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I think he's got that weird disease again where he blows up, but what about the wig?
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11-19-2022 11:22 PM
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I don't know that it's a wig. He's had long hair for years, and it's pretty easy to make it blonde. I've seen some other videos with the blonde hair.
And as for blown up,
But he can still play, and that's all I care about.
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Not certain but he appears to be transgender, the hair, clothes, painted fingernails.
But yeah who cares about that, great player.
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Either his suit was in the cleaners or he made a choice.
More importantly, is this a Barrett arrangement or a more famous one? Either way, really nice and great playing from all. I first became acquainted w Howard's playing on the Barrett records.
p.s. about 30 yrs ago I caught him playing in an old timey band using an old acoustic L5 in a small church w a bunch of great NY cats like Terry Waldo etc. He sounded killer, played a few Carl Kress, Eddie Lang and Van Eps tunes solo. Also some superb tenor banjo like Harry Reser etc. I was very, very impressed. I have the cassette tape somewhere that I recorded on my Sony Walkman if it hasn't deteriorated by now.
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Howard Paul seems to have been hitting the pies since I last saw him in a Chris Standring clip.
Originally Posted by sgosnell
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Maybe he's been like this since he was born, now he's maybe too old to care of what people say. Originally Posted by wintermoon
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He's been using fingernail polish for years. I noticed it, because I tend to watch his fingering when he plays, as I do many others. He hasn't been wearing suits or even dress jackets for a long time either. It's all a deliberate choice, but I don't care about his appearance or personal preferences, I just enjoy his playing, and have for many years.
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Great player. I still remember hearing him play "Polkadots and Moonbeams" on WDCB back when I was like 15. One of my earliest exposures to jazz guitar. Blew my damn mind.
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He recorded with Concord when it started up, along with Jimmy Bruno and Frank Vignola. I think the first album Concord released was a double CD, one CD a reissue of Joe Pass and Herb Ellis, plus a new one with Howard and Jimmy, entitled "Full Circle". The three also recorded together as the Concord Jazz Guitar Collective. I've been following them since I bought the Full Circle CD when it was released. I wasn't a huge fan of Howard's somewhat trebly tone when I first heard it, but it has grown on me. His playing, tone aside, has always been great.
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I just call him a great jazz guitarist. Enough said. Originally Posted by sgcim
I hope you're kidding-err-not that there's anything wrong with that, but what do we call him now, Helen Alden?
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I saw him play at the LI Guitar Show with just bass and drums, and he was flawless. I just posted it because it shocked the hell out of me!
I spoke with a friend of mine who said HA's been cross dressing for years. I guess he's decided not to hide it anymore.
Doesn't bother me, I'll still buy his records.
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I was a bit discombobulated too when I saw HA's attire in an interview with the ever active
and great guy Bob Bakert's "Jazz Guitar Today" YouTube magazine.
Bob's rarely phased by people he interviews and was true to form here.
He asks Howard about what he's got in his calendar musically.
Carries on a perfectly normal conversation, as does Howard.
There was a cognitive dissonance for me, but I got over it and a really interesting
interview ensued.
After seeing the OP's take I thought back to this interview and thought I'd post it for everyone
to hear how normal Howard is in his story telling, regular guy.
I agree with previous posters, Howard's a helluva player and I've admired his work since the 80's
I had him pegged as a "Concord Guy", which back then suggested a straight ahead approach that I
loved then and now.
I could go on but why don't y'all take a listen to this great interview, and while you're about it sub Bob Bakert's JGT on the Toob!
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From a friend who gigged with him recently, it's a personal choice... Still married, still a great guy, still an amazing player. But, it took me aback for a minute when I saw pictures of the gig. Whatever makes people happy is the important thing, here. Phenomenal player, nice guy.
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Yes, he is a phenomenal player and a nice guy. I had the pleasure of spending some time with Howard and his wife here in Victoria BC when he did a little swing around Vancouver Island a few years ago with jazz violinist Kit Eakle. I didn't really know his playing before— I'm old enough to think of him as one of the "new guys". But he was great on stage, and clearly has a complete command of the whole history of jazz guitar, going right back to the acoustic players of the twenties. And I was surprised to learn he had been been a tenor banjoist before he went to guitar. I got to play a few tunes with him (playing mandolin) and found he was also quite at home with the Brazilian choro repertoire; and when we swapped instruments, he was right there on mandolin too. (But that Benedetto seven-string would take me some time to get used to.) So yes, phenomenal!
