sounds

Please visit the joe finn YouTube channel to hear tracks from these albums, various live clips, solo guitar and more:

 INTERVIEWS

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Empire Radio Sounds Jazz Artist of the Month Joe Finn

This interview was conducted in April 2022:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGbdNjfwziU

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Joe was interviewed for the “Six count podcast” with xara wilde in 2019

https://sixcount.simplecast.com/episodes/joe-finn-post-bop-jazz-guitarist?fbclid=IwAR1qkh8YRvj10s_NRA-hh6nZZXcLg9ZnOD_PDZklsYUPxSiHkZXcHWYvBrk

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By Monica Waring

Old Chatham local and nationally recognized jazz guitarist, Joe Finn, released his sixth album in March of this year. The album, appropriately titled Generational Dynamics, is particularly special to the veteren instrumentalist with the addition of his son Tom on alto saxophone, the +1 of the Joe Finn Trio.

Both Joe and his son Tom grew up in Old Chatham surrounded by jazz music in their home. Joe was first introduced to music through his father’s jazz records collected during his days as a radio announcer and host of his own show “Spin With Finn” during the big band era in Connecticut. Joe’s father was not only a music enthusiast, but an amateur composer and piano player who saw to Joe’s musical education at the age of five with piano lessons. Joe didn’t stick with piano long however. The moment he picked up the guitar, he knew it was his instrument and hasn’t put it down since.

Forging a career in music

After receiving a BA in Music from Plattsburgh State followed by a decade on the road playing gigs across the U.S. and Canada, Joe returned to Old Chatham. He wanted to focus on local performances, recording and private guitar lessons taught from his private home studio. It was these guitar lessons that eventually peaked an interest in his young son, who wanted the same one on one attention he saw guitar students receive from his father. “I remember sitting him on my lap with the guitar when he was really little. He would try to press the strings down but he didn’t like it because it hurt his fingers. His Mom had played the alto saxophone in high school and she still had the horn in the closet. She got it out of its case, played a few notes on it, and then gave him the horn and he started playing. He really enjoyed it right from the beginning. We played together a lot, I mean seven days a week for years until he went off to school when he was 18.” Tom, now 30, plays the alto saxophone professionally and is employed as an instructor at The Bronx Charter School for the Arts in New York City and at The Litchfield Jazz Festival Music Camp in the summer, where his father once taught. Tom has grown as an artist and an equal in this recent album, according to Joe.

Father and son collaborate

“There is a musical maturation in Tom’s playing. I have included him on various gigs of mine since he was 13 or so, and we had of course played at home for years before that. Now that he is 30, he is really coming into his own as a performer and stylist. It’s gratifying to finally have a recording where we are together as collaborators. The give and take dynamic of father and son working together is something that happens only occasionally in jazz. So the CD title “Generational Dynamics” emphasizes this and when you listen it’s clear that Tom is a full partner in this endeavour.”

In addition to his son, Joe is also proud of the album as it’s the realization of a long time dream. Influenced by the music of guitarists George Benson, Wes Montgomery and Pat Martino, who had all recorded extensively with organists in a classic jazz configuration, Joe had hoped to do the same. For years he had no luck in finding a talented organist to play with regularly until he met Jon LeRoy, who finally helped fulfill the goal of producing a recording ensemble of guitar, drums and organ [+1]

Local influences

Looking back, Joe credits the Chatham High School Music Department for helping to make jazz music relevant and accessible to generations of local students through their program. Joe remembers touring with the Chatham High School Jazz Band , an experience that opened his eyes to a whole new world of performing , as it did for his son. 

“When I was in High School in the 1960s and 1970s Chatham had a jazz band . Tom’s experience a generation later was very much the same as mine. His band director’s name was Mark Giordano, who was a great mentor for Tom. He did amazing work with those kids. He took them to play at High School jazz festivals and he took them to perform at Lincoln Center, which was a real treat; especially for some of the students who had never been away from Chatham before.”

Old Chatham DNA

For Finn, his roots in Old Chatham have become part of his musical DNA and a family legacy. “Jazz for me is what I grew up listening to. It’s who I am. It’s my identity. Music is cultural expression. I played in all kinds of bands and I played every imaginable gig you could think of but I grew up in Old Chatham, New York, so in the end you just have to be who you are. Be true to yourself. That’s my own cultural experience growing up with jazz, and I guess I can thank my Dad for that because that’s what he introduced me to.”

Finn continues to perform and record locally and still teaches guitar from his home in Old Chatham. He is also the author of The Jazz Guitar Almanac, a blog style feature on his website that includes tips and advice for guitarists and other useful information for musicians of all skill levels.

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The following interview was given to Jazz Guitar Life in 2004

JGL: How old are you?

JF: I was born on January 29, 1953 in Hartford, Connecticut.

JGL: At what age did you first get into guitar playing and were you interested in jazz from the beginning or were there other musical interests before jazz? What was the motivating experience to get you involved in this particular music and instrument?

JF: I was exposed to music in infancy since my Father was an amateur pianist. He was also a radio announcer. He had a big collection of recordings that he had appropriated once the radio station was through with them. He was either playing the piano or playing records pretty much all the time. I remember hearing a lot of Nat Cole, Lionel Hampton, Stan Kenton, various big bands and lots of Frank Sinatra. He also listened to a lot of classical music. At the piano he would play a little Beethoven, various jazz standards like Green Dolphin Street and his own compositions. So I got to play the piano as a kid. They tell me I would spend hours sitting there plunking out little melodies and chords. I then got interested in guitar because my cousin had one. This was before I was ten. I don’t think he played it much and he let me borrow it. I hung on to it for an entire summer before getting one of my own.

JGL: What kind, if any, formal training do you have (ie: lessons, schooling, that sort of thing). And how did these experiences help you get where you are today?

