There were records that were pivotal in my wanting to play music: Allman Brothers Live At The Fillmore East and Eat A Peach, Grateful Dead Live Dead and Europe 72 and Mahavishnu Orchestra Inner Mountain Flame and Birds Of Fire. The…
Blog Archives
“When The Living Was Easy” . . . : Gershwin’s Summertime
Normally (yeah, what’s that now . . ) the end of May would be the start of summer with thoughts of vacation plans, beaches, outdoor concerts (yeah, about that . . .) The song Summertime was written by George Gershwin…
Tagged with: Al Green, Billy Strings, Doc Watson, Ella Fitzgerald, George Gershwin, Janis Joplin, Marcus King, Miles Davis, Summertime
Posted in Classic Rock, Country/Bluegrass, Jazz, Music Appreciation and Analysis, Uncategorized
Posted in Classic Rock, Country/Bluegrass, Jazz, Music Appreciation and Analysis, Uncategorized
“If You Get Confused Just Listen To The Music Play” . . : A Video Asks, “Was Jerry Garcia a Jazz Improviser?”
As a musician and as a Deadhead, I have had on more than one occasion a conversation with non-Deadhead musicians who dismiss Jerry Garcia as someone who just plays scales up and down, someone who “noodles”. This pisses off Deadhead…
Tagged with: Grateful Dead, Improvisation, Jazz Theory, Jerry Garcia, Jerry Garcia and Ruben Blades
Posted in Grateful Dead, Improvisation, Jazz, Music Appreciation and Analysis, Music Theory
Posted in Grateful Dead, Improvisation, Jazz, Music Appreciation and Analysis, Music Theory
Midnight Blues . . . : Support Kenny Burrell
During the fifties and sixties, there were a trio of jazz guitarists who (to me at least) epitomized that zone between bebop and blues, Grant Green, Wes Montgomery and Kenny Burrell. Kenny Burrell came from Detroit, a scene in the…
Tagged with: Blue Note Records, Jazz, jazz guitar, Kenny Burrell, Midnight Blue
Posted in Blues, Improvisation, Jazz, Music Appreciation and Analysis
Posted in Blues, Improvisation, Jazz, Music Appreciation and Analysis
Five More Classic Jazz Songs For Your Classic Rock Friends
This is a continuation of my previous post “Five Classic Jazz Songs For Your Classic Rock Friends” (https://roymusicusa.com/2019/01/13/five-classic-jazz-songs-for-your-classic-rock-friends/). In that post, I was talking about classic jazz tunes that might appeal to your friends who are more inclined to listen…
Tagged with: Art Blakey, Classic jazz, Classic Rock, Duke Ellington, Giant Steps, Jazz Messengers, John Coltrane, Lee Morgan, Rockin' In Rhythm, Sidewinder, Straight No Chaser, Thelonious Monk
Posted in Jazz, Music Appreciation and Analysis
Posted in Jazz, Music Appreciation and Analysis
Five Classic Jazz Songs For Your Classic Rock Friends
One of the things that music nerds like me like to do is to try and turn people onto music we love (that’s really what this blog is about). So over the years I have tried to get my friends,…
A Short Selection Of Holiday Themed Music That Doesn’t Suck
I think the title pretty much sums it up. Let’s first go with something classy, Duke Ellington. who in 1960 recorded a jazz interpretation of “The Nutcracker” by Tchaikovsky. The video below is of the Overture, opening with a descending…
Tagged with: Christmas Music, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Run-DMC, The Nutcracker, The Waitresses, Vulfpeck
Posted in Classic Rock, Jazz, Music Appreciation and Analysis
Posted in Classic Rock, Jazz, Music Appreciation and Analysis
A Haiku For The Holidays 2018
Something Different For The Holidays This Year Music Is A Gift The New Jazz Spasms – Tradition (Fiddler On The Roof)
“Getting Off The Root” . . . : Digging Deeper With Jeff Antoniuk
As I’m doing my own deep dive into jazz bass playing, I’ve been working on my bass soloing. As the material has a much faster harmonic rhythm than the rock/blues/funk tunes that I usually play, I’ve noticed that many of…
Tagged with: Bass Soloing, Improvisation, Jazz, Jazz Theory, Jeff Antoniuk
Posted in Improvisation, Jazz, Music Theory
Posted in Improvisation, Jazz, Music Theory
“That Which Does Not Kill You”. . : Recent Adventures In Jazz Bass Playing
I have written about my returning to playing bass after a prolonged period of playing the Chapman Stick Guitar. One of my immediate challenges in actually find people to play with. I hate going to jam sessions. You wait for…
