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Oscar Moore was an amazing musician. The Nat King Cole's arrangements were hand down the best in the small-combo setting. There is a band in Boise, Idaho of all places, that plays and studies these arrangements, and even composes in the style of the NK3. Enjoy this link clip of them!
The Frim Fram Four - Don't Scratch That Riff, Cat!
Last edited by swingitjack; 02-12-2011 at 03:26 PM.
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02-12-2011 03:13 PM
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I liked Oscar's work with the Nat Cole Trio. (I loved that trio--no drums! I'm not against drums, mind you, but a trio that can swing without a drummer--Oscar Peterson's trio with Herb Ellis was even more impressive--does a lot for me.) I really liked the way they did "Frim Fram Sauce" and "Sweet Lorraine." And of course, "Straighten Up And Fly Right."
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Here's a live performance of "Route 66," complete with bongo player! Oscar plays a lot tasty stuff that's not shown, though you can see him take his solo.
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Thanks for posting all of these clips. They are all available on recordings and DVD, I recommend buying them!
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I'm a fan!
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Originally Posted by markerhodes
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Originally Posted by Stackabones
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Originally Posted by markerhodes
Last edited by monk; 02-12-2011 at 07:04 PM.
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Oops, my bad! Sorry about that gaffe. Monk, thanks for pointing it out.
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Originally Posted by markerhodes
Yeah, ya gotta watch out for some of those flatpickers. They'll peel the frets right off the fretboard.
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Oscar Moore was with the King Cole Trio from 1937 to 1947. Playing acoustic archtop guitar, Moore quickly became well known for his skill between 1937 and 1939. He was somewhat overshadowed by the arrival of Charlie Christian in 1939. Upon Christian's death in 1942, Moore's popularity rose again, this time as an electric guitarist.
Most of the arrangements for the group were done by Moore. Originally a co-op, the money was split equally and when Moore left the group he was reportedly making $57,000 a year.
His decision to leave was not because of the pop material the Trio was recording as is sometimes reported but because Cole caved in to record company demands to place Moore and bassist Johnny Miller on "sideman salaries". Moore and Miller sued Cole for breach of promise in 1947. but lost. Moore played in his brother's R&B group Johnny Moore and the Three Blazers from 1947 to 1954.Last edited by monk; 02-12-2011 at 10:41 PM.
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Wow! I never knew anybody transcribed Moore's solos. Bigsby, is that the title of the booklet? I'd love to get my hands on a copy. Oscar Moore is one of my idols...
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I also have a copy of the Oscar Moore Guitar Solos.
The publisher bracketed Oscar's solo with the melody of Cole's piano intro and vocal accompaniment to create an "expanded" arrangement. So Oscar's true solo is imbedded in the middle.
Since this was published in 1947 when most guitarists were musically literate, there is only standard notation.
This isn't the only Oscar Moore folio that was published. There was a second titled Oscar Moore Guitaristics that I've only seen a picture of but would love to find a copy.
Here's a pdf of the cover:
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Way cool, I didn't know about the second one. Two songs ( Easy Listening Blues & Gee, Baby... )from the first one are also included in the Mel Bay book Masters Of The Plectrum Guitar.
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Hi all,
I wonder if there are any other Oscar Moore fans out there?
No i'm not referring to the novelist, but the jazz guitarist. He played with the King Cole Trio for many years and had a fairly unsuccessful solo career. Check out this playing on 'moonlight in vermont':
Yes there are and thanks for the message.
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I too have always loved Moore's playing. Nat's piano playing was truly amazing as well.
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I'm a huge fan of Oscar Moore. But, to me, among the most influential jazz guitarists who receive the least amount of recognition is Johnny Smith. Sure, he is mentioned, but this guy established the chord melody style. He's in my desert island discs, for sure.
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Yes, Johnny Smith, Van Eps and Reuss. And let's not forget Al Casey (not the rockabilly guy, the one with Fats Waller).
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Moore is one of my favorite guitarists of all time ! You can recognize his sound after just a few notes, and I love the slide effect he often uses, a bit less "noisy" than Les Paul's one for example (very good too by the way).
Johnny Smith is in my top 5 for sure ! I cried when I first listened to him, his touch and tone are inimitable.
Thanks for the Alan Reuss, I don't know the guy so I'll check this.
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Monk,
Thanks for the tunes! I knew that Reuss and Van Eps had a sophisticated harmonic style, but I've had trouble finding recordings that really showed it. Reuss is usually in the background of a big band and older Van Eps is hard to find. I have the 12 disc Johnny Smith Riverside Collection, if you want to trade some tunes. I also have the Tal Farlow collection. I believe that both are out of print. Speaking of trading tune, I have the complete Eddie Lang and Joe Venuti on Okeh. I think I'm missing some of their duo recordings though. I could also always use some more early Cole. If any of y'all want to trade some tunes, just let me know.Last edited by oldsouth; 03-04-2011 at 12:32 PM.
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Another too often overlook guitarist was the guy who played with the Mills Brothers - I can't remember his name. His intros were very charismatic. I think he did a nice box chord solo on Up a Lazy River, but that may be a later version I'm thinking of.
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PS,
Y'all may have noticed that I am both dyslexic and I spell everything phonetically - sorry for any confusion - spell check catches most of my mistakes, but not all.
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Woooa, Allan Reuss rocks ! Thanks for the discovery !
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Originally Posted by guelda
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Prior to being in the Nat Cole Trio he was Guitarist for the Jones Boys Sing Band. I just uploaded a few recordings of them with him on them. There is also a video of him with that group:
Last edited by AustinCaseySwing; 07-16-2012 at 05:45 AM. Reason: added detail
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Originally Posted by AustinCaseySwing
Lucy’s Jazz Guitar Gretsch G5420 an Projects
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