JF: I have a bachelor’s degree in music from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. It helped me a lot to take those four years and focus heavily on music. The curriculum included ear training, composition, arranging, music history, theory, and the like. I also got my first opportunities there to work with and meet real professional players. Paul Winter, Chuck Mangione, Roy Burns, and Kirk Nurock, Billy Cobham, and John McLaughlin were some of the ones I remember. Aside from being inspiring musically, guys like this gave us the idea that a life in music was not just a dream. They were actually living that life. I had some great instructors too. Jim Miller, Jerry Lavene, Billy Hawkins and David Hoffman were people who really encouraged and inspired me.

JGL: What was your first guitar?

JF: The one I borrowed from my cousin was a Kay archtop.

JGL: Who were your influences on jazz guitar when you were beginning? And have they stayed the same or have they changed over the years? Who are you listening to today (guitarists or non-guitarists)?

JF: The first recording of a guitar I would have heard was Oscar Moore with the Nat Cole Trio. He was a very fine player that I learned to appreciate more and more later on. A lot of that music has been reissued and revisited by people like Natalie Cole and John Pizzarelli so it’s still pretty popular. I enjoy that style tremendously since I grew up with it. Later on I got interested in George Benson, Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery and Pat Martino. I copied each of their styles closely. I would transcribe their solos and practice them until I could play them note for note. Those four will always be really special for me. Listening wise I go for a variety of different things. I love free improvisation the way Cecil Taylor and Bruce Eisenbeil do it. I listen to a lot of big band music. Maria Schneider is one of my current favorites. I always liked Thad Jones/Mel Lewis, Toshiko, Carla Bley, Kenton and Buddy Rich too. I’ve listened to lots of Ellington, Basie and Wynton Marsalis also. I leave the radio tuned to the local classical station so I get to hear a little so called “serious” music every day. I even like to listen to opera. Among guitarists I like to listen to Fred Fried, Jim Hall, Paul Bollenback, Russell Malone, Mark Whitfield and Jimmy Bruno. I love what Pat Martino is up to these days. He’s the greatest.

JGL: Did you know early on that music was something you wanted to do as a career choice and if so, what were some of the things you did to make this choice work for you?

JF: Back when I was too young to have any idea what a career might actually be, I had a feeling that music would be something I would always be involved with. It was just intuition, I guess. I was always hanging around with the other players and when you are around these various musical situations you just get involved more and more. As time went on my interest in music continued to grow and various opportunities would just naturally come up. Before you know it you’ve got something people are calling a career.

JGL: When you were younger what was your band experiences like? Did you have friends who were involved in music as well or did you have to search for people to play with.

JF: I had friends in high school who liked to get together and play various easier tunes like Footprints, Maiden Voyage or Freddie Freeloader or whatever. We learned from listening to records and from each other. There didn’t seem to be as many instructors around back then so we were sort of on our own for a while. I also played electric bass in the high school jazz band. This I loved because we got to play concerts out of town. That was really fun for me. I think that was my first time away from home too.

JGL: What was your practice routine like when you were beginning and what is it like now? Are there specific areas that you work on or do you just play through tunes?

JF: As a kid I spent a lot of time playing along with records. I did this every day for years. It helped my ear and my time a lot. It’s still a good way to learn tunes. I continue to enjoy playing along with the recordings of other guitar players. Jimmy Bruno is a good one because he has so much imagination and facility.

JGL: How difficult do you find it making a living as a jazz guitar player? Or have you found it to be relatively easy?

JF: I think it’s a lot like being self employed in any other line of work. I’m basically a free lance independent contractor. I have to create my own opportunities and sort of make things happen. You’d have to do this in any business, though. It certainly has it’s ups and downs, that’s for sure. You don’t make the same amount of money every month. That can sometimes be a problem. I don’t seem to have any trouble staying busy. I just keep a lot of lines in the water, so to speak. The calendar seems to fill itself up.

JGL: How do you go about searching for gigs? And what have you found in your experience that makes looking for gigs easier?

JF: I keep the traveling to a minimum. Almost all my gigs are near enough so that I don’t have to stay overnight anywhere very often. I have lots of local contacts among musicians, the union, and various venues in the area. This helps a lot. It’s kind of a word of mouth thing where your contacts and your reputation are the things that get you booked. Having recordings and an internet presence helps a lot too.

JGL: What type of musical situation do you enjoy the most (ie: trio, quartet, duo, solo, etc.)

JF: I’ve learned to become comfortable in each of several musical configurations. There are aspects of playing in trio, quartet, duo, and solo settings that differ one from the other. I’ve played a lot more solo gigs in the last year or so for some reason and I really enjoy the freedom I have when I’m all by myself. I can do things as a soloist that are a lot of fun for me that I’d never get away with in a group. My regular quartet is a great little group too. Those guys are such strong players that it makes my job easy.

JGL: Do you like performing more as a sideman or as a leader? And if you could comment on the pros and cons of both.

JF: I’ve been working more and more as a leader. I like it a lot because I get to choose the material that best suits me and I like interacting with the audience. I always say a few words to the crowd to put them at ease and let them get to know me a little. This usually makes people more relaxed and receptive. Basically I just want them to enjoy the music.

JGL: How many CD’s have you released as a leader?

JF: There are now four releases. “Straight Ahead” from 1992, “Guitar Signatures and Duets” from 2001, “Blue Tomorrow” from 2002 and “Destiny Blue” from 2003.

JGL: What was the motivation to release your own CD’s? And what was your experience as such getting that first CD out (from the initial idea to the final product)? Do you have any plans for future projects and if so, will there be more original compositions on it or do you prefer playing standards?

