Comping of Various Players

**fgreen** · 03-12-2017, 11:52 PM

Hey y'all! I'm a year 12 student in Australia and I'm doing an investigation task for curriculum music about the comping styles of various jazz greats. My music teacher has suggested I find three guitarists with distinct styles (I'm thinking Freddie, Joe Pass & Wes Montgomery), then find them each performing the same standard and analyse their comping in it.
Initially, I was going to do Take the A Train because it's one of my audition pieces for my jazz degree I'll be starting next year. Problem is, I can only find Freddie doing it in an orchestral setting - none of his characteristic comping. I'm also having trouble finding recordings where Joe isn't playing lead.
I'm fairly new to jazz - I've only really gotten into it this year! Do you guys know of any recordings which really demonstrate the classic comping styles of these three greats, of the same tune?

**jazzguy100** · 03-13-2017, 06:03 AM

with Joe comping start looking at him comping with a singer, he did a lot of stuff with ella fitzgerald so that's a starting point. with Wes maybe look at him comping behind the piano player or behind vibes, but he sometimes is hard to hear or drops out.

As for tunes, if you can't find a common one, just do a blues because that's a pretty easy starting point.

**AndyV** · 03-13-2017, 06:37 AM

Finding a cut from all three on the same tune where you can really hear their comping is a tall order, maybe impossible. Here are three cuts where their styles are very audible.

Here's a cut where you can really hear Wes' great comping:

Check out Joer's comping behind the bass solo by Niels HOP:

A clip of Freddie where you can really hear him. With the big band, his contributions were often more "felt" than heard:

**Jonah** · 03-13-2017, 08:00 AM

Do you compare guitar comping in styles.. or certain player's guitar comping...

If you compare styles you take the most emblematic players in these styles like Freddie for swing 4-to-the-bar, Joe Pass or Martin Taylor for fingerstyle solo guitar comping...
Kenny Burrell or Barney Kessel fopr mainstream trio setting comping

If you compare individual player's style you'd better take them in more or less the same setting and musical style

Comping depends much on style and setting... Joe Pass comping to Ella singing is different from Joe Pass comping to Jimmy Rowles' piano

Kenny Burrell, Barney Kessel, Grant Green in trios...

Ed Bickert, Jim Hall and Pat Metheny in small groups like duos or trios...

George Benson, Freddie Green, Charlie Christian (maybe for someone it would look strange but to me these three are quite comparable)

There's a big chance that you can find them pcomping on the same tune (Jim and Pat did duo recordings you can find them comping each other)

**sgcim** · 03-13-2017, 04:48 PM

Wes, Barney Kessel and Joe Pass all recorded "Satin Doll", and they might have comped for the bass solo, or in Wes' case, the organist, Melvin Rhyne's solo.

**fgreen** · 03-13-2017, 08:14 PM

Thanks everyone

I've found a couple of cool recordings of them comping over a blues so that should be great. Thanks everyone for your help!

Do you compare guitar comping in styles.. or certain player's guitar comping...

Really I'm trying to compare different guitar comping styles and picking three iconic players who do their own thing is just an easy way to set out the essay and explore techniques, then I'll try to incorporate their techniques into my playing to demonstrate what I've learned. Thanks for everything y'all!

**rpjazzguitar** · 03-13-2017, 08:35 PM

I think Freddie Green has to be on the list, no matter how short the list is.

I'd suggest Jim Hall be second and the album to hear is Glad To Be Unhappy. But, there was no piano on that album. Which, of course, changes everything.

Hearing Wes do anything is worthwhile, but here's something that comes to mind. I heard Wes live at a concert in Central Park. As well as I can remember, during the piano solos he put his guitar on a stand and walked over behind the piano. I don't recall him comping at all, although my memory could be wrong. That was a g/p/b/d quartet. Might have been Wynton Kelly. Obviously, he did comp on records. Maybe somebody will know something about why he wasn't comping late in his career, at least the night I heard him.

I don't know who I'd pick as the third most interesting comper. Herb Ellis with Oscar? Jack Wilkins with Tony Bennett? Kenny Burrell? Among the younger guys, Chico Pinheiro is an astonishing comper. Check out

**sgosnell** · 03-13-2017, 09:11 PM

One of the best ever was Eldon Shamblin. He's sometimes discounted because he played in a western swing band, but nobody was better, ever, in any style.

**jmgalich** · 03-13-2017, 11:16 PM

Barry Galbraith, hands down. Listen:

What's New:

Give 'em Hal:

You Don't Know What Love Is:

I Remember April: (mislabled as Nearness of You, with Dakota Staton)

John Galich

**mrcee** · 03-14-2017, 01:08 AM

Originally Posted by sgosnell

One of the best ever was Eldon Shamblin. He's sometimes discounted because he played in a western swing band, but nobody was better, ever, in any style.

For sure! I saw a TV reunion of the Texas Playboys in maybe the late 80s. Leon McAulliffe was one of the few original members along with Shamblin. Shamblin was amazing and took a mind blowing solo as well. You're right, and with no exaggeration, nobody was better, ever, in any style.

**destinytot** · 03-14-2017, 05:59 AM

Steve Jordan:

**Jonah** · 03-14-2017, 09:22 AM

Steve Jordan:

Laptop guitar school

**MarkRhodes** · 03-14-2017, 12:08 PM

Originally Posted by sgosnell

One of the best ever was Eldon Shamblin. He's sometimes discounted because he played in a western swing band, but nobody was better, ever, in any style.

Here's some footage of Eldon playing. With Herb Ellis, no less. Eldon liked Strats, which is not one normally thinks of as a Western Swing guitar, but he made it work. He was great at coming up with bass lines that added flair to basic progressions.

Just found this. Short bit but a better look at his hands in action.

**sgosnell** · 03-14-2017, 01:22 PM

I think "a Strat", not Strats. I've only seen him use the one that Fender gave him, a very early example, AFAIK without a trem.

**mrcee** · 03-14-2017, 01:38 PM

Originally Posted by MarkRhodes

Here's some footage of Eldon playing. With Herb Ellis, no less. Eldon liked Strats, which is not one normally thinks of as a Western Swing guitar, but he made it work. He was great at coming up with bass lines that added flair to basic progressions.

Just found this. Short bit but a better look at his hands in action.

There doesn't seem to be much video footage of him. I went on a vid hunt a few years ago trying to find the one of the Texas Playboys reunion but was unsuccessful. It's some of the most exciting guitar playing I've ever heard and his solo was over the top. I was watching it with some pretty hip guys in LA and we were
flabbergasted by Shamblin. This was on TV sometime in the mid to late 80s more or less and featured Willie Nelson, without a guitar, singing Milk Cow and George Strait on another number. It's worth finding.