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I'm haunted by an early memory. In 1962, in the middle of the Cold War, a world youth festival was organized in Helsinki. This was induced by Soviet Union. USA launched a counter-offensive, called Young America Presents. CIA sponsored cultural events such as art exhibitions and jazz concerts. Among the latter, Jimmy Giuffre Trio. At 15, I was keen to hear Jim Hall live. To my dismay, he was replaced by a guitarist, who, to a further disappointment, was playing a non-cutaway Gibson instead of an ES-175. Didn't memorize the name. All my life I have tried to find out who this young, obviously wasp and academic-looking guitarist was. Anyone in the know?
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10-14-2023 03:03 PM
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I've heard the story but don't have the answer
Originally Posted by Gitterbug
but doesn't Hall fit the wasp/academic looking mold too?
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Absolutely, but somebody I talked to with my schoolboy English wanted to point out that the slender, wavy-haired guitarist came from a different social setting vs. jazz musicians in general.
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I checked with Chatgpt. No help.
Is it possible it was Jim Hall, but not playing his usual guitar?
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I don't know who it was. But there are several books about that festival and they all feature the jazz concert. I don't have any of them, but a trip to the library may prove fruitful even if you only find a picture in one of them. Unfortunately, I don't know of any films from that event. Originally Posted by Gitterbug
I shared your youthful enthusiasm for the 175. I'd gotten a used one in 1961 and was thrilled beyond words from the day I saw it in my dealer's shop. But I don't think I'd have been disappointed in a player who "only" had a non-cut instrument
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Absolutely not Jim Hall. He was all I knew about jazz guitar at that time."The train and the river," y'know.
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I have no idea, but it would probably be someone from the West Coast, because that's where Giuffre (total genius) was based out of back then.
Could be someone like Pisano, who replaced Hall in the Chico Hamilton Quintet.
Budimir and Roberts might be possibilities, too.
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yeah Dennis was the first one that came to mind, Roberts and Pisano aren't very academic looking Originally Posted by sgcim
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Hall played in the first Jimmy Giuffre 3, but that group (which can be seen in the opening credits of Jazz on a Summer's Day) disbanded some time after the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival. The second Jimmy Giuffre 3 was formed in 1961, with Paul Bley on piano and Steve Swallow on double bass. The group toured Europe in November 1961.
Giuffre played solo clarinet at the Young America Presents festival — a concert renowned as the first solo wind performance in jazz. I do not know whether he also played with a group. Also playing at the festival were The Modern Jazz Disciples, Charles Bell's Contemporary Jazz Quartet, the Queen City Jazz Band, and Herbie Nichols with his trio.
Archie Sheep with Bill Dixon's Quartet played at the contemporaneous festival, organised by the USSR. Jeff Schwartz wrote about it in Free Jazz Communism. Archie Shepp-Bill Dixon Quartet at the 8th World Festival of Youth and Students in Helsinki 1962.
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I found this video without sound from the event. Around 1:35, there is a young white musician playing an archtop guitar but I don't know that it's the person you're describing. I have no idea who it is.
1962 - Shut out of the official World Youth Festival in Helsinki, the Young America Presents exhibit is put up elsewhere in the city, away from the communist influence of the festival. - Stock Video Footage - Dissolve
Interesting but not helpful to the question at hand:
https://www.criticalimprov.com/index.../6326?inline=1Last edited by Cunamara; 10-14-2023 at 10:42 PM.
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A contemporary account:
The residents of Helsinki, as well as those delegates who were allowed to roam around the city freely, gave a warm and enthusiastic reception to the three American jazz bands— the Charles Bell Contemporary Jazz Quartet, the Queen City Jazz Band and the Modern Jazz Disciples— which performed during afternoon sessions at the “Young America Presents” exhibition and nightly in Helsinki night clubs. Another extremely popular performer was Jimmy Guiffre, who with his free improvizations attempted to make the clarinet correspond to a painter’s brush, bringing forth “emotions of the instant.”
Disenchantment in Helsinki
Rolf Ekmanis
Bulletin, Institute for the Study of the USSR
November 1962, page 27.
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The Modern Jazz Disciples had no guitarist. Bill Smith was the guitarist in The Charles Bell Contemporary Jazz Quartet, but he had less hair than the guitarist in the clip Cunamara shared.
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Wow! So much knowledge, but still a question mark. I'm pretty sure my mystery guitarist is the one seen on the film clip. But perhaps my memory fails by associating him to Jimmy Giuffre, who's mentioned in this context for his solo performance. I was all new to jazz and mostly confused by all that was going on.
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Book learning is one thing, experience another. I have done a fair amount of reading about culture in the Cold War, and I have a particular interest in Giuffre, but you were there.
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Looks like Jimmy Raney who was often pictured with a non-cutaway ES 125 in those days.
DG
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Looking at the hair made me think "young Tal Farlow" but that's just an impression.
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The posts written by Litterick shows many lines of unknown fonts/characters.
I'm using Chrome, Firefox and Safari on Mac OS 10.13.6 High Sierra.
I'm the only one with this issue?
Ettore
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Yep. Originally Posted by equenda
The posts written by Litterick shows many lines of unknown fonts/characters.
I'm using Chrome, Firefox and Safari on Mac OS 10.13.6 High Sierra.
I'm the only one with this issue?
Ettore
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You’re probably right. Originally Posted by daveg
But isn’t there a Giuffre who played guitar? His brother maybe? I seem to recall some songs on a Spotify playlist.
Herb Ellis was one of his classmates at UCLA. But I imagine that’s not Herb Ellis.
As a bit of trivia in the 70’s Giuffre had a career as a hand model for commercials. He was considered to have “the best hands in the business.”
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Beat me to the punch. Originally Posted by daveg
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you guys must be blind, it's right in front of your face [and his too]
it's the Schnoz, aka Jimmy Durante
hah cha cha, Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are.
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Litterick's posts have always been readable for me, but he's one of the few who changes the default font to something else. If that font is not installed on one's computer, it might not display correctly. I don't know what font he uses, but the full message dialog allows choosing from several. Apparently the font in use is installed on all my computers, including a couple of Linux boxes and a Chromebook, because I have no problem with font display on his posts.
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I change the default typeface to Book Antiqua, because I dislike sans serif type in body text. Your Mac ought to recognise it, but your fonts may be corrupted. You should, in any case, upgrade to Mac OS 12.0.1 Monterey. Originally Posted by equenda
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University of North Texas, not UCLA, no? Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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First of all Thank-You. Originally Posted by Litterick
Now I can read your message.
I'm a Mac technician with a great experience. I've started to use Apple computers in 1989 and I know very well ALL the operative Systems from System 7 to Ventura. In 30+ years of work on every model of Mac I have learned one thing: If you can, NEVER UPGRADE. This is especially true with the new M1/M1 Macs. Mac OS Monterey with Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator/OnDesign ....is a nightmare.
Thanks again.
Ettore
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