JF: In some ways I record simply as a way of expressing myself musically. I’m looking to create a certain statement of where I’m at musically at a given time. I love being involved in the recording process. It takes time but the results are worth it. The last CD “Destiny Blue” was a continuation of the quartet concept that we began on “Blue Tomorrow”. I had a collection of standards and originals that we had been performing as a quartet and we just felt the need to lay them down in the studio. There’s a certain sense in which you want to document what the band is doing in the relatively controlled setting of the studio. Putting the tracks together into a coherent album of music is a very satisfying process. I haven’t decided if the next cd will be with the quartet or not yet. I feel a little like I’ve done what I can do with the quartet concept for the time being. I may record some duets with piano just to see where that takes me.

I’m in no rush to record right now. I can wait until the time is right.

JGL: Any advice for the younger guy or gal who is thinking about playing jazz guitar?

JF: I have a half dozen private students right now. I give them advice all the time. Some of them actually listen, too! I think the big thing for a lot of them is to learn as much of the repertoire as they can. A lot of them are good readers and many can improvise pretty well. One of the things that tends to hold them back is not knowing enough tunes. I usually ask a student to learn a tune every week. If they do this for two or three years they’ll have a pretty good list of material.

JGL: On your site, there is a wonderful resource called the Jazz Guitar Almanac…could you describe how that came about and do you put all the work in it yourself? It truly is a great resource. I visit it often and I really enjoy it. I always come away from it having learned something new. So kudos to you!

JF: About five years ago I began to notice that there were a lot of guitar players who had put websites up. Rick Stone and Jimmy Bruno were into this pretty early. I wanted to put up some instructional material and the usual audio clips and biographical information, but I felt like I wanted some other kind of content too. I wanted something that other sites didn’t have that would make my site a little bit different. I began to think about all the great guitar players over the last century who were becoming increasingly obscure. The idea of establishing a list of birthdays was what I came up with as a way of keeping the names of these players in circulation. I combined this with a list of tips for guitar players. It took me about a year to get the tips and the birthdays together but I’m glad I’ve done that. I always get lots of positive feedback regarding The Jazz Guitar Almanac.

JGL: I read somewhere that you appeared on BET’s Jazz Discovery Showcase in 1998 and won the award in their jazz instrumental category. How did that come about and what, if any, was the outcome of winning such an award?

JF: There was a local television show in Albany, New York at the time that had invited the quartet to play. It turned out that the audio and the video quality we got was excellent and one of the guys in the band asked why didn’t we submit a copy to Jazz Discovery Showcase? We had performed “Lucky Southern” and “The Days of Wine and Roses” on the tape which turned out to be good choices because they were very accessible and swinging. The funny thing about having won the award was that they put my private phone number on the screen after they had played the clip. This resulted in me getting all kinds of phone calls from all kinds of people I didn’t know in the middle of the night when the show aired. That was different. The phone calls were mostly good natured and amusing. All in all it was a great experience.

JGL: You play quite a few gigs as a solo guitarist and your CD “Guitar Signatures and Duets” is a solo guitar venture where you you pay tribute to jazz guitarists like George Benson, Joe Pass, Kenny Burrell, and others who have influenced your playing and/or listening habits in way or another. How did this CD come to be?. Could you explain why you have chosen this form of guitar playing and do you find it limiting at all or is there a greater sense of freedom not being bound by another instrument? How do you approach this method of playing?

JF: Well, as it turns out, there is a small group of my fellow guitarists to whom I owe a huge debt. These are the guys that taught me, through their recordings, not just how to play guitar but how to approach the art in a broader sense. What I decided to do was to record several solo guitar selections with each one being in the style of one of these players. I did this out of admiration and respect for these guys. Each of these players had a specific way of making a solo statement on the guitar that is very distinctive. To me it’s just as individualistic as a signature. That’s where the CD’s title came from. Playing unaccompanied solos in this way is very liberating but very demanding too. There is a lot of responsibility and a lot of freedom at the same time. Trying to keep all of this focused within the bounds of the “guitar signatures” theme made it a very challenging project for me. On some of the selections I did dozens of takes and was still not pleased with the results. After what seemed like weeks I finally got enough of what I was listening for to bring the project to fruition. It was really hard work, much more difficult than a combo recording.

JGL: How important is the audience to you? And how do you handle nights when the club is practically empty or when you are playing your heart out and everyone seems to be blabbing away and not listening to what you’re playing?

JF: The audience is everything. Without them I’m out of business. Everybody plays to a half empty house now and then. There will also be nights, in clubs mostly, when the crowd is inattentive or too busy socializing with one another to bother listening. It doesn’t bother me anymore though. I see every time I perform as an opportunity to make something beautiful happen. It doesn’t matter how humble or how spectacular the situation might be. It’s nice to have the audience with you of course, but if they aren’t that’s ok. Even on the worst nights there is still somebody out there listening closely.

JGL: I’ve read that you endorse guitars made by the Montreal luthier Michael Greenfield. How did all of this come about? Were you approached by these guitar makers or did you seek them out?

JF: I’m very pleased to be associated with Michael Greenfield. He makes some of the greatest guitars I’ve ever played. I’ve played all the best guitars on the market and Greenfield guitars are unsurpassed. I met Michael at a guitar show where I was performing last year. After playing his guitars and talking to him for a while we decided to get together on some promotional things. He had me up to Montreal to record some music for his demo cd and we’ll also be doing the Classic American Guitar Show on Long Island in May 2004. At this point in my life I can play any guitar I want. So I sat down with Greenfield and came up with some ideas for a custom archtop. He is building it to my specifications. I’m sure it will be spectacular; all select wood, with a carved top custom voiced by Michael. It should be ready pretty soon. This level of craftsmanship takes time. You can’t rush it.

JGL: You live in Upper New York State. Could you describe the scene their for jazz musicians and jazz guitar players in general? And have you ever thought about moving to a larger metroploitan milieu like New York or Boston or elsewhere? Is it a quality of life issue for you?

JF: There’s more than enough going on in upstate New York to keep me busy. There are a few other guitarists in the area too like Chuck D’Aloia, Jack Fragomeni, Joe Gitto and Sam Farkas. They are all solid players and nice friendly guys too. Good players will always stay busy. I play a lot in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont also. I haven’t played in New York or Boston lately but I really enjoyed my last trip to Montreal. I’d like to do some gigs there again soon.