The most beautifully manicured nails I ever saw on a guitarist were Wes Montgomery's, when I sat eight or ten feet from him for an evening at Tsubo in Berkeley, a few weeks before the Full House album was recorded there. He knew people were watching his hands. Maybe Howard is taking this to the next level. Originally Posted by sgosnell
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Originally Posted by Modus
Yes, he is a phenomenal player and a nice guy. I had the pleasure of spending some time with Howard and his wife here in Victoria BC when he did a little swing around Vancouver Island a few years ago with jazz violinist Kit Eakle. I didn't really know his playing before— I'm old enough to think of him as one of the "new guys". But he was great on stage, and clearly has a complete command of the whole history of jazz guitar, going right back to the acoustic players of the twenties. And I was surprised to learn he had been been a tenor banjoist before he went to guitar. I got to play a few tunes with him (playing mandolin) and found he was also quite at home with the Brazilian choro repertoire; and when we swapped instruments, he was right there on mandolin too. (But that Benedetto seven-string would take me some time to get used to.) So yes, phenomenal!
The most beautifully manicured nails I ever saw on a guitarist were Wes Montgomery's, when I sat eight or ten feet from him for an evening at Tsubo in Berkeley, a few weeks before the Full House album was recorded there. He knew people were watching his hands. Maybe Howard is taking this to the next level.
Lucky you! That Tsubo's record is over the top great, I'm assuming it was a different band as it was said Miles rhythm section was off that night and was able to make the session. do you remember who was in the band then?
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Right, it was a different band that night, but also a great one: Wes with his brothers Buddy on piano and Monk on bass, plus a drummer whose name I never caught. I think they were a sort of house band at Tsubo for a few weeks. I went on a weekday evening, and the room was far from full. But it was a great little club: no liquor license, because it was close to the university campus, and no cover charge or next to none. So a teenager could go in and listen all evening for practically nothing. Glad I went!
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Tsubo was at Telegraph and Russell in Berkeley. There's a parking lot there now, from what I've heard. I don't recall which corner it was on.
Wes lived in Berkeley at one point, but I've never heard where. There ought to be a plaque.
A few years later, maybe six or seven, Country Joe and the Fish got their start at Tsubo.
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I think Monk Montgomery lived in Berkeley for a time around then, and maybe Wes stayed with him when he was in the Bay Area. Tsubo was on the SE corner of Russell and Telegraph. The tiny KJAZ radio studio was behind it on the same property, if I'm remembering right.
I've just found this piece on Tsubo and its successor on the site, Jabberwock. That's the club where people like Country Joe played.
Berkeley in the Sixties: October 15, 1962: Closing of Tsubo's, Berkeley, CA
I'm sorry to have taken us off topic here. I feel sure there's more to be said about Howard Alden.
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Not only is HA an amazing player, but he pulled George Van Eps back into the studio and some gigs to showcase his extraordinary abilities. I think all jazz guitar aficionados owe Howard a debt of gratitude for that. I was so thrilled when I discovered those recordings, and later when there were videos too. Apparently George wasn't the easiest guy to get nailed down for gigs and studio dates. (I've been fascinated by GVE since reading Ted Greene's article in GP; he along with players like Chuck Wayne, Johnny Smith, Tal Farlow, etc., built themselves consistent if idiosyncratic pedagogical approaches to the instrument when there really was none before them.)
I'll second the comment on Howard's tone- much brighter than I care for. It was really evident on his duo recording with Andy Brown, to the point I find that recording hard to listen to. Maybe coming more out of the Django school than the Jim Hall school? But his playing is sublime and has developed so much over the decades. He is at this point a jazz master.
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The "arrangement" of Lady Be Good is tenor sax icon Lester Young's solo from a 1936 Count Basie small group recording; one of those classic improvised solos that several generations have learned and absorbed into their playing. It's said that Charlie Parker digested a bunch of Lester's solos when he was young and that certainly contributed to his melodic and rhythmic conception. I learned it years ago when I was getting started, and somewhere along the way I was on a bandstand with Dan Barrett and found out he had learned it too, so we looked at each other and decided to play it together. Over the years I've run into other sax players who had learned it, including Harry Allen and most recently Enric Piedro, so it's always fun to throw in our memory of and tribute to Lester Young (and makes it sound like we have an arrangement...)
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Welcome, Howard.
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Welcome, indeed! It's a privilege to have you here! I hope you'll drop in now and again when you have time!
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Thank you, Howard, you couldn't be more welcome Originally Posted by HVA
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Yeah, Howard Alden! I went through a period where I was listening to a lot of his music. I also remember the little exercise he had with the moving voices. He’s a unique voice with a traditional vibe….so melodic too!
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I met him by chance in Geneva, Switzerland, years ago. Imagine, you go to a pub for a beer after work with a colleague, and not the usual cover band is on stage, but Howard Alden. It was literally a magical evening. I went to talk to him during intermission, he is indeed the nicest guy. What introduced me to his music, and he must have been tired to hear about it for the 1000th time during that brief conversation, was his exquisite playing in Woody Allen's Sweet and Lowdown.
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