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OK; I watched the Jimmy D’Aquisto ‘The New Yorker’ film for the umpteenth time. And after every viewing I have to fire up the turntable and listen to Concierto, which is one of my desert island albums. Jim Hall, Chet Baker, and Paul Desmond. Oh man.
The ending credits of the film list a 1985 copyright date but the film appears to have more of a 70’s vibe. The use of Concierto de Aranjez in the opening is brilliant, and that album came out in ‘75.
So, does anyone know when they actually filmed Jimmy D’A building that New Yorker? Is it possible that Concierto was recorded with a D’Aquisto guitar?
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09-11-2023 10:27 PM
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Someone here might know more definitively. Live! was recorded at Bourbon Street in Toronto in 1975; the cover image is Jim with his D'Aquisto. However, when the Live Vol 2-4 box set came out, the photos from the gig show Jim playing his ES-175. I think I recall reading that the ES-175 and the D'Aquisto overlapped at gigs for a while until he got used to the new instrument. Concierto was recorded in April 1975 according to Wikipedia, so I suspect it was recorded with the ES-175.
I think the two instruments sound quite different. The ES-175 is relaxed, dark, fat whether with the P90 pickup or the later Guild humbucker. The D'Aquisto is tighter, brighter and has a ping to it. I didn't really care for the sound of that guitar, nor the Sadowsky that replaced it. But that could very much be like Pat Metheny's ES-175 versus his Ibanez; people often say he sounded better on the former, but Pat states that no one has ever been able to accurately tell him which guitar is which on a recording- even when they are side-by-side on the same album. And, of course, the instrument will sound different when recorded by different engineers, played through different amps, captured through different microphones, presented with different EQ, etc., which probably renders any of those kind of comparisons silly to begin with. I would be better off focusing on what is being played rather than the minutiae of the tone of the instrument, but I don't seem to be able to help myself.
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Totally agree on the Concierto album.He tried to do classical tunes twice after that but for me it didn't have the same vibe as Aranjuez where the playing was just superb.
Originally Posted by Betz
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So if Jim had the D’A guitar in 1975 then the build videos would have had to be taken in ‘74 or ‘75 and the film released 10 years later. You are probably correct that Concierto was the 175. Originally Posted by Cunamara
Someone here might know more definitively. Live! was recorded at Bourbon Street in Toronto in 1975; the cover image is Jim with his D'Aquisto. However, when the Live Vol 2-4 box set came out, the photos from the gig show Jim playing his ES-175. I think I recall reading that the ES-175 and the D'Aquisto overlapped at gigs for a while until he got used to the new instrument. Concierto was recorded in April 1975 according to Wikipedia, so I suspect it was recorded with the ES-175.
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Yeah. Concierto and Undercurrent (with Bill Evans, 1963) are two of my favorite albums period. Jim Hall had the ability to bring out the best in those with whom he was recording. Originally Posted by nyc chaz
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Jim Halls main guitar from ‘83 to 2003 so definitely not on Concierto. But was it built in ‘83 or earlier? Originally Posted by AndyV
Also, did you listen to the Julian Lage clip with him (apparently) playing this guitar?
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A decidedly more acoustic sounding guitar is overdubbed on part of Aranjuez...I don't have my copy handy, was there a guest musician on that? Or could that be the D'A?
Then again, Jim's 175 did have an acoustic voice, a la Undercurrent. But this sounds like a guitar that had more of an acoustic voice.
And of course, Jim had 2 D'Aquistos at that same time right, one with a pickup and one without? Or am I misremembering...
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The article says it's a 2 ply top. From what I know about woodworking in general, and my B-120 in particular, this is highly suspicious. The 120 and the Sadowsky are said to be 5. Can the Met be trusted? Originally Posted by AndyV
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According to the MMA website the guitar is signed by DA with the date 20 May 83. Originally Posted by Betz
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I'm pretty certain the footage from the movie New Yorker Special dates to around 1979. As you can imagine by my silly name on this forum, I've watched the film countless times. Jimmy talks about how many guitars he had built at that point. Around 130 archtops if memory servers me correctly. I've checked the logs and his 130th guitar, which happens to be a New Yorker Special, has a ledger date of 9/10/1979. Makes sense that the movie wasn't released until years later.
According to the ledger, Jim Hall's hollow-body electric #110, #10 of the "new body style" was completed 3/12/1985. Jimmy built Jim Hall an acoustic New Yorker Special #1079, his 79th build, with a ledger date of 7/18/1974. Jim's Avant Garde #1220, the 220th build, has a ledger date of 6/29/1990. Jimmy also built Jim a classical cutaway #101, the first build, with a ledger date of 2/20/1983. I believe Jim had an earlier hollow-body electric with the "old body style" that now resides in Japan.
Hope this helps.
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There is no other guitarist credited on the album. There is a liner note that the opening vamp of Concierto was Ron Carter on double bass but there is definitely an acoustic-sounding guitar strumming and playing arpeggios between the bass and lead guitar in that opening movement. The only other credits are Roland Hanna on piano, Steve Gadd on drums, Chet Baker on trumpet, and Paul Desmond on alto sax.
Jimmy does say in the film that D’Angelico built a guitar for Jim Hall in 1954 and that he himself had built 2 guitars for him, a 17” acoustic New Yorker and a 16” electric which is probably the one D’A Fan referenced.
One thing unique with this video is it really demonstrates the physical aspect of building a guitar. Heart and soul.
I am constantly impressed with the depth of knowledge shared on this forum.
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According to a certain luthier who spoke with the curator about doing the show in the first place, no. Originally Posted by ccroft
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