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One of my all-time favorite guitarists is Oscar Moore. (Yes, I use OM as my avatar.) I love his phrasing, how he comps behind Nat King Cole's vocals and piano playing and, of course, his tone. I'd like to know if anyone has any transcriptions or arrangements of any thing he has played on? I have the charts for much of the music he has recorded, but I am having trouble with some of his chord voicings in particular and solos. (I can come close on some tunes but I want to "nail it".)
Also, I'd appreciate any suggestions from those of you who can assist someone like me finding any material - books, links, instructional DVDs - related to Oscar Moore.
IMHO Oscar Moore is one of the most over-looked jazz guitarists of the last century. I hope more people discover him and his music. Thanks!
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02-18-2014 07:29 PM
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IIRC, he played one of those really funky angled pickup Gibsons, didn't he? I have a compilation of NKC's trios with Oscar...great sounding stuff.
When you say you're having trouble with the voicings, do you mean transcribing them, or playing them?
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I have only transcribed his solo to "Gee Baby Ain't I Good to You" which was pretty easy to hear. I don't listen to OM much anymore, but his solo on that tune is what finally made me say OK...I'm going to learn this damn jazz guitar stuff no matter what it takes.
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Another one of the legendary players that doesn't get mentioned often enough. Interesting to compare his style with C Christian's, I hear a bit more of a Django Reinhardt influence in Oscars playing.
Regarding transcriptions, there were a couple of books done in the 40's, giving an insight into Oscar's style, perhaps not as in depth as the transcriptions we have today, but useful nonetheless. You can check them out here.
http://www.scribd.com/search-documen...ry=oscar+moore
As for videos there's a wonderful collection of Snader soundies and telescriptions. More or less all featuring the trio. Some are later with great shots of Oscar's replacement, Irving Ashby, playing his Stromberg.
http://www.amazon.com/Nat-King-Cole-...=nat+cole+trio
Best Wishes
Puby.
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Oscar Moore Guitar Solos on ebay (no affiliation)
He is often compared to Charlie Christian, and many books go as far as to say that his style came from CC. That's not taking into account that CC joined Benny Goodman in 1939 and Moore had already been recording with NKC for a couple years by then.
They were both bluesy swing guitarists around the same time, so it's not abnormal that there are similitudes in their styles. Doesn't mean that one was influenced by the other. They may well have shared the same influences though.
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Love listening and playing along to the Nat King Cole trio and the great Oscar Moore. One of the things I like about his playing is the slightly 'quirky' nature of his solos, very individually stated often. I don't find his solos especially difficult to transcribe, though I don't have a device to slow down the tempo which would be quite helpful generally. Worth studying.
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another vote for one of the most under appreciated jazz players.
his chord voicings were very advanced and sophisticated in his day--I can't think of anyone else that could touch him then, Christian was more noted for his single line playing of course
"though I don't have a device to slow down the tempo which would be quite helpful generally"
this will solve that problem for you....
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html
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http://rmmgj.blogspot.ie/2012/08/osc...taristics.html
This blog has info on OMoore transcripts
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I love Oscar and the Nat Cole trio. Good arrangements, tasteful solos and killer singing what's not to love? I think it was Barney Kessel who said that Oscar basically invented the role of small combo guitarist and was one of, if not the first, to comp more like a pianist.
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GodinFan,
Originally Posted by GodinFan
I am having trouble transcribing - I now have Song Surgeon to slow down the solos so that has helped tremendously, but I still have great difficulty figuring out chord voicings even when I slow the track down.
As far as playing these songs, I really can't play it until I know the proper way it's done. I can come close, but I'd like to get some of OM's tunes perfect.
Cheers!
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targuit, Originally Posted by targuit
I took your advice and purchased Song Surgeon to slow down the tempo. I wish I had purchased this sooner.
Thanks!
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this is a free program to change speeds Originally Posted by NorthForkJazzGuitar
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html
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Needed to revive this thread,
I'm still kicking myself for missing the Mosaic "Complete Capitol Recordings" box set, but, the whole lot of it is available to hear on Spotify, so I've been listening to some of it for the first time recently. Very interesting to hear the pitch corrected masters.
Anyway, I wanted to ask if anyone knows, or would like to speculate how Oscar Moore achieved this tone on "To A Wild Rose". A sort of octave/harmonic effect, I've never really heard anything like it. Replaced/alternate stringing, perhaps ?,
What do you think ?. Enjoy the track !.
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very django...think the "effect" is just weird early octal tube amp harmonic distortion...
junior watson tells the story of meeting oscar moore years later...he owned and worked a parking lot...obviously embittered to a degree...he said he had won the metronome jazz guitar player award in his day....
sad
oscar moore's a great...and as i stated in kenny b thread a big early influence on him
cheers
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"I'm still kicking myself for missing the Mosaic "Complete Capitol Recordings" box set"
I would be too, I had to have it when it came out [though I bought quite a few of the Mosaic catalogue]
18 cd's of sonic bliss. I'm an errand boy for rhythm!
faster studio version
brilliant!
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Seems like I saw somewhere he played tenor guitar on occasion...is that what we're listening to here? Originally Posted by pubylakeg
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Not sure what to make of it. I've never read any historical comment on this tune, or Oscar Moore playing a tenor guitar. Nor have I ever actually played a tenor guitar myself to have any insight into the matter.
My curiosity was piqued by the fact that the other amplified strings which you can hear, sound to be in the register of the normal guitar.
Nice effect though. Beautiful version of the tune.
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great bit about oscar M at nick rossi's great site- a modernist
A Modernist: Oscar Moore and Fender (1951)
btw, the most prominent user of the tenor guitar was tiny grimes..and he tuned it like the high 4 strings of a guitar...ie. d-g-b-e
cheers
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Listening to some more of Oscar's quartet stuff, I think this might just be his accomplished technique on a Gibson (L5 with CC pickup). He was obviously influenced by gypsy guitar. Though tenor was quite popular in the 30's-40's, especially among banjo players switching to guitar.
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When I was a kid my parents were big NKC fans. On Sundays my Dad and I would listen to records waiting for my Mom to get home from teaching Sunday school. I figured out fairly recently that Oscar Moore is probably why I play guitar.
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From my collection:
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strange post nkc trio recording...recorded in 1957...just oscar and bassist leroy vinnegar..but oscar overdubbed guitar
Presenting Oscar Moore featuring Leroy Vinegar
cheers
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^
hmm, just when you thought you heard it all.
never heard of this record.
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