The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    I'm struggling here. Where is the Ramones or ACDC of jazz. By that I mean simple, yet competent, reachable to someone who isn't virtuoso.

    Where is the middle ground between running scales and meaningful jazz solos?

    I always hear find some recordings you like and work with those, but I'm not going to learn 65 chords and 300 BPM single note lines at this stage.

    Can anyone suggest some slower, dare I say simple, jazz.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Bill frisell.

    Diana krall


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  4. #3

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    Here’s an article I did on bill

    Bill Frisell - Toppermost


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    Kenny Burrell - bluesy rather than bebop, not generally high tempos.

    Early Chet Baker - short, melodic solos without a lot of notes, usually medium tempos.

    Dexter Gordon playing ballads - very clear bebop lines slowed right down.

  6. #5

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    You might also like don steirnberg

    And sorry to do this but here’s an interview I did with don about another one you might like - jethro burns.

    Jethro Burns - Toppermost


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  7. #6

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    Okay, so far Dexter Gordon is great!

    Can't wait to check out the rest. I was overwhelming myself with Pasquale Grasso, Johnny Smith and Charlie Parker.

  8. #7

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    Grant Green.

  9. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by Perdido
    Grant Green.
    Grant Green was going to be my recommendation as well. I know this from experience; I have had two of my wife's relatives live with us for over 6 months or so. Both knew little about jazz and like most people were into the pop music of their era \ age group and since they were from Chicago, that style of the blues.

    So living with me they had to hear the jazz recordings I would play. The only time either of them made a comment was when I played Grant Green, especially the album Green Street. For me that is a very "raw" recording and easy to follow \ easy on the ears.

  10. #9

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    add to the above Charlie Christian, Oscar Moore and T Bone Walker (perhaps the Blues the way TBone played it is the ACDC of jazz, after all Angus is heavily rooted in Chuck Berry, that is going back to the start).

  11. #10

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    Paul Desmond, Grant Green, Chet Baker, Milt Jackson, Jim Hall

  12. #11

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    Paul Desmond, as noted above- with Jim Hall on guitar and later with Ed Bickert on guitar.

    Kind Of Blue by Miles Davis, if you haven't heard it. Study how Miles phrases and chooses notes. If there is a core essence to jazz, that may be it. Granted you'll also have John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley to provide the fireworks and fine, fine band interplay.

    Peter Bernstein, who can blaze but often makes another choice. He lives somewhere between Monk Avenue and Miles Boulevard on 52nd St. There is a great trio gig on YouTube of him at Smoke with Larry Goldings and Bill Stewart, one of my favorite combos.

  13. #12

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    Ben Webster...

  14. #13

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    Django - not his imitators.

  15. #14

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    Dexter Gordon isn’t easy per se but you can clearly hear every note which is why he is a common choice for learning improvisers to study

    EDIT: Ah someone’s said him. Well, all these suggestions are good!

  16. #15

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    Oh - Lester Young

    Louis Armstrong too

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by gggomez
    add to the above Charlie Christian, Oscar Moore and T Bone Walker (perhaps the Blues the way TBone played it is the ACDC of jazz, after all Angus is heavily rooted in Chuck Berry, that is going back to the start).
    Yes the common ancestor. You find a lot of rock and roll licks in Charlie Christian, and he got a lot of them from Lester Young. There’s a direct line of influence.

    Tony Iommi is more directly influenced by this era of music. Go listen to swing music and check out all those b5s haha.

    Seriously if you want the riff based bluesy jazz, the music of Charlie Christian, early (30s/40s) Basie and Benny Goodman might be your jam.

  18. #17

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    someone mentioned overwhelming....it is..ive gone back to playing hymns on the piano(electric) with some beautiful piano /strings sounds....heaven...to quote the famous war poem..Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
    I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
    Where never lark, or ever eagle flew –
    And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
    The high untrespassed sanctity of space

  19. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by christianm77
    Oh - Lester Young

    Louis Armstrong too
    Two of my favorites!

  20. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by voxsss
    someone mentioned overwhelming....it is..ive gone back to playing hymns on the piano(electric) with some beautiful piano /strings sounds....heaven...to quote the famous war poem..Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
    I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
    Where never lark, or ever eagle flew –
    And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
    The high untrespassed sanctity of space
    That was me, OP, there's just such a huge void between what I can do and what I listen to. I was hoping to bridge that gap. And I've gotten some fantastic recommendations.

  21. #20

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    When I was much younger, I idolized Pat Metheny, Joe Pass and John McLaughlin. And got a 175 so I could learn to play like them.

    It turned out that just buying a 175 was not going to turn me into Pat Metheny or Joe Pass. I didn't have the time to put in the hours back then, so eventually I set aside the guitar for quite a long while.

    I do wonder if I would have had more success if I had been more of a Grant Green/Kenny Burrell fan. Or if I had been more blues/rock oriented.

  22. #21

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    wasnt coltrane reaching for the untrespassed sanctity of space with his last recordings...

  23. #22

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    yes allan ive been there..i didnt do too bad..i learnt to read the tadpoles...happy days getting up at 6 in the morning to practise....nowdays the guitars resting.....less is more...ill tickle the plastic keys..good luck to you sir...
    Last edited by voxsss; 11-12-2020 at 06:33 PM.

  24. #23

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    thank you op for making me think of how much I dig Oscar Moore, I am gonna spend today listening to him and spend some time transcribing him on the weekend.

    Cheers