The Jimmy Bruno Thread

[pamosmusic]

Sure man. I wish you the best.

And it’s actually totally fine and no one cares if your playing is out there. It just seems important to you that people listen to your advice, so it’s worth taking a moment to consider what that advice is worth, absent any musical contribution to the forum.

and also to note that, when you criticize other people’s playing, you’re only able to do that because they have put themselves out there in a way that you have not.

Anyway.

Please proceed.

[pamosmusic]

Targuit! I missed you!

Targuit is an archetype more than he is an actual person, yknow?

[AllanAllen]

Is Targuit the guy who was under contract with his record label not to release anything at all on social media or otherwise because his playing was so good it was going to completely shatter the industry?

[grahambop]

Is Targuit the guy who was under contract with his record label not to release anything at all on social media or otherwise because his playing was so good it was going to completely shatter the industry?

no, to be fair to Targuit he did at least post his playing (and singing) here eventually (after much evasion and excuses).

I think I remember the guy you mean, wasn’t he going to tour the world with an amazing show featuring his playing (on bass if I recall correctly), plus a light show and dance troupe or something? Would have been worth seeing.

[AllanAllen]

Oh trolls, they're not like us at all...

[jazzshrink]

I don't agree; there are many beautiful bird songs. Also, singing is easy compared to becoming a player who plays a musical instrument like a virtuoso. That takes around a decade of focused study and practice according to most educated estimates around here.

[pamosmusic]

Yeah targuit had a very temperamental Tascam recorder that took several years to get working

[grahambop]

And everything had to be notated first in an ancient copy of Sibelius, which kept crashing.

[MarkRhodes]

Targuit is an archetype more than he is an actual person, yknow?

Targuit was a real (singular) person. I corresponded with him when I served as a moderator here. He did post some things. My clearest memory of him was he always mentioned that he paid $69 for his legacy edition of Finale.

[pamosmusic]

Targuit was a real (singular) person. I corresponded with him when I served as a moderator here. He did post some things. My clearest memory of him was he always mentioned that he paid $69 for his legacy edition of Finale.

Oh I remember.

But also the archetype of the Guy Who Just Needs To Fix That One Thing And Then Will Grace Us With His Genius.

We get a fair few of those.

[alltunes]

Furthermore, jazz, IS, at its best, about excellent virtuoso level musicianship, THAT is what jazz is supposed to be about, not average or run if the mill, but excellence in improvisation on a musical instrument, the kind of excellence that stands out in the crowd, like Wes, Trane, Parker, Martino, and so many others.

Finally the reason as to why Jazz is Dead.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Finally the reason as to why Jazz is Dead.

And when jazz dies, can excellence be far behind?

[pamosmusic]

Jazz musicians thinking they’re the only ones who care about excellence probably really is a reason why Jazz is dead — assuming one thinks it’s dead in the first place.

Which I don’t

[AllanAllen]

I may have lost the narrative.

But, believing you have to navigate the chasm between getting an instrument and excellence without going out and playing jazz is asinine.

I don’t see how someone on the journey can possibly feel that way… unless they haven’t left their bedroom yet.

The stakes just aren’t that high.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Jazz musicians thinking they’re the only ones who care about excellence probably really is a reason why Jazz is dead — assuming one thinks it’s dead in the first place.

Which I don’t

Take heart! My wife reads the obits every day to make sure we're not in them. She reports that (like us) jazz and excellence are conspicuous by their absence.

[Stringswinger]

[starjasmine]

believing you have to navigate the chasm between getting an instrument and excellence without going out and playing jazz is asinine.

I don’t see how someone on the journey can possibly feel that way… unless they haven’t left their bedroom yet.

Or don't listen to other kinds of music. There are virtuoso players of every sort. Chet Atkins? Itzhak Perlman? Derek Trucks? EVH? The list goes on and on...

[digger]

I was rubbish when I played my first few gigs at age 15. Not much better at 16 and 17. But folks forgave us because we were kids. By 18 I had a pretty good idea of what I was doing and was in a decent pub rock band. Ever since, my bands have been pretty good, pretty entertaining, on time, in time, in tune, and reliable. But forty years on I'm still a basic player. I wouldn't even describe myself as an intermediate, just a decent, basic practitioner. But that's plenty good enough for most punters at a local level. Obviously not very impressive on guitar forums, though. But you have to ask yourself who your audience is? Do you want to impress folks here, or do you want to keep the guy who booked you, and the folks drinking and eating in his establishment, happy? Clearly some folks (AdroitMage maybe?) might be capable of both. Others maybe, too. Especially one day. We all have to start somewhere. I just happened to stay pretty close to there, but it's been - and is - great fun. Just keep Harry Callahan's advice in mind: "A man's gotta know his limitations."

