The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Lovely player and musician...

    Recorded last summer on river jazz boat on Neva rever in St.Petersburg (not possible this year unfortunately)


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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonah
    Lovely player and musician...

    Recorded last summer on river jazz boat on Neva rever in St.Petersburg (not possible this year unfortunately)

    Is he the guy that played in Richie Cole's group?
    I just listened to it- great song, great improvisations by him and the pianist.
    Last edited by sgcim; 08-02-2020 at 05:36 PM.

  4. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by sgcim
    Is he the guy that played in Richie Cole's group?
    Yes, when he lived in the States.
    Now he has been back to Russia for 5 years or so.

  5. #4

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    Unique sound and playing. I've never heard someone quite like this.

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonah
    Yes, when he lived in the States.
    Now he has been back to Russia for 5 years or so.
    I used to play gigs with the drummer in that band, and he told me they had a fine Russian guitarist in RC's group
    He came up with a beautiful chord progression to that tune that is both functional, yet still different that the typical jazz progressions, and not the non-functional, modal progressions everyone's writing now. His improvisation was melodic, yet still contained a lot of rhythmic excitement, and made musical sense. The pianist also played a fine solo. It sounded like the pianist didn't comp much, if at all, for AR.
    I'll look for any of their recordings.

  7. #6
    he told me that in his youth he was strongly impressed by John Stowell who came to USSR... and he develped this posture and left-hand technique (lots of pinky playing there) after that.
    In the States he was very close with Attila Zoller, they played together and sometimes it seems he almost lived in his place.

    As for sound - to be honest to me his sound seems to come more from some kind of his personal indifference for the tone/sound... jazz/rock players are often obsessed with the tone per se... and when I met Andrei (I took a few lessons from him) I noticed that he does not really care, I played my archtop unplugged and he played cheap plywood classical guitar that sounded terribly especially with stromg attack with a pick but he did not seem to care. Local guitarists often criticize him for the sound but to me it never really mattered (I myself was always more focused on pitch realtions than on tone colours.. I think it is just some kind of musical mentality).


    He actually developed his own vocabulary both in chordal stuff - his own voicings and changes - he repeats them all the time (and I like it) so after listening to his more you begin to recognize them ...

    As for melodies - yes he is extremly rythmic - sometimes almost percussive but at the same time he has very beautiful melodic phrasing (I personally hear it as coming from Russian classical school... at least I recognize this kind of breath and phrasing)...
    When we talked I found out that he actually has no consistent system...

    he uses scales a lot in tradition CST approach (like here is a chord - lets try that scale) but with not with much consistency.... and he treats scales like Chordal tones with fill-ins...

    and actually you can hear it if you try to follow his playing carefully...

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonah
    he told me that in his youth he was strongly impressed by John Stowell who came to USSR... and he develped this posture and left-hand technique (lots of pinky playing there) after that.
    In the States he was very close with Attila Zoller, they played together and sometimes it seems he almost lived in his place.

    As for sound - to be honest to me his sound seems to come more from some kind of his personal indifference for the tone/sound... jazz/rock players are often obsessed with the tone per se... and when I met Andrei (I took a few lessons from him) I noticed that he does not really care, I played my archtop unplugged and he played cheap plywood classical guitar that sounded terribly especially with stromg attack with a pick but he did not seem to care. Local guitarists often criticize him for the sound but to me it never really mattered (I myself was always more focused on pitch realtions than on tone colours.. I think it is just some kind of musical mentality).


    He actually developed his own vocabulary both in chordal stuff - his own voicings and changes - he repeats them all the time (and I like it) so after listening to his more you begin to recognize them ...

    As for melodies - yes he is extremly rythmic - sometimes almost percussive but at the same time he has very beautiful melodic phrasing (I personally hear it as coming from Russian classical school... at least I recognize this kind of breath and phrasing)...
    When we talked I found out that he actually has no consistent system...

    he uses scales a lot in tradition CST approach (like here is a chord - lets try that scale) but with not with much consistency.... and he treats scales like Chordal tones with fill-ins...

    and actually you can hear it if you try to follow his playing carefully...
    Here's a great video of AR and Atilla Zoller playing the end of "I Hear a Rhapsody", and then playing "Darn That Dream". AR uses those John Stowell voicings you mentioned very musically, rather than just showing off.
    As far as scales being chordal tones with fill-ins, that's what Bach and Bird did, again, musically. Many of Bird's heads, are just creative use of the major scale. Many of Tal Farlow's best ideas are scale-based. I studied with Atilla Zoller when I was in High School in a group setting as part of a City-sponsored program, and he pointed out the flaws in my playing, which I'm forever thankful to him for doing. Here's AZ and AR:

  9. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by sgcim
    Here's a great video of AR and Atilla Zoller playing the end of "I Hear a Rhapsody", and then playing "Darn That Dream". AR uses those John Stowell voicings you mentioned very musically, rather than just showing off.
    As far as scales being chordal tones with fill-ins, that's what Bach and Bird did, again, musically. Many of Bird's heads, are just creative use of the major scale. Many of Tal Farlow's best ideas are scale-based. I studied with Atilla Zoller when I was in High School in a group setting as part of a City-sponsored program, and he pointed out the flaws in my playing, which I'm forever thankful to him for doing. Here's AZ and AR:
    Here is a Zoller pick that Andrei gave me after first lesson. I still keep it.
    Not sure why they were produced and in which quantity.

    By the way it very good: thin, flexible but gives quite thick tone with bright attack

    Attachment 74580

  10. #9

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    In 2001, I had dinner on a riverboat with a Russian ballerina while cruising down the River Neva. No music, but it was just as memorable. Thanks for the memory!

  11. #10

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    He was my first teacher in college. He and Starostenko (another great Russian jazz guitarist who unfortunately had Jaco-like life and end) set me straight about how the rhythm and swing are the most important areas to focus on. Andrei said something like I don't care what notes you playing, as long it's on time.

    When I studied with him he was very conscious about tone. More like what comes from your fingers than gear, but still it was very important in his teaching.

    Tbh, most of his jazz lessons were way over my head at the time, I was so not ready for that. I also never thought I would play jazz, I wanted to be a rock player. Regardless, I'm lucky he was my teacher.

  12. #11
    This solo set is great...

    Check Ticket to Ride at 48:00... there are lots of versions and arrangements but this one has such a lively improvizational vibe


  13. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonah
    This solo set is great...

    Check Ticket to Ride at 48:00... there are lots of versions and arrangements but this one has such a lively improvizational vibe

    Very funky, I'll definitely steal a few of his ideas on that one. I was surprised he didn't play George Harrison's great lick at the end of the bridge, but the guy's got a lot of energy, and he stays in the spirit of the tune without showing off or using any effects.

  14. #13
    Lovely