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  1. #76

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    Thanks for the thoughtful answer, Lin. It just increases my respect for the artistry of Johnny all the more.
    There have been some Johnny Smith detractors over the years, and hopefully your book will resolve their issues.

    I recall when I was doing a musical with the well-known guitarist Billy Butler, I was obsessed with Johnny's solo guitar arrangements and would play them when we were warming up in the orchestra pit.
    He recognized one of them, and said, "You know Johnny Smith didn't do those arrangements himself; he used to copy the piano solos of this pianist who put out some sheet music of his arrangements of the tunes. I remember he singled out Johnny's arrangement of "Autumn Serenade" as being one of them.

    Did you ever come across this?

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  3. #77

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    You're most welcome. Thanks for listening to my ramblings. Oh, that's a new bit of mythology to me. I thought I had heard them all. But rest assured, it's wholly untrue. Johnny worked out his own chord-melody arrangements and didn't have a pianist who did them for him. 'Autumn Nocturne' is a beautiful example of his work. Totally Johnny.

    Yes, there have been a few detractors over the years, but such is life. I think it's fair to say that these are overwhelmingly out-weighed by those who admired and appreciated Johnny. There have also been a considerable amount of articles in guitar literature and academic works which have merely been lifted from other (usually online) sources without any research to check the validity. The information in his biography is wholly accurate, but I had to stop myself from repeatedly pointing out that numerous facts were "contrary to popular belief." Anyway, it was a lot of fun discovering the truth!

  4. #78

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    Yes, Johnny's musical abilities in those days aroused a lot of strange theories about him which may have been predicated on envy, more than anything else.

    On the West Coast, there are more than a few well-known guitarists who have attacked Johnny's reputation on his dealings with John Collins and John D'Angelico.

    They claim that Johnny wouldn't return John Collins' D'Angelico, because he had sent a D'Angelico (either his or Collins') to Gibson, with a copy of the plans for the guitar's construction obtained from John D'Angelico, for the construction of the Johnny Smith Model guitar.

    The story concludes with Jimmy D'Aquisto visiting John D. in the hospital, angered over Johnny's actions, and asking John D. if they should sue him.

    John D's reply was, "Forget him Jimmy, he's just a whore."

  5. #79

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    I know the 'John Collins borrowed guitar' story has made the rounds, and the version I remembered of it had Johnny Smith borrowing Collin's D/A and having liked it so much decided he'd keep it and ordered another from John D/A for John Collins. That way -- Johnny Smith had a D/A immediately, and John Collins had to wait while D/A built him one.
    There was even something about the deposit ( or a portion ) for the Collins guitar being paid by Johnny Smith. This part of the story to me is plausible - -not at all flattering to Johnny Smith if true, but plausible.

    However, I find the part about the plans and even the guitar itself being sent to Gibson as too hard to believe for these reasons:

    1. I'd be real surprised if Gibson itself didn't already know pretty much how J. D/A was building instruments, and didn't need drawings to copy. I'd also be willing to bet they'd already seen more than one D/A up close and personal.
    2. The real elephant in the room had to be Gibson Corporate Legal Department. They'd never want it known they built anything from someone else's drawings. And if they were like other companies I personally knew - -they didn't want to even see anyone's drawings, so they'd ever have to lie under oath that their discoveries weren't their own.

    You would always see customers send sketches, drawings and prints for approvals, with no problems. But the Gibson lawyers at that time were already fighting their own battles - -Ibanez etc - and sure weren't going to open themselves up for an infringement / copyright battle.

    And if Gibson's lawyers were like most corporate lawyers, what they said was ' how it was '.

    Just MHO. Hope there's something definitive that shows up some day about this entire Collins D/A story.

  6. #80

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    Ouch! The truth is that John Collins did indeed lend his spare 1930s D'Angelico guitar to Johnny Smith in 1951, until the luthier had built a replacement for Johnny's own D'Angelico instrument which he had lost in tragic circumstances (more information in the book). John Collins was in no rush to have it returned. When Johnny commissioned John D'Angelico to build a replacement to his own (Johnny's) designs, he also asked the luthier to build one for John Collins. That was the kind of gesture of gratitude that you could expect from Johnny. John Collins had lent him a spare, old guitar and received a new and vastly superior one in return. Johnny paid outright for both of the guitars when they were finally completed in 1955. Johnny sold John Collins' 1930s D'Angelico sometime soon after, as it was surplus to requirements since both he and Collins now had new and far superior instruments. This was well before Gibson became involved with Johnny in 1960. He didn't send a D'Angelico guitar to Gibson. Ted McCarty (Gibson president) visited Johnny in Colorado and they worked over the latter's kitchen table on Johnny's design, dimensions and construction etc. (more information in the...). There were no D'Angelico plans involved at all.