[Cunamara]

Listened to Billy Strings’ interview with Rick Beato—well worth the listen.

He obviously had a lot of luck, especially having parents that (though not well off) lived and breathed music. And he practiced incessantly.

But what you realize is that he has an INCREDIBLE ear. Practically without formal training, he learned how to play all the parts in the complicated bluegrass songs he was playing along with. And separate out all the vocal parts.

I think that’s what separates out the world class players (like JB) from us mere mortals.

But, like JB, he developed that ear. He wasn't just born with it. He learned how to do that. Jimmy Bruno has talked about how difficult it was to learn to hear and to develop the ear that he did. It took hours and hours and hours of listening to, playing with and analyzing what was on recordings. Rick Beato, who also has an excellent ear, has talked about the same thing. His jazz journey started with trying to learn a Joe Pass performance on Virtuoso by ear.

Every one of these world class players are mere mortals. There are a few folks that have perfect pitch, but that's a pretty small percentage and not necessarily all that helpful in terms of group performance.

Sadly it's not a skill that I ever developed very much, and at 65 seems to be slow in improving. My ear is better than it was a year ago, still not as good as I'd like (probably will never be as good as I'd like, but I guess it really just has to be good enough). When I was a kid, I didn't want to be sitting with my guitar at a record player figuring out licks as much as I wanted to be out riding my bike, playing baseball, etc. Now I have a little more time available.

[Cunamara]

Where is your musical creativity and imagination at?

You'll all hear me, you just won't know it's Adroit Mage. In fact, you may have already heard me, but you didn't know it was me.

You know, that's just not helpful. Vagueness and smokescreens do nothing for your legitimacy.

[AllanAllen]

Sadly it's not a skill that I ever developed very much, and at 65 seems to be slow in improving. My ear is better than it was a year ago, still not as good as I'd like (probably will never be as good as I'd like, but I guess it really just has to be good enough). When I was a kid, I didn't want to be sitting with my guitar at a record player figuring out licks as much as I wanted to be out riding my bike, playing baseball, etc. Now I have a little more time available.

What if I told you, the ear will always develop slowly irregardless of age and it’ll never be where you’d like it to be?

That’s part of the whole thing.

[GuyBoden]

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

You'll all hear me, you just won't know it's Adroit Mage. In fact, you may have already heard me, but you didn't know it was me.

This is not a forum for grandiosity, narcissism, and fantasy. You’re wasting our time and yours with the ridiculous game you’re playing.

[AdroitMage]

This motherfucking thread ain't right. This is a Jimmy Bruno thread, and we all know Jimmy cusses like a sailor, so in honor of Jimmy, cussing should definitely be Part of this fucking thread, and that ain't no bullshit.

If you're going to have a thread to "honor the great Jimmy Bruno," who is now a forum member, then since we all know Jimmy cusses like a sailor and probably cusses more than a lot of sailors, LOL, cussing should be part of this fine fucking thread.

And that ain't no bullshit.

I also want to mention that, since you think "it's so hard to make money as a jazz musician," then I hope you're supporting great jazz artists like Jimmy B. By buying his albums and going to the show when he comes to your town.

Today, with so much being digital, it is not wasting resources to buy more than 1 Jimny Bruno album. I'm talking about buying more than one of even the same album. You could buy a Jimmy Bruno album every month if your bankroll is FAT like that. Some people like to talk about 'problems,' I prefer to focus on solutions. Let's see, gotta put some cussing in this part too. Uhhh, support jazz artists like a mofo, there.

Anyway, have a beautiful joyous day and be kind and loving to everyone.

Hey, Jimmy, I'm really looking forward to your next album and hearing you in concert too. My face will be in the place.

Hopefully, Jimmy smiles and laughs when he reads this thread. If so, I'm glad I could brighten up your day Jimmy.

Peace, great artist.

[wintermoon]

Jimmy hasn't posted in over 3 years, he obviously doesn't have the time or desire to respond to moronic online forum nonsense.