JGL: Have you ever had second thoughts about your choice to have music as a career and if so, what other career path do you think you would have followed had you not been a guitar player.

JF: I don’t have second thoughts really. Not really. One of the things that continues to be important to me is to play well. What I mean is that I want my playing to be on a really high level. That’s not always easy even when music is a full time pursuit. It’s a constant challenge. I really don’t know what I’d be doing if I wasn’t a guitar player. I kiddingly say that I’m a guitar player because I’m not smart enough to do anything else. Actually, I’m really only half kidding.

JGL: Thank you Joe for participating in jazzguitarlife.com. It is most appreciated.

The Jazz guitar almanac

aUgust 2025

August 1

Happy Birthday, Rich Raezer!!  [1931]

Woody Shaw was  34  in 1978. Downbeat magazine identified him as the  trumpet player of the  year and said that his “ROSEWOOD” was the best jazz album of the year. This recording  also got a Grammy nomination. It really seemed like Woody had the world by the tail at the time.  In addition to his trumpet work he was under appreciated in terms of his songwriting  and abilities as a bandleader. He put together some  great  groups. Alumni include Steve Turre, Victor Lewis, Bobby Hutcherson, James Spaulding and Mulgrew Miller to name  but a few. Younger players like Antonio Hart and Bobby Watson recorded things like 7th Avenue and Organ Grinder. Woody Shaw has continued to grow in popularity and stature posthumously. He left us far too soon.

August 2

When I heard Wynton Marsalis at Tanglewood he was great. He has reverence and respect for the music  and  really seemed very humble and gracious towards the  audience. He  covered several stylistic areas: dixie, modal, blues, ballads and even some really free stuff  too. He has dynamics, tone,  range, special effects, a great sense of  melody and he swings it hard. The man has chops and can really  blow that thing but manages this without  "showing  off"  so to  speak. He's a terrific player. He played for almost three hours and never missed a note. He has had a very productive career and has been a major influence for the  good, in my opinion, on the scene in general.

August 3

Transcription is  enormously  beneficial.  The ear training  benefits alone are worth the effort. For me getting inside the head of  a  certain player or composer is the  big thing . I look for insights as to  how  the music is working on a   conceptual  or structural level and then generalize this  into my own work. When my own perspective gets stale transcription can help lift me up out of the mud.

August 4

Happy Birthday, Herb Ellis ! [1921]

From a very early age I could hear music in my head. It seems like it was always there. I grew up in a musical household. By the time I was four I was entertaining myself by picking out melodies by ear on the piano. One that I remember in particular was "America" from West Side Story. The adults were amazed that this little brat had taught himself to play this tune using only his two index fingers. It clicked with me that here was something I was actually good at: remembering where to put my fingers! From that point forward has been a long path of development, study and dedicated effort. Red Mitchell was right on when he observed that there are a great many "Eureka!" experiences in jazz. My rejoinder to this is that it's more of a journey than a destination.


August 5

Happy Birthday, Lenny Breau! [1941]

I was in a big band that did a lot of society gigs. We were playing this enormous reception and they wanted me to play the "Peter Gunn" vamp while the happy couple did the garter bit. It was written in F and I immediately realized that if this thing lasted for more than a minute or two, I'd be screwed with all that jumping back and forth to low F. The bass player [older and wiser than I] leaned over  and told me to tune the low E to F. Of course this simplified matters greatly! What a life saver.

August 6

 Happy Birthday, Joe D’Orio ! [1936]

Happy Birthday, Andreas Oberg!!  [1978] 

There are a great many approaches to improvisation. Some people think of numbers ,or letters, or harmonies , or melodies, or key centers, or fingerings, or the shapes that they visualize on the fingerboard. I had a guy try to teach me diatonic modes as an improvisational approach. Boy, did that get complicated.  There are probably as many theoretical slants on this topic as there are practitioners. In a way what improvisation means is to use any and all the resources at your command to freely create a spontaneous new line in a very extemporaneous and intuitive way. 

August 7

Happy Birthday, George Van Eps! [1913]

One night I was listening to bari sax star Nick Brignola . He concluded the set with a characteristically ass-ripping solo at about 300 bpm. My friend and I approached him afterwards and asked him what he was thinking about during his solo. He said, "Nothing much..... Things are happening too fast ....". At it's highest level jazz is a  spontaneous and individualistic expression. Keep doing it!

Happy Birthday,  Edward Ellington, II  !!!!   [1944]

August 8
Our system of chord nomenclature is indispensable to the extent that it facilitates communication and the learning of new material. It is important to remember that the system has its limitations. Every chord symbol is subject to interpretation. We play chord symbols in different inversions, different registers and employ different substitutions according to our musical judgment ,or lack thereof.  Another shortcoming is that the  system  does not handle non tertian harmony well so many voicings are best represented on the staff.

August 9

Tip of the day: When I was seven or so , I used to go to my uncle's house where he had a B-3 and a Leslie speaker set up. Even though he told me not to mess with the drawbars, I couldn't resist. I figured out how to "transpose" by resetting them. He got even with me though. He bought me my first guitar.

August 10

I try to compartmentalize my practicing by breaking it up. Since I play with a lot of different groups, I always have new material to prepare for the next gig. This I do every day. I also practice improvisation every day to keep my chops together. This takes an hour every morning. This is fun and entertaining for me incidentally. I like to spend a while every day reading and or preparing for lessons, too. My general message to students is to observe the  rule of thirds: technique , repertoire, reading and to remember that preparation is the hallmark of professionalism.

August 11

As a general practice it's probably better to have a list and depart from it than not to have one at all. Although one leader I worked with sent me a list well in advance of the gig recently and then didn't call a single tune from the list. Ha! I thought I'd die laughing! The bass player remarked that he was certainly glad we had had that damned list. There is an exception to every rule, I suppose..

