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"And when you play rhythm guitar that is as it should be - you must pay strict attention, not look around and smile; there ain't no time for smiling at the girls. For if you pay real attention from start to finish, you haven't any time for anything but thinking about that tempo. You know, tempos sometimes have a tendency to vary according to the different phrasing of the various sections of the band. Some sections kind of lag back in fast passages and others kind of get ahead, but if you're playing proper rhythm guitar you have to correct that, all the way, from start to finish. There ain't no time for smiling when playing with Basie."---Freddie Green
Last edited by AndyV; 02-23-2021 at 01:51 PM.
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Awww, no time for smiling at the girls? That's it, I quit.
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Great quote from Freddie. He was the master, so who am I to argue with him?
He sure held the band together.
And it's interesting what he says about different sections varying the rhythm.
In a 'blindfold test' for Downbeat, Freddie commented on a Herb Ellis record and said that "Herb could hold 'em", meaning (I think) that Herb's rhythm could keep everyone together. It's not the easiest thing to accomplish because one can get carried away and speed up or get a little bored and drag.
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hah...love freddie...but i'm sure if you asked basies bassists or drummers, they'd say the same thing...that they were the ones holding it all together!!
plus the drummers loudest!! haha
cheers
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Freddie Green was right. In the Oscar Peterson Trio--all absolute masters of their craft (i.e., Peterson--piano, Ellis--guitar, Brown--bass) there was a tendency for both Peterson and Brown to push the tempo during the fast passages. Heck, Ray Brown (my all-time, absolute favorite bassist) more or less always played at the front of the beat. Herb Ellis held things down or together in the trio.
FWIW, I believe you will find that Ellis was about as good a rhythm guitarist as Green. Two complete masters of the craft.
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Who keeps the beat in jazz?
See answers #5 & #8
Danny W.
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In the absence of a drummer, the bass player establishes the tempo regardless if he's playing on or off the beat. Similar to drums, it's one of the important functions of the instrument.
Play live . . . Marinero
Peter Sprague & Leonard Patton "Can't Find My Way...
Today, 07:47 PM in The Songs