. I was pretty much into being self taught at that point and had little interest in lessons, but I did pick up most of Warrens books at used book stores in the 80's. I sold a few on EBay a few years back (not for very much money) and still have a few. I am not terribly impressed with the books. He was a Patterns/scales/licks player. I prefer to play melodies, which I think most listeners prefer as well. YMMV

  18. #17

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    BTW, Jerry Snyder is still around doing Classical guitar festivals in the San Jose Area. He hired my jazz band for a few of those about a decade ago.

  19. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by rwmol
    Where did you find this? Are there more?
    I'll look around, I know I have that book somewhere around here. Check this out, just snatched this page off of fleabay. The book sale is about to end, item 351480427451. Took a pic of the book as well, you may have to be creative to make it bigger to see. ~Cheers!!
    Attached Images Attached Images Warren Nunes, anyone familiar with his books?-rszwarrennunes-jpg Warren Nunes, anyone familiar with his books?-rszbookpic-jpg 
    Last edited by fathand; 12-22-2015 at 03:30 AM.

  20. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by henryrobinett
    I studied with Warren for a couple of years. Maybe not quite that long. Great player. In my experience not the best teacher. I lost track of him too. He had issues. He'd get into bar fights. Big guy. Funny. I think he wasn't better known because of this. I loved him.
    Interesting analogy. When did you take lessons. Mine were in 1966. He was my only teacher and just for a short period. I'm self taught. Still consider myself a beginner/intermediate. I agree, a great guy.

  21. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by rwmol
    Interesting analogy. When did you take lessons. Mine were in 1966. He was my only teacher and just for a short period. I'm self taught. Still consider myself a beginner/intermediate. I agree, a great guy.
    I studied with him right out of high school and into my first couple of years of college. That would have been '74-76? Spitzer Music in Hayward.

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by henryrobinett
    I studied with him right out of high school and into my first couple of years of college. That would have been '74-76? Spitzer Music in Hayward.
    I visited him once when he was teaching at Spitzer Music. I believe it was on "B" street. That was the last time I saw him.

  23. #22

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    I have one of his books in my "stack" of guitar books. "Chorded Jazz Solos" is the title. I've scanned the cover here:
    Attached Images Attached Images Warren Nunes, anyone familiar with his books?-nunez-chorded_jazz_solos_cover-1-jpg 
    Last edited by lawson-stone; 12-22-2015 at 02:34 PM.

  24. #23

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    I knew Joel Hipps, who was a student of Warren's and went on to co-author a book with him. Around 76-77 I was visiting SF and Joel suggested I come to the store in Hayward for what was basically a recital featuring Warren and his students (based on the posts in this thread, some of you may have been part of that performance). Warren was a really impressive player and seemed like a very nice guy in the brief conversation I had with him.

  25. #24

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    Nice to see this thread here! I was a student of Warren's for the last few years before he died in the late 90s. I took lessons with him in Half Moon Bay first, then moved over to B Street Music in San Mateo, which is close to where I was living.

    I still have some of his books as well as a lot of lesson material from studying with him. Warren was a heavy player but also a fantastic teacher and was one of my main inspirations for getting into jazz guitar. Yes he definitely had his own idea about how one should learn and play but usually for good reason.

    He did commit suicide, it was not drug related at all! He had cancer I believe and did not want to put his family through the hardship of his decline. Perhaps there were other reasons too that we'll never know.

    What I do know however is that he was always kind and caring towards me, he really cared about my musical improvement, cared about the guitar and wanted his students to carry the torch and create more music. He was one of the best teachers I ever had and I still miss him all the time. I feel very fortunate to have been able to know him and study with him. I can still recall the first time I went to take class with him. I walked into the Half Moon Bay location, which was a messy room in the back of Lighthouse Water. I walked in thinking, what a shabby looking place this is, after hearing Warren play I instantly though, "how can this genius be teaching out of this closet of a room in a water store?!" Hilarious.

    If there are other students of his here on the thread on the peninsula, I'd love to get together and exchange old lesson material. I have a lot but there's a lot I don't have. He had mountains of material written out over the years.

    RIP Warren!

  26. #25

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    Thanks Doug. What a great post. I had no idea he was teaching in Half Moon Bay. Now I understand the name to his CD.
    Also thanks for the information on his death. Really sad story.