George Barnes

[daveg]

New on Spotify and Amazon - "George Barnes - Quiet! Gibson at Work" Vol 1 (1938-48) & 2 (1940-57). Includes "Country Jazz".

https://play.spotify.com/album/20PYnaIRtSuamS9GMikBVF

https://play.spotify.com/album/6mO6sz4DpB2oyVGFasPAkQ

Amazon.co.uk: george barnes - Albums: Digital Music

DG

[KEOKI]

What a collectors piece. They misspelled Country ( "Coutry" ) on the album cover. ;-)

[Greentone]

Gosh, Barnes was so young in the cover shot. I saw Barnes in the late 60s/early 70s. He was a massive talent in jazz guitar. Years later, I conducted an interview of Les Paul for a magazine article. Les told me that George Barnes was his early inspiration in jazz guitar. He used to listen to Barnes on the radio out of Chicago.

[b_goat]

I'm a huge George fan. I especially love the live albums he made with Ruby Braff (heck, any of Barnes' live recordings), and the duets with Karl Kress.

Thanks.

b.goat

[Rob MacKillop]

Fine blues playing on many tracks. He's known today as a jazz guitarist mainly, I guess, but he should be a major name in blues guitar history too.

[Greentone]

Absolutely...George Barnes cut many sides as a blues guitarist. He sold tons of stuff in what were called in the USA "race records." It's not clear that in the radio age many people understood that Barnes was a white guy...not that it mattered.

I don't have any of Barnes' blues sides. My source on this is Gene Lees, who wrote extensively for jazz publications for about 50 years.

[Rob MacKillop]

Cheers, Greentone. It would be great to have a "Barnes Plays The Blues" compilation.

[Greentone]

Rob,

Here is Barnes as "Mr. Lang" on Big Bill Broonzy's record (Barnes is the electric guitar):

[KEOKI]

What a treasure. Thanks

[MarkRhodes]

I don't have any of Barnes' blues sides. My source on this is Gene Lees, who wrote extensively for jazz publications for about 50 years.

He also wrote lyrics, right? "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars," among others. I read his biography of Johnny Mercer. Good writer, observant guy. No fan of the rock and roll....

[Rob MacKillop]

Greentone, that was great! First ever electric guitar on a commercial recording, it says. Well done, George! He really lifts this track. Wicked vibrato, considering the strings he probably had.

[Greentone]

You can really understand where Les Paul came from if you listen to Barnes.

Keoki: yeah, Gene Lees was the premier journalist in jazz, and he was one heck of a lyricist. His book on Mercer was superb. All of his books are things I highly recommend to anyone interested in jazz. Lees had access to everyone who was anyone in jazz. He was great friends with Herb Ellis and Johnny Smith, for example, and had lots of stories to tell about each.

[monk]

Greentone, that was great! First ever electric guitar on a commercial recording, it says. Well done, George! He really lifts this track. Wicked vibrato, considering the strings he probably had.

Rob,
I have a copy of The George Barnes Guitar Method (1941) in which Mr. Barnes recommended the use of flat-wound strings with an unwound third string to facilitate bending.
Regards,
Jerome

[Rob MacKillop]

Interesting, Jerome. Is it a good method?

Someone has written a little about it: http://bucknerguitar.wordpress.com/2...r-method-1943/

[monk]

Rob,
I think that it's a good book and an important piece of jazz guitar history. Buckner's assessment of the contents is accurate. Like most players of that era Barnes referenced chord shapes for soloing and the first pages of the book are dedicated to learning and playing single note exercises out of the chord shapes in the key of the shape and then in other keys. I found this one ridiculously cheap at a yard sale and would have paid considerably more than the asking price of fifty cents but I would hesitate before paying the exorbitant prices I've seen asked on eBay in recent years.
Regards,
Jerome

[MarkRhodes]

Interesting, Jerome. Is it a good method?

Someone has written a little about it: George Barnes Electric Guitar Method ~1943 | The Guitar Instructor's Notebook

That's an interesting picture of 'how to hold the guitar.' The neck is not tilted upward, which is more often seen. I play more this way now but it's not how I started out. (If I knew then what I know now...)

Man, that guy could play.

[MarkRhodes]

Rob,
I think that it's a good book and an important piece of jazz guitar history. Buckner's assessment of the contents is accurate. Like most players of that era Barnes referenced chord shapes for soloing and the first pages of the book are dedicated to learning and playing single note exercises out of the chord shapes in the key of the shape and then in other keys.

What's the Bb shape? (I assume the other three are open chords, C, F, and was it D or G?) I'm curious about all things related to 'shape systems.'

[Rob MacKillop]

I managed to download a pdf of "George Barnes Guitar Styles" but haven't had a moment to look at it.

[MarkRhodes]

I managed to download a pdf of "George Barnes Guitar Styles" but haven't had a moment to look at it.

Well when you do, please report back! That guy had some, uh, stuff we could all use!

[Rob MacKillop]

Will do, Boss

[monk]

Mark,
Barnes used four shapes. C, F, Bb, and G. The C and G shapes began with the third finger; the F and Bb shapes with the first finger. All of the scale and run exercises were indicated to be played with fingers 1, 2 and 3. Nary a pinky in sight except, IIRC, the basic G scale was executed with a shift to the fourth finger on the seventh degree fingered on the fourth string. The book does provide clear insight into how Barnes thought about and organized fingerings and picking.
Regards,
Jerome

[snoskier63]

Here is an interesting article about George Barnes by Jim LaDiana...

Classic Jazz Guitar - Articles

I would love to get my hands on one of his signature Guild Acousti-lectric guitars, but after my recent guitar purchases something like that will have to wait until my son is out of college...in 12 years! On second thought, I'll happily forego all other guitar temptations to keep him 9 y.o.

[Greentone]

Anyone ever noticed how Barnes held the pick? He held it with his thumb and _second finger_. His first finger pointed straight at the strings. Unorthodox, but man, oh, man he sure got around just fine.

Yes, Barnes referenced chord shapes. I think just about all of the jazz guitarists from George Barnes right through Herb Ellis and Joe Pass did the same thing. If you came of age between the 30s and the 50s, you probably thought "chords". Of course, by the 50s the GI Bill was dumping a lot of guys into colleges and universities (Ellis into North Texas State, Jim Hall into Cleveland, etc.) The school movement really busted things wide open.

Even if you didn't go to school, some guys had ears the size of Alaska--they just heard what was going down. Still, there is a discernible difference, say, between the excellent Red Garland on piano and the excellent, GI Bill product, Bill Evans (Southeastern Louisiana University). It was certainly something that Miles picked up on.

Wes had big ears, it seems to me.

[Rob MacKillop]

Well when you do, please report back! That guy had some, uh, stuff we could all use!

You can download it HERE

You have to "donate" to support the site. That donation turns out to be a fixed price of $5.99. Some other interesting books there too.

Still not had time to look at it, so will stop writing and get to it!

[Rob MacKillop]

OK, after a quick read through I can say that you will need to be a good reader. Lots of flat key sigs, up to five flats, and lots of chromaticism. The pieces don't excite me as much as the titles: "Evolutive Ascension For Hot Rocks" (!Really?) and "A Good Night For Murder". 12 pieces in all, each with a piano part.

A couple of screen shots: