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From DownBeat "Blindfold Test: Ben Monder":
Blindfold Test: Ben Monder
Remy LeBoeuf “Imperfect Paradise” (Light As A Word, Outside In Music, 2019) LeBoeuf, alto saxophone; Walter Smith III, tenor saxophone; Charles Altura, guitar; Aaron Parks, keyboard; Matt Brewer, bass; Peter Kronreif, drums. Is it Charles Altura? Well, he’s an astounding player. There’s a lot of information, but I love the contour of the lines. Even though there are a lot of notes, it’s very lyrical. Great feel, very fluid. I’ve seen him play. He’s an amazing improviser. Super relaxed. I’ve met him only once — he definitely exuded calmness, very nice. Great tune.
Here's Charles Altura with Chick Corea playing "Hot House" (guitar solo start at 6:07):
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05-23-2022 10:29 AM
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Funny, I can like Kenny Burrell AND Charles Altura, and not feel the need to spout uninformed criticism at either.
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+1
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
Yes
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Hi, J, Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
Perhaps, one day, I will become "informed" and intellectually/spiritually reside at your level. However, for the present, I will continue to live with my diminished standards of excellence . . . one of which is NOT the boring, predictable, shredding of a hipster guitarist who in 6 pages of "search" on YT, I cannot find him playing one "standard" or any Jazz ballads. How long can you sit and listen to someone whose idea of Jazz is playing fast scales, chords in tunes no one knows? I would give him ten minutes in a concert and I'd be gone. However, this would be expected with a "uniformed" person like myself.
Marinero
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Charles Altura- - laid back and that translates to his very smooth guitar playing.I love it.
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Check the first video again - there is a song played so beautiful that you will like it. Originally Posted by Marinero
Best
Kris
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You take it too seriously. Uninformed means just that. You don't listen to much jazz in this style, correct? There's no shame in that. But your assessment of it comes from comparing it to the stuff you do like, which doesn't make sense. Lots of modern players get bands together, they write new tunes. So if you need to hear him play a standard to validate him, well, yeah, you might not find it. Originally Posted by Marinero
I don't go around critiquing opera singers, because my opinion would be uninformed. It's ok to be uninformed. What I don't know could fill a book.
What I can say is that in the more than 10 years I've spent here, we've had a lot of pros join, and very few hang around. The unecessary criticism from faceless internet dudes is why. They've literally told me that (not name dropping friends--I was a moderator here for a few years, and literally every pro that left cited the same reason)
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I am uninformed too - I have an outstanding 3000 CDs for hearing. Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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The original question here was about CA's 'language'. This might help. I think it's pretty straightforward. What's noteworthy, of course, is the speed and fluidity. Also the notes played by the saxophone tend to blur the lines somewhat.
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That's around the 40 minute mark. Something tells me that the detractors don't get that far. I mean... why would they? If you hear something you're not fond of you're unlikely to spend 40 minutes listening to it. Originally Posted by kris
Check the first video again - there is a song played so beautiful that you will like it.
It's just like this:
Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
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I didn't hear much really unusual in his harmonic approach. Not a criticism -- I thought he used the usual harmonic stuff quite well and, after all, this isn't outer space, it's aka What Is This Thing Called Love.
But, I heard impressive fluidity, the ability to bring his melodies off in time at a brisk tempo, and a some unusual rhythmic statements.
I heard some brief sections where he seemed to be running scales but I'm not going to judge that too harshly -- it's live, not the studio, and he was playing a lot of notes in the flurries.
Overall, I thought he was great.
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"You don't listen to much jazz in this style, correct?" Mr. B.
