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Originally Posted by Jonah
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01-01-2021 06:45 AM
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Originally Posted by Jonah
I think Literick was objecting to the use of ‘we.’
Anyway Derek passed away 15 years ago. His playing helped found a new way of playing music that’s been in existence for 50 years. While unfamiliar or strange to many, I’m not sure we can call this avant garde anymore.
I think the past decades have been characterised by a general retreat from the avant garde. In general it’s more modern to play tonal (or modal), groove oriented music, all things Derek was rejecting (he described his music as ‘anti-jazz.’)
That said free improv itself is not necessarily modernist/avant garde either, and is by necessity a broad church. Not everyone active in this approach to music shares Bailey’s ‘squeaky bonk’* aesthetic, although I find it hard to escape when doing free improv because at least it stops me from playing bebop lol. Keith and Julie Tippets duo performances, for instance, sound nothing like Derek’s work.
(BTW if anyone thinks free playing is easy, they haven’t tried it.)
I’d recommend everyone here to read his book Improvisation BTW, if they haven’t, and check out the TV series he did if you can; you don’t have to like it even have checked out his music to get a lot out of it.
*thanks, Jim MullenLast edited by christianm77; 01-01-2021 at 07:15 AM.
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What Christian said. I use 'avant garde' as the name of a genre, one that is now largely a thing of the past, but from which one can learn. There is something about Mary, but it is a different thing, a formal approach. The most interesting free guitarist at present is Jessica Ackerley who, unlike Bailey, does not avoid melody.
All my playing is free. Nobody would pay for it.
I’ll get my coat.
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Well tbh I think ‘free’ is often used as a synonym for ‘dissonant or not conventionally tonal’ or even ‘I don’t like that’; isn’t a lot of Halvorsson’s music actually composed, or do I remember wrong?
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Originally Posted by Average Joe
Here he's playing material from different phases – through 2 different rigs interestingly:
But then it's all about his feel and choice of notes anyway. I had an epiphany when trying to play transcriptions through a very inadequate rig (probably a tele through a totally dry amp) – it was still identifiable as Scofield's music.
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Originally Posted by BickertRules
Honestly I can't see that he's using any irregular technique. But you can see and hear that he has a very light touch. Maybe that's responsible for the beautiful tone?
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Originally Posted by Litterick
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Originally Posted by christianm77
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I’m not sure if he’s doing anything you would see on a grainy old TV to video transfer, but it sounds like there’s contact (preparation?) and a little slide of the pick on the string and then the note pops out as the pick “lets go” of the string.
Again, I am just guessing but I have always liked that about Grant’s tone, or attack sound. Most other jazz guitarist have a “duh-duh-duh-duh” sounding attack, while Green’s has that little airy breath before each nice ringing bell of a note pops out.
I love this album, “Standards”, for a few reasons, but one is I think you can hear Grant’s tone more clearly because of the lack of piano/organ and the subdued, but grooving, playing of the bass and drums.
Grant Green – Standards - YouTube
I also love the cavernous reverb and the fact that Green almost never plays a chord, except on the last note of the track or very sparse voicings during the bass solos. He plays no chord melody during his melody statements or solos, but I don’t miss it at all.
I imagine a story where everyone was set up at RVG’s studio for a regular date and the piano player didn’t show. Somebody said “F it, let’s roll tape!”, and we get this beautifully sparse swinging masterpiece.
A genius of groove, time, and tone.
Originally Posted by guavajellyLast edited by BickertRules; 01-01-2021 at 04:31 PM.
Lucy’s Jazz Guitar Gretsch G5420 an Projects
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