    The quote attributed to John D'Angelico is also untrue. He and Johnny were good friends right up until D'Angelico's death in 1964. When Johnny felt uncomfortable about undertaking a guitar endorsement using his own design from information partially learned from the luthier, John D'Angelico reassured him that it was the right thing to do, as he could only build a limited amount of instruments himself and adding that he was doing the guitar world a favor. John D'Angelico had no problems with Johnny whatsoever.

    Honestly, if Johnny had screwed up, I would be straight and say so. I've never regarded, or sought to depict, him as anything other than human. But he genuinely was a man of great integrity. He didn't receive a cent in royalties for all those Roost records that he made (more information in...), and yet he always ensured that his musicians were paid what they were due. The suggestion that he betrayed John Collins or John D'Angelico contradicts all the evidence as well as the well-known character of the man. All those who knew Johnny (for decades longer than I did) speak very affectionately of him, his kindness and his integrity (more information in...).

    Thanks for raising the story. Genuinely, thank you! When this kind of unpleasant gossip is bubbling around, it's good to get it out in the open and set the record straight once and for all. I really appreciate the opportunity to do that.

    Yikes! Three Johns and a Ted in this story!

  7. #81

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    Yes Lin, thank you so much for your time!

    Apparently, there were some bitter feelings towards Johnny, either on the part of Jimmy D'Aquisto, and/or the friend of Jimmy's who told me this story.
    That same person told me that Joe Pass did the same thing with a D'Aquisto and its plans, which Pass allegedly sent to Ibanez, and Ibanez copied for its JP Model.
    The Ibanez JP Model was taken off the market for some reason after only a few years, and Joe and Jimmy weren't on speaking terms for many years, until they decided to bury the hatchet some years later.

    It's a shame we never got to hear Johnny play a D'Aquisto.

  8. #82

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    Gentlemen, the pleasure is all mine. To paraphrase Elwood Blues, I'm 'on a mission from God' in my quest to spread the word and the truth about Johnny. I'm sincerely grateful for anybody's interest.

    To bring us momentarily back to classical music, which is where this thread started, there's an old adage among the classical brethren that the first requirement in being revered as a great composer is that you have to be dead. That doesn't seem to apply to the jazz guitar community, or any other guitar community. On the one hand, there are overly positive stories about guitar players' musicianship which have been exaggerated far beyond the reality. Then, there are (probably more) negative stories about players' personalities which so many times have little foundation in the truth. There is undoubtedly a sense of camaraderie within the higher echelons of jazz guitar, but among the 'lower ranks'(?) there is often an unpleasant undercurrent of envy, which is possibly where some of the wildly negative stories about so many musicians originate. That's a real shame. I suspect there's a degree of misinterpretation as well, though, in that the problem with written interviews is that the tone of what is being said is often left to the imagination of the reader. If the interviewer does not note that his subject was laughing when recounting a story about a friend, the reader can be forgiven for interpreting his words in a less than jocular manner. A case in point - I read an interview with John Collins in which the aforementioned subject of the D'Angelico guitar was discussed. From the written page, it was open to subjective interpretation whether he felt aggrieved or was being tongue-in-cheek about the episode. Fortunately, I was able to ascertain the truth and thereby (I hope) do everybody justice.

    There are too many fairly unpleasant and unfounded stories concerning so many jazz guitarists over the years. Nobody is perfect and some of the tales are undoubtedly true, but I can't help but reflect if the jazz guitar community could be a friendlier place to be than it is, sometimes. I'm extremely grateful that yourselves are all so kind in raising any dubious stories pertaining to Johnny, so that I can explain, dispel or confirm them once and for all. That opportunity is very much appreciated. Thank you.

    Oh, hell! I started this with “I'm on a mission from God” and went on to sound like Father Flanagan delivering a sermon. Thank you for listening, my children.

  9. #83

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    Smith does inspire an almost religious fervor among his devotees, and some made the pilgrimage to Colorado to seek the truth from the Master.

    Almost all found the Johnny Smith you describe above, but one guy reported meeting a broken, almost deranged man!

    Many may harbor resentment against Johnny for his instructions in the "Aids To Technique" book recommending "that the thumb, forefinger and wrist of the right hand be held slightly rigid, requiring cross motion for picking to originate at the elbow. This will also obtain the only sure way of picking freely back and forth across the strings with alternate picking".

    Although Johnny cleared this up in the video made by one of his students, many players (including me) were told to do this by their teachers, and encountered problems eventually.
    Today, I pick with my wrist in most situations, but revert to the elbow when I have to play at tempos exceeding 300bpm.

    I also read that John Collins (an underrated player) interview, and didn't know how to take it.
    Jimmy Wyble was the West Coast guitarist who gave the Collins incident a negative spin, so I assume he passed it on to the other players out there.