Hi, J,
I listen to Jazz/Classical/Latin music all day when I'm not playing. I, also, listen to "new music" by young musicians every day. Some . . . I like; most I don't. However, music is similar to quality Fiction and Poetry and has to move me intellectually and spiritually. Otherwise, what's the point? Go cut your lawn or water the flowers. To listen to half-baked, boring, predictable cliche-ridden, YT tutorial young musicians with nothing to say ,more than once, serves no purpose for me. And, there IS a contemporary cadre of music aficionados who judge musicianship by the ability to play fast. . . period. Nothing could be further from the truth. Music is an Art not a sport. And, good Art touches the very soul of what it means to be human. Speed has nothing to do with it although it is, to a point, part of a musicians trick bag of musicality. For some people that's difficult to understand and they confuse speed with Art. Especially our younger generation of musicians that are creating a music they call "Jazz" that is heavily Rock-influenced and ,for me, strays further away from the genre and its traditions. Finally, I don't want my diatribe to be construed as a personal attack directed at you but rather a strong difference of opinion about what is "musical" and what is "Jazz." And, there is a reason that less than 1% of people in the US listen to Jazz . . . but if "New Age" Jazz were the only listening option . . . they'd lose me, too. Thanks for your reply.
Marinero
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Ok, I see where you're coming from. Kenny Burell is absolutely one of my own favourites and I could listen to his playing for longer than I would want to listen to Charles Altura. At the same time, if I absolutely had to, I would still classify the latter as a jazz guitarist. Probably better to adopt the Miles approach and describe him simply as, to my ears, a very accomplished musician in his particular style. Originally Posted by Marinero
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Just listened to the clip with Terence Blanchard and wasn't very taken with the fuzzy, wah-wah stuff. Now that does sound like an annoying Rocck-based guitarist interrupting a jazz gig Originally Posted by Marinero
Still there's a time and place and I assume Terence wouldn't have put up with it if it wasn't what he wanted on that particular occasion.
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What would happen to jazz if everyone played Kenny Burell "style"...?
... another thing is that Kenny Burell plays brilliant.
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As if the described guitarist found himself at the concert by accident....? Originally Posted by Irishmuso
Just listened to the clip with Terence Blanchard and wasn't very taken with the fuzzy, wah-wah stuff. Now that does sound like an annoying Rocck-based guitarist interrupting a jazz gig Still there's a time and place and I assume Terence wouldn't have put up with it if it wasn't what he wanted on that particular occasion.
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Originally Posted by kris
What would happen to jazz if everyone played Kenny Burell "style"...?
... another thing is that Kenny Burell plays brilliant.
More people would like it?
Hahaha!!!!
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Would you really put Altura in the same category as the Instragram guitar speed demons who've never played a gig in their life? Originally Posted by Marinero
There's a time to play slow...and there's a time to burn. I personally don't hear Altura ignoring the feel of any of these tunes and going straight for the land speed record.
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Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
Yes, I think the Terrence Blanchard group has a pretty cool groove, and the guitar player has a good sound that fits well with that. Cool be-bop bluesy lines with an slight overdrive.
Regarding the original question, I don't hear "language", I hear guitar notes.
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Pretty funny and ridiculous! :-D Originally Posted by Marinero
I hear a lot of Kurt Rosenwinkel and Lage Lund in his playing. I've heard him sound a little like Holdsworth at times as well. He's definitely playing motivically and listening and responding to the rest of the band. I like him but he kind of blends in with all of the other modern jazz guitar guys who also have the same influences.
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Man yeah, a bunch of jazz hacks like Chick Corea, Terence Blanchard, Melissa Aldana, Tigran Hamasyan, Linda Oh, Stanley Clarke, and Tom Harrell hire this "rock" guitarist to play all over the world. They obviously did not consult the message board first or we could have helped them make a better decision since we obviously know better.....
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Too late again.
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This reminds me of what Ben Webster used to say ‘you know … all these young cats, with all those chops, they flash all about their instruments……
….I wish I could do that!’
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I'd say Chubby Checker and Slayer are as far apart musically, if not more, than Kenny Burrell and Charles Altura, yet both are colloquially referred to as rock and roll. Originally Posted by Marinero
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Not at all. I'm sure that he was hired on purpose. I have already stated that he sounds accomplished and on the basis of the first clip, very much in the jazz idiom. Originally Posted by kris
As if the described guitarist found himself at the concert by accident....?
I imagine that he didn't decide to use the fuzzy, wah-wah sound on the spur of the moment in such a way that it would have been a surprise to Terence Blanchard. It's a sound that I don't care for myself. I think this was perfectly clear from my post and I'm sorry if that wasn't clear. If only I was half as accomplished...but I might still leave the fuzzy wah-wah at home
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