"there were some jazzcats in the 16th century writing cool stuff for 7-courses
too."
Terzi Van Eps. My top R-lute student and I are doing his "frozen-in-time-for-our-benefit"
improvisations. The classical guitarist I alternate Saturday afternoon gigs with has a John
Coltrane arrangement or two in his bag of tricks. That seems to be a more common phenomenon for
many of us "Classically" trained non-improvisers; to take (or make) a few complete Jazz
compositions and play them as composed, discrete pieces- just material in our regular repertoire.
Ironically, as I've gotten better at the actual lute music over a lifetime of immersion, I do
add some improv bits- and sections- to some of the lute stuff that seems to "want"
it, but play my modern pieces note-for-note. Need another lifetime or three to really get
some of this stuff down properly. Jody Fischer is a superb Jazz guitarist out of the L.A.
area (fingers/pick, single line/harmony- complete package musician) who may still be posting
on-line guitar lessons. Very worthwhile for all guitarists/lutenists, particularly for nuts
'n bolts stuff- like how to work into a difficult chord fingering; first getting comfy with
the chord itself, then how to move into & out of it fluently.
Dan
On 12/8/2013 1:16 AM, David van Ooijen wrote:
>>
Playing melody, harmony and bass for a jazz guitarist was not new
when Joe Pass did it so superbly. Check out George Van Eps (7 string
jazz guitar), Charlie Byrd (jazz on a classical guitar), Jim Hall,
Buddy Fite, Chet Atkins (solo guitar version of Souza's "Stars and
Stripes Forever" complete with piccolo obligato), Jimmy Wyble ("The
Art of Two Line Improvisation") etc., etc.
<<
I know, hence my quotation marks around the word new, but it was Joe's
selling line. Btw, I think before George van Eps did his thing (his
method is availbale as pdf online, if you can't find it I'll mail it to
people who are interested. Out-of print as far as I know) there were
some jazzcats in the 16th century writing cool stuff for 7-courses too.
History does have a tendency ...
David
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