August 12

Happy Birthday, Roy Gaines! [1934]

Happy Birthday, Pat Metheny! [1954]

Tip of the day: I played a little trio gig at a fancy resort recently. Through the window I could see a thunderstorm developing. I stood there with my trusty archtop plugged in as per usual when the power failed. The configuration was piano, tenor and me. The other guys had a good chuckle as we continued plowing through Ellington and Strayhorn standards. I just chunked along for about an hour playing quarter note chords by candlelight. That's  life. This happened to me twice on the stand last year, too. With newly reinforced respect and admiration for Freddie Green, I'll say that it wasn't too bad at all. It was fun. 

August 13

Happy Birthday, Joe Puma!  [1927]

Happy Birthday, Rick Stone!  [1955]

Tip of the day: How to play guitar bongos: 

Mute all six strings with the left hand. With the right fingertips tap the two lowest strings around fourth position. This is your low bongo. Then tap the two high strings up around tenth position. This is your high bongo. Voila! Six string bongos.

August 14

Here is my maximum minimum explanation for playing artificial harmonics. Hold a string down with the left hand. With the right index finger lightly touch the same tone on the same string precisely one octave higher. Articulate the note. Example: Hold down the G in 3rd position on the 6th string. Touch the string lightly with the right index finger up one octave, directly over the 15th fret. Articulate.

August 15

I am totally against the use of sequencing, loopers, etc. in the presentation of live music. This practice did not originate from within the jazz tradition and it has no place in it. This artificiality removes the human interactive aspect that propels the style forward. The fact that this could be costing me work is a concern, too. Up to this point, I have never been involved in a performance that has employed loopers or sequences. I can't imagine ever agreeing to do this..

August 16

I think things are as competitive as ever. Among some of my younger students there is a thing about who's  on top. Who's number one, you know? When I was in college [years ago] things were very competitive. The feeling that people had to prove themselves was always there. When someone sits in my natural inclination is to be friendly and to welcome them warmly, but experience has shown me that it's better to be a little reserved; and wait until you hear them play a bit. Music is as competitive as any other endeavor. In sports it's important to keep your game up: practice, practice , practice.  It’s the same in music: learn new material, develop your style to more refined levels. Be your own toughest critic. Subject yourself to yourself. Music is a tough game. Very competitive. Having to establish and maintain your playing at a high level is a constant challenge. It keeps you humble.

August 17

Happy Birthday,  Arv Garrison! [1922]

Happy Birthday, Howard Morgen!!  [1932]

Tip of the day: Music is an art and not a sport. But since it is a

performing art, performers will be evaluated, criticized, hired and fired on the basis of the performance itself. I don't mean to focus on the competitive aspect, but it's always there. If I show up at work tomorrow night and suck, I'm history. They can easily hire another guitarist. In my view that's the way it should be. Besides, even if I thought it should be some other way, it wouldn't change anything.

August 18

Tip of the day: You have to learn to walk before you learn to run. By the same token you have to learn to think slowly and clearly before you learn to think quickly and clearly. It is important for the soloist to develop the mind/body interface correctly. Lots of guys can wiggle their fingers really fast and play scales like crazy. The more sophisticated improvisational resources like thematic development come more slowly. My favorite philosopher, Yogi Berra, put it  this way: [jazz guitar improvisation]... is 90% mental; the other half is physical.

August 19

Happy Birthday, Eddie Durham!  [1906]

Happy Birthday, Ron Eschete! [1948]

Happy Birthday, Marc Ducret!     [1957]

Happy Birthday, Peter Leitch!  [1944]

Happy Birthday,  Adam Rogers!  [1965]

Tip of the day: Another trick that I have used for years is to visualize what the music looks like on paper as an aid to learning and  memorization. It has always worked for me. The other technique is to review whatever it was I was working on during the day as I lay in bed before going to sleep. In this state of relaxation I can rethink things, clarify my thinking and revisit the subject matter effectively.

August 20

Happy Birthday, Jimmy Raney! [1927]

Tip of the day: The linked triads approach is great because it tends to get you away from routine scalar patterns that soloists tend to fall into. Two linked triads give you six notes to use as an improvisational resource. Linking the Eb triad [Eb-G-Bb] with the F triad  [F-A-C]  begs the question : why not just wail on C dorian or F mixo  ? After all, we are only one note away.... The answer will be obvious as you play through some of the possibilities.The great value of this hexatonic approach is that it opens up the intervalic jumps that you may otherwise ignore when you think in terms of scale patterns. As a source of new melodic material it's a breath of fresh air. After you run triads in root position move on to first and second inversions.

August 21

Happy Birthday, Bruce Eisenbeil! [1968]

Tip of the day: I never thought that perfect pitch could be learned. I thought it was a gift from above. I wish I had it, but with me it comes and goes. If I could wake up in the morning and sing  A 440 dead on, I might be a candidate. I can't do it every time. We live in an imperfect world. I had an instructor in college named Billy Hawkins. He was from Louisiana and at 26 years of age was brand new to the music department. He had perfect pitch and claimed to have been born with it. The other instructors looked upon this upstart with great skepticism and amusement. One day one of them took him to the piano, had him turn his back and then played a series of several dissonant clusters in a very unmusical way. Billy was able to write these "chords" down upon one listening. Everyone listened as they were then played back. They were identical to the initial clusters. It was pretty amazing but to Billy it was no big thing. He was a modest and humble guy.  

