The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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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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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #27

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    Funny, I can like Kenny Burrell AND Charles Altura, and not feel the need to spout uninformed criticism at either.

  4. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    Funny, I can like Kenny Burrell AND Charles Altura, and not feel the need to spout uninformed criticism at either.
    +1
    Yes

  5. #29

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    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    Funny, I can like Kenny Burrell AND Charles Altura, and not feel the need to spout uninformed criticism at either.
    Hi, J,
    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

  6. #30

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    Charles Altura- - laid back and that translates to his very smooth guitar playing.I love it.

  7. #31

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marinero
    Hi, J,
    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
    Check the first video again - there is a song played so beautiful that you will like it.
    Best
    Kris

  8. #32

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marinero
    Hi, J,
    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
    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.

    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)

  9. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    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.

    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.
    I am uninformed too - I have an outstanding 3000 CDs for hearing.

  10. #34

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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.


  11. #35

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    Quote Originally Posted by kris
    Check the first video again - there is a song played so beautiful that you will like it.
    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.

    It's just like this:
    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    ....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....

  12. #36

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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.

  13. #37

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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

  14. #38

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marinero
    Hi, I,
    A fair question for a music forum so, I will provide you with an example for your own comparison and judgment without, for me, an obvious explanation other than the music. What do you think?
    Marinero


    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.

  15. #39

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marinero
    Hi, F,
    I hear an annoying Rock-based guitarist who likes to play fast and lacks musicality. How much deeper do you want to go?
    Marinero
    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.

  16. #40

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    What would happen to jazz if everyone played Kenny Burell "style"...?
    ... another thing is that Kenny Burell plays brilliant.

  17. #41

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    Quote 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.
    As if the described guitarist found himself at the concert by accident....?

  18. #42

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    Quote 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!!!!

  19. #43

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marinero

    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.
    Would you really put Altura in the same category as the Instragram guitar speed demons who've never played a gig in their life?

    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.

  20. #44

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    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    Would you really put Altura in the same category as the Instragram guitar speed demons who've never played a gig in their life?

    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.

    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.

  21. #45

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marinero
    Hi, F,
    I hear an annoying Rock-based guitarist who likes to play fast and lacks musicality. How much deeper do you want to go?
    Marinero
    Pretty funny and ridiculous! :-D

    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.

  22. #46

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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.....

  23. #47

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    Too late again.

  24. #48

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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!’

  25. #49

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    Quote Originally Posted by Marinero
    Hi, F,
    I hear an annoying Rock-based guitarist who likes to play fast and lacks musicality. How much deeper do you want to go?
    Marinero
    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.

  26. #50

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    Quote Originally Posted by kris
    As if the described guitarist found himself at the concert by accident....?
    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.

    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