The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    Great gig at the Verdict club in Brighton last night. Both players seemed to really spark off each other and played at a really high level. They mainly played standards, but with interesting arrangements, e.g. Stomping at the Savoy as a funky boogaloo, Relaxin’ at Camarillo started off as bebop but somehow morphed into a bit of rock’n’roll with Johnny B. Goode (!). Love For Sale was given the Latin groove that George Benson used on that Casa Caribe record, but with a super-fast bop tempo on the bridge. Lots of really nice chordal work from both players, especially during a Henry Mancini ballad (Dreamsville).

    Alessio has superb technique, he plays lightning-fast runs but also lovely melodic lines on ballads. I was right in front of Nigel so got a great view of his very fluid and melodic comping as well as his soloing. Both players were using Fibonacci guitars.

    Excellent support was provided on bass and drums from Mikele Montolli and Joel Barford. On the way back to our car, we saw Mikele wheeling his double-bass along the street to get to the station in time for his train back to London - the glamorous life of a jazz musician!

    Here are some photos I took. The guitar and amp are Nigel’s.

    Saw Alessio Menconi and Nigel Price last night-5efd963c-c382-493f-8fca-62f74611f36e-jpgSaw Alessio Menconi and Nigel Price last night-ce2fe655-1c81-4651-b429-2b087d87c136-jpgSaw Alessio Menconi and Nigel Price last night-33e588e2-98a0-40fa-98d1-ca5a3bb003ae-jpgSaw Alessio Menconi and Nigel Price last night-580165da-614e-4281-9b95-a974e5364db3-jpgSaw Alessio Menconi and Nigel Price last night-92425b11-35e3-4c2b-99e4-5d56d1622ec9-jpgSaw Alessio Menconi and Nigel Price last night-4bb0de73-c61d-4e05-a4ed-301c1202e995-jpg

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Great write-up and shots Graham! I saw this band at the 606 Club on Tuesday. They invited guitarist Alban Claret to join them for a couple of tunes in the second set too!

    The Fibonacci guitar that Alessio has been playing this week is a loaner from the company. He'd never played one before Tuesday. It meant avoiding the hassle and expense of flying with one of his own guitars.

    Saw Alessio Menconi and Nigel Price last night-277229672_10166207651635533_4033923151261642065_n-jpg

    Saw Alessio Menconi and Nigel Price last night-277094669_10166207651745533_6679931944585840270_n-jpg

  4. #3

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    Thanks David. Yes I was wondering about the guitar, seemed a bit of a coincidence they were both playing them.

    Nigel told me they are playing tonight at Peggy’s Skylight club in Nottingham, a 117 mile drive from his house. Life on the road!

    That reminds me, the last tune they played was Road Song, which Nigel dedicated to the M23.

  5. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by David B
    Great write-up and shots Graham! I saw this band at the 606 Club on Tuesday. They invited guitarist Alban Claret to join them for a couple of tunes in the second set too!

    The Fibonacci guitar that Alessio has been playing this week is a loaner from the company. He'd never played one before Tuesday. It meant avoiding the hassle and expense of flying with one of his own guitars.

    Saw Alessio Menconi and Nigel Price last night-277229672_10166207651635533_4033923151261642065_n-jpg

    Saw Alessio Menconi and Nigel Price last night-277094669_10166207651745533_6679931944585840270_n-jpg
    Wait, is that the prototype at Mak’s guitars that Alessio is playing?

    I played that the other day. Nice box! It has less blingy appointments (such as a dot fretboard) than the production models, and a very nice almost gypsy jazz acoustic response and very nice amplified tone too which I actually preferred to the production ones that sound a bit tinny unplugged, although the balance is good plugged (compared to Eastmans which can sound a bit woolly).

    Inexperience too…. it will make a student jazzer very happy. I didn’t snap it up for this reason; one laminate jazz box is enough for me. But it’s a super guitar.
    Last edited by Christian Miller; 03-27-2022 at 04:55 AM.

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by grahambop
    the last tune they played was Road Song, which Nigel dedicated to the M23.
    :-)

    Glad you had a good time.

  7. #6

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    Nigel routinely plays his very own Fibonacci 'Londoner' on most occasions.

  8. #7
    joelf Guest
    I like Alessio. (Unfamiliar with the other players).

    About 6 years ago he came to NY to live for a year. I reached out and invited him to my gig. First thing he did was hug me---a stranger. After the gig, which he sat in on, we sat down and gave an impromptu acoustic concert of Django tunes for the people.

    He also came over my place and we played some, and I brought him by to sit in Gene Bertoncini's steady at Ryan's Daughter. He was getting around NY, having a great time, and people enjoying him.

    Alessio is a warm; genuine and humble person and player of accomplishment; swing and feeling. I wish him the best and am glad folks are enjoying him...

  9. #8

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    At the gig I bought Alessio’s tribute to Ellington/Strayhorn CD (organ trio), sounds great.

  10. #9

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    It's a brave man indeed who mentions the 'F' word around these parts Christian ( old threads refer )!

  11. #10

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    Live-stream footage of their show at Peggy's Skylight in Nottingham on Saturday night.


  12. #11

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    Alessio gets a great tone on the CD I bought at the gig. The cover shows him playing a 175, I don’t know whether that’s his usual guitar.

    Saw Alessio Menconi and Nigel Price last night-e81c65c0-512e-4738-923f-74bc39c37ff3-jpegSaw Alessio Menconi and Nigel Price last night-d9ca1cff-3711-40c2-92cc-a2ead25188c3-jpeg

  13. #12

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    Graham,

    I understand Fibonacci loaned him the Californian for his gig with Nigel. Wish I'd been there - France is a bit far!

    David

  14. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by blackcat
    It's a brave man indeed who mentions the 'F' word around these parts Christian ( old threads refer )!
    You wot?

  15. #14

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    'Wot' refers to the heated debate on here in response to my introducing the very idea of Fibonacci some time ago. Mostly centred on the notion that whilst the white wood hand-carved bodies are imported from China and 90% of everything else crafted and completed by skilled luthiers in London, they were being marketed as 'Made in GB'. Essentially, they are of course.

    David