August 22

Happy Birthday, Brick Fleagle! [1906]

Happy Birthday, Claude Barthelemy!     [1956]

Happy Birthday, Nick Lucas!  [1897]

Tip of the day: Here's a trick I learned when I was about ten. One day the teacher got tired of us kids making all kinds of noise in the classroom so she suggested that we all be really quiet just to see what we could hear in the silence. It turns out that one of the things we could hear was the humming of the fluorescent lights in the room. This is the characteristic "60 cycle hum" which turns out to be very close to Bb. A few years later I figured out how to find any other tone relative to an initial given note. This is known as relative pitch. The other trick has to do with  the instrument you play. When you play a low open E on your guitar for instance, it sets your body cavities into motion in ways that you can feel. The player becomes accustomed to these vibrations and internalizes them [literally].  Try humming a low E away from the guitar and concentrate on how it makes the throat, chest and abdomen vibrate. Then pick up the guitar and play the low E to see how close you were. Most guitar players can do this accurately with a little practice. 

August 23

Happy Birthday, Terje Rypdal ! [1947]

Happy Birthday, Nathan Page!!  [1937]

Tip of the day: The converse of the well worn adage "if it sounds good, it is good" is certainly central to the exercise of good taste and sound musical judgement.  Just because you can play a diminished pattern of some kind really fast does not mean that this will be musically appropriate or desirable. 

August 24

Tip of the day: Many students find it difficult to resist the temptation. The point of not allowing  improvisation to take on a scalar quality is crucial. To paraphrase Barney Kessel: practicing scales is preliminary to improvisation.

August 25

Happy Birthday, Pat Martino! [1944]

Tip of the day: The first line of the melody “Here’s That Rainy Day” by Jimmy Van Heusen can be harmonized as major or minor. On his "Virtuoso" recording Joe Pass demonstrated this. He went from major to minor on the tonic to portray the poignant quality of the melody in different settings. Don't get too focused on the fake book changes. They are always subject to interpretation and rarely are representative of the voicings, inversions or subs employed by professionals in performance or on recordings. Seek out instead the recordings of Pass, Shearing, Tyner etc.

August 26

Happy Birthday, Mordy Ferber!  [1958]

Tip of the day: It's easy to become frustrated with the audience and their inability to "get it". But it's a mistake to start thinking this way because we need them. They are indispensable. We are accountable to them. If a player has negative feelings towards the audience this may emerge in the performance. This would be a disaster. There is an enormous audience out there. They want us to sound great. They want to see a spectacular performance. They don't come to see us bomb. The jazz audience in particular is very loyal and has supported the careers of lots of players into their 70's and beyond. Like anybody else I've been in front of some bad crowds. The ones that make you sweat. What can I say?  My attorney Bernie puts it this way:  "you win a few, you lose a few.... you keep on hangin' tough."    

August 27

Happy Birthday, Sonny Sharrock!  [1940]

Happy Birthday, Rudolf Dasek!    [1933]

Happy Birthday, Rez Abbasi!      [1965]

Tip of the day: I played many a Holiday Inn. To me the trade off  was steady work with a stable line up versus the frustration and fatigue of playing to an indifferent audience. The travelling could get old and you would spend long periods away from home too. When I played hotel lounges it was generally no more than a week or two in any one room. It could get boring, but at least it was boring in a new town every week or so.

August 28

Happy Birthday, Nate Najar!  [1981]

Tip of the day: When I was a kid the family would frequently become annoyed by my practicing through an amp because they said it made it hard for them to hear their favorite shows on

TV. So they insisted I join them in watching TV as opposed to continuing my isolative and anti-social woodshedding. I would give in (depending on what was on) but only if I could bring my Les Paul and run some patterns while watching. This they were able to tolerate. Little by little I got so I could play just about anything I heard on TV. It was ear training after a fashion and did contribute in

some way to my understanding and command of the instrument.

August 29

Happy Birthday, Doug Raney!    [1956]

Tip of the day: If you were to find three or four recordings of a favorite Mozart symphony, you would certainly be hearing differences in tempo, timbre, and dynamics from one interpretation to the next. Not only are these differences inevitable, but they greatly enrich the listening experience. The range of interpretive contrasts in jazz is on another level. 'Round Midnight for instance has been performed in so many differing styles that it's amazing. From solo guitar and solo piano to various combo configurations, to the big band charts of Gil Evans and so many others, this tune has become a monument to it's composer and a centerpiece of the style itself. When you throw in the musical personalities that brought their own stylistic slant to soloing on this tune you are left with a veritable treasure trove of material; and that's just one tune! A friend of mine did a clinic on this a couple of years back after collecting about 15 different recordings of Lush Life. Since then I've always thought that one of the most important aspects of jazz is the degree to which it emphasizes and celebrates the individuality and perspective of the fresh interpretation. 

August 30

Happy Birthday, Rodney Jones!  [1956]

Tip of the day: I had a regular duo gig where they had us set up in the bar, at the front of the room in this glassed in area. The floor was stone tiles. The bass player never used an amp. I would use only very light amplification in that situation. These acoustics were quite unusual: very loud and bright. Anyhow, I showed up one night and the joint was uncharacteristically dark; the power was out due to a

thunderstorm. They told us to go ahead and play sans electricity, which we did. The sound was a pleasant surprise. It was a bit soft but we achieved a pretty

good balance. One of the smart-assed regulars told us we never sounded better

August 31

Happy Birthday, Laudric Caton!!  [1910]

Tip of the day: I played at Rockhead's Paradise in Montreal one winter when it was incredibly cold.

How cold was it?

The trumpet player on the band was a little shaky. And as I was listening to his solo during this one tune, I noticed he sounded even shakier than usual. He was standing there in his white shirt under these red lights when he stopped playing altogether and gestured up towards his face. When the tune ended they switched the lights from red to blue and he turned to put the horn down. What hadn't been apparent under the red lights was now obvious: his shirt was covered with blood. This poor bastard had suffered a major nose bleed in the middle of his solo. The cold dry air and the pressure of blowing the horn did it. Anyhow it took the emergency room all night to get the bleeding stopped. He couldn't play after that so he went back to New York and we finished the week without him. He was fine after that. I don't think it got above 20 below that week.