  10. #84

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    Oh, pick any famous guitar player's name (in any musical genre) out of a hat and you'll find they have devotees with an almost religious fervor. That says more about society than it does about the players, I'm sure. Johnny, a deranged man? Haha, that's just plain daft.

    As for who may have said what to whom and about whom… I'm not going to comment unfavorably about someone, not least of all when I don't have all the facts. I would much prefer to think of people in a more positive light. That's my small (if perhaps futile) contribution towards making the jazz guitar community a friendlier place.

  11. #85

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  12. #86

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    can't have a js thread without some js music...classic with getz...

    get the book and moonlight in vermont cd! haha



    cheers

  13. #87

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    Thanks guys. Where you buy the book from doesn't affect me, but thanks for your consideration. As for getting caught up in the decision to buy Johnny's biography or an engagement ring... Yikes! Most of the wives of the lads to whom I've taught the guitar over the years already see me as the High Priest of a Dark Art, which gives their husbands something to enjoy in life and which doesn't involve them. So, I'm already living on borrowed time and I'm not going to risk shortening it even further by offering any advice. Way too dangerous! :-)

  14. #88

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    Hey Lin,

    Received my copy of you book from Amazon last Friday and 'devoured' it over the weekend. Congratulations on your effort and the accomplishment of this much needed resource. I actually moved up to Colorado Springs in the Spring of 1967 and was able to study with Johnny for several months. I also attended that first seminar he had in 1969 and was sitting in the Holiday Inn bar watching the tv with Howard Roberts when Aldrin took his first step on the moon. An unforgetable moment but then so was the whole week.

    Please keep us posted when your additional chapters on his playing will be available.

    all the best,

    Sean Hunt
    Sun City West, Az.

  15. #89

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    Hello Lin

    My thoughts echo Sean's above - I am devouring the book, and enjoying every minute of it. The book is a sincere and worthy tribute to The Master. I don't know how any biography could be more definitive of its' subject !

    I'm also grateful you've contributed to this Forum, and am glad that myself and others can personally tell you how much we applaud and appreciate your efforts in telling Johnny Smith's story.

    Congratulations on a job incredibly well done and may it be the success it so obviously deserves.

    Sincerely,

    Dennis Dunn
    Last edited by Dennis D; 10-26-2015 at 04:58 PM.

  16. #90

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    Thanks Dennis. You're very kind. It was an honor to work with Johnny and his family over the final two years of his life, and it is no less humbling to receive such kind sentiments and appreciation from good people such as yourself. In a world where so many people are in such a rush to share their negative opinions on everything, it's a relief to know that I did alright. Thanks again.

    Take care,
    Lin

  17. #91

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    ok, most of us have seen this video, it's one of only a few clips known.
    here he's not quite as nimble as he was back in the day [I think he was retired nearly 25 yrs when this was shot] but still incredible.
    look @ that flawless picking and fingering technique, no wonder he sounds so perfect, but never 'boring-perfect' like some guys.
    he changes from a pensive mood then sounds so joyous @ 3:40 when he's soloing over the bridge, then back to pensive for the out. amazing.

    Last edited by wintermoon; 01-07-2016 at 01:26 AM.

  18. #92

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    Sorry to get nuts and bolts in this section of the forum, but notice that JS is playing his marvelous D'Angelico guitar through a Wes Montgomery-approved Fender Super Reverb Amp. I have always thought that amp to be a great complement for archtop guitars, even if it was probably venue-provided in this instance. (JS preferred his EMRAD amp, but didn't travel with it in later years--it stayed in his garage.)

  19. #93

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    Which humbucker is on his DA?

  20. #94

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    Johnny Smith floater

  21. #95

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    This is an excellent video to observe Smith's right hand. Despite his recommendation in his various books to play everything with alternate picking, one can see that he employs a variety of picking in this tune including directional/economy picking and repeated downstrokes on the same string.

    In short, JS was using a similar type of right hand technique to that of earlier players such as Christian, Barnes and Reinhardt.

  22. #96

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    yeah Monk, also interesting to note how close he plays to the bridge a lot of the time, though he does play over the fingerboard extension as well.

  23. #97

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    Like Django, Benson, Pass, Coryell (and many others), Smith had a powerful right hand that floated. His articulation and time feel show us all how it can and should be done.

    Johnny Smith was truly one of the all time masters of the jazz guitar.

  24. #98

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    Unfortunately, he f-cks up the melody on the last bars of the first eight, and winds up a measure off when they come back for the second eight.

  25. #99

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    Johnny does just fine, it's the rhythm section that messes up - they play the changes to the 2nd A by mistake during the 1st A.

  26. #100

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    yeah, well he misses a double stop @ 3:15 and there are other mistakes.
    he's Johnny Smith, but he's human and by this time wasn't playing nearly as much as in the past so he's a little older/rusty.
    still a great performance imo.