Something occurred to me one night when I was attending my son's junior high band concert years ago. Music students of this age group need as much ensemble time as they can possibly squeeze in. The music faculty should form a small combo made up of guys from the stage band under their supervision. Make it a rhythm section plus some kind of a front line and start playing standards. Then the ensemble can begin playing gigs at nursing homes and elsewhere in the community. It may sound a little shaky at times but it is an invaluable experience for all the players involved. If this is not practical, the faculty can start a course on jazz improvisation. Have the rhythm section lay down the time and bring in the horn players: everybody benefits from this. Jazz is very much the art of the practitioner. The more you play it the better you will sound. 

The best jazz album ever has yet to be recorded. It will feature great virtuoso improvisation by well established players and some fascinating new talent. It will be stylistically innovative and will have great popular appeal. It will be complex and stimulating to critics and will feature simple melodies that anybody could whistle. It will honor the tradition while breaking new ground. It will push the

envelope yet everyone will love it. Will any of us be on it? 

Because so many of our best young players are drawn to jazz and because of the stage band movement in high schools and the many university programs available, I'd have to say that jazz appreciation is in no immediate danger. I don't see it fading at all. The audience is loyal and solid and the players are dedicated. It's a rich and firmly established tradition that stretches back for a hundred years and I think it's safe to say that jazz is  here to stay.

Angelo Debarre (French pronunciation: ​[ɑ̃ʒelo dəˈbaʁ] (born on August 19, 1962)

January 2001

No instrument sounds good when it is played poorly. In a way I think the guitar is too easy to play. Lots of students drop out after they learn chords 1,2 and 3 and realize that they can now cover about three quarters of Springsteen's repertoire. They look at popular guitar publications that publish tab instead of music which isolates them even further. Ironies like this lead to legions of poor to marginal six stringers who contribute to and solidify the poor reputation that the rest of us have to live with.

My approach for archtops with wooden bridges is to set the intonation for the two outside strings. I generally find this results in a bridge placement that is not square with the nut or bridge. I trust the tuner on this rather than relying on the ear. When the two E strings are in tune you are done. With the four inside strings you are "splitting the difference" in a sense. Guitar intonation is a compromise at best. The Tune-O-Mattic bridge improves things only slightly but the trade off is that the overall sound of the instrument is poorer. 

For the best tone quality the bottom of the bridge on an archtop must conform to the contour of the top. This is achieved by sanding the underside of the bridge like so:

1) Remove the strings.

2) Get some fine sandpaper and tape it to the top of the instrument [grit side up] where the bridge would normally sit.

3) Using the top as a template begin sanding gently.

4) Remove the sandpaper frequently to check it's conformity to the top.

5) Proceed with patience until fit characteristics are optimized.

6) Install new strings.

Another intonation factor on a guitar is of course the strings themselves. Brand new strings will have the best intonation characteristics. As you play oxidation and friction begin to have their effects upon the strings immediately. The uniformity of the string's diameter is compromised as it comes in contact with the fret wire. Oxidation, corrosion and dirt also combine to undermine the string's ability to play in tune. This is why it is a waste of time to set up a guitar if new strings are not part of the deal.

Here is a compositional exercise that is also a cure for writer's block. Write an original melody for a standard set of changes like Bird did with rhythm changes, etc. When you have the melody discard the chords and reharmonize the tune. You can reverse the process too. Reharm a familiar tune and then discard the melody. Put a fresh tune on the reharm. This exercise may come in handy on occasions when actual inspiration fails to spring forth. It has helped me make a deadline or two.   

Throughout the history of jazz there have indeed been a great number of intuitive players. They have "reinvented the wheel" in novel, idiosyncratic ways. This is one of the things that keeps the style moving forward and in a larger sense is one of it's strengths. On the level of the individual player however, I would tend to look at this as a deficit. The "ear" player is limiting his options severely. The learning of the theoretical language of music is a prerequisite to effective communication among the musicians themselves.  Besides, as life's agonies go learning theory is one of the most insignificant.  

I've had people of all ages come to me for private guitar lessons. Some of the kids have emerged into fine players and have pursued degrees and careers in music. Some adults have developed into good players, too. The big difference as I see it is this. When you are 11 years old you have a lot of time on your hands. If you want to practice for four hours at a stretch it's probably o.k. This is true throughout the teenage years as well. I've had kids who put in that kind of time. As a teen I did the same thing. If you stay with this kind of a schedule the improvements will come quickly. Adult students typically don't have that kind of time. Between career and family commitments and the hundreds of other things pulling you in a thousand different directions it can be tough to make the time. It's really up to the individual, though. Your rate of development will be directly proportional to the amount of time you can commit to the instrument. 

As a musician I'm concerned about different issues than the listener. When leading a session I need to get the right sound out of the group for instance. We need to be together, play the right notes at the right times with the proper expression, etc. I need to exercise my best musical judgment and try to pull a decent performance out of the band. As a sideman I need to play my part note perfect while being  very aware of the contribution the sound of my instrument is making to the overall texture. I'm talking about the nuts and bolts of music here. As an instructor or clinician I may be working with students on very specific things sometimes even breaking a passage down a bar at a time; even a note at a time.  This is what I do. I care about it and I try to do the best work I can. A lot of that stuff came out of a panel discussion I was asked to participate in several years back. The subject/object dichotomy is such a central part of who we are that it seems to link itself to almost every human endeavor. I think you agree that it clearly has profound implications in the arts. We may perhaps have to agree to disagree as to the broader and more general implications for now. "What to Listen for in Music" by Aaron Copeland is something that may interest you if you have not already read it.  

It's not without good reason that many colleges offer things like art survey courses and music appreciation to students pursuing majors outside of the Humanities. An appreciation of these subjects is key to a well rounded education. It's all about gaining an appreciation of the social, cultural and historic context in which the arts [music included] flourish and understanding the multitude of ways in which they chronicle our heritage and foreshadow what is yet to come. The significance of our own likes and dislikes must remain in it's proper perspective.  

For musicians music gives us a lot to think about. We learn to approach it in analytical and intellectual ways to deepen our levels of understanding and improve our performance and compositional skills. We seek out institutions of higher learning as students and instructors to pursue these issues. For the audience the experience of music is on a more emotional plane but this is a matter of degree. My tendency is to give the audience credit for seeking out stimulating listening experiences. I am frequently impressed favorably with the depth of their appreciation and expertise. People often approach me to comment on the music when I'm on the job. Although some only want to extend their best wishes or ask for a favorite tune many are avidly interested in music and can discuss it in some depth with good intellectual grasp of the topic. 

Music has obvious objective qualities yet the experience  of the qualities themselves is subjective. Artistic merit addresses the objective end of the equation. I tend to look upon this in simple terms. The foundation of the idea rests on technical mastery and originality or an interpretation that is innovative.   This distinguishes the master from the apprentice. The subjective side gets a little trickier for me. Certain subjective views or even belief systems are incorrect. It's awfully hard to talk to people about what they like or dislike because so often emotions are attached and people's values are tied in complicating things further. I find it convenient therefore to sidestep this. I spend my energies instead promoting appreciation and understanding of music. I look at both performing and the little bit of teaching I now do in this way. 

Music is easier to memorize than other things. You can use different visualization techniques. What does it look like on the page? What did that fingering look like? You employ muscle memory, too. How does it feel? As you practice a passage the movements are more and more deeply ingrained in your hands and in your mind. What does it sound like harmonically, melodically, texturally, and or dynamically? How does the rhythm work? What is the context of the passage? Practicing helps too because some things are learned best by rote. Listening to a popular tune like It Might As Well Be Spring in different settings is also helpful: big band, combo, cornball muzak versions, solo piano, etc.  Standard booksongs like this have been covered in every possible instrumental configuration. Listen also to vocal renditions. Learn the lyrics. Sing them, too. I'm leaving a lot out but all of this adds up to an entire gestalt of how we experience perceive,  process and perform music. Each of these dimensions can be isolated and used as a technique for  the learning and memorization of the music. 

 that Werner calls "Effortless Mastery."

The title is an interesting play on words and very thought provoking as is the text itself. The effort that it takes to become a master is enormous. As you observe Tom, it is a life long undertaking requiring total commitment, dedication and wholehearted focused effort. It is also apparent  when you see a master perform he is laboring mightily. His efforts are beyond substantial. His very life is at stake. A masterful performance is emotionally and physically draining on the master himself. Those of us who languish a level or two beneath actual mastery can humbly attest to this. How then were Oscar Peterson, Pops, Dizzy, Wes, and so many others with exuberant performance styles seemingly able to display this aura of effortlessness? How does the joy of creation transcend the creation itself and the mighty effort required to unleash it?  It's a fascinating if somewhat Zen conundrum mainly because the audience, or quite possibly non musicians in general,  are confused about the true nature of mastery and the many sacrifices that go with it. The joie de guerre should never be mistaken for what may appear to the untrained eye to be "effortlessness".  Werner's insights into this point are great food for thought.  

Inspiration and perspiration go together. One is no good without the other. Talent and the willingness to develop it are two key dimensions of musicianship. I've worked with lots of younger students. Some of whom were quite talented, bright young kids who really made me sit up and take notice. Funny how so many of them lost interest and gave up after a year or so. I don't like to generalize too much about this but my anecdotal observation has been that maybe it was too easy for them at first and they lacked the persistence or dedication to face the solitude of the practice room. I tend to weigh dedication and work ethic a bit more heavily than talent as a result. Of course it's good to have both. In the long run the modestly talented student who is willing to work his tail off will go further. 

Way back in the neolithic era I was taught that the term comping was short for "compliment" with the idea being that you should try to accompany the lead line [singer, soloist, etc.] in a complementary and supportive fashion. It

generally means a sort of accompaniment pattern that is more like punctuation than straight time. 

After the initial episode aired Burns and Wynton were interviewed on the Charlie Rose Show. Burns revealed that it was Wynton who originally approached him with the idea of a jazz documentary along the lines of the Civil War series. Wynton was in on the ground floor on this project. During the interview it was also clear that the two were not in accord on every issue. Editorially speaking Wynton seemed to be more interested in the actual music presented [obviously] and Burns seemed to concern himself with the socio-historic context and with other philosophical points.

Wynton Marsalis transcends music. People who don't know which end of a trumpet you blow into know who he is and what he does.  Now, if certain writers and players don't like him, fine. Ignore him. Don't listen to him. Write him a nasty letter if you like. He's well established and is most assuredly here to stay. No need to take my word for it. Take a look at his discography when you have a chance. He doesn't have time for naysayers. This guy is beyond prolific. He is a workaholic.  He tours, composes and records constantly. He appears about 100 albums. He is 57 years old. I heard him for the first time on an LP entitled Fathers and Sons featuring Ellis, Brandford, Wynton and Von and Chico Freeman. I knew he had the gig with Blakey and I though he showed a lot of promise. He was straight ahead. He did not embrace the Miles Davis funky “Bitch's Brew” sound in the least. His whole presentation, demeanor and persona seemed antithetical to that whole scene. I said Amen then and I say Amen now. He reacted strongly against something that I felt was a wrong turn in jazz. I also feel that this was inevitable. Miles had taken things so far down "Jazz-Rock" Boulevard that somebody someday was going to have to turn it around. The so-called neoclassical trend would have happened sooner or later with or without Marsalis. So he is saddled with being a reactionary, a conservative and a traditionalist.  So be it.  I'll just bet he isn't losing any sleep over this one. If he retires next week his place in history is safe. Wynton is arguably the most significant figure in music today. 

Why did Burns use him? I think it was he who used Burns. The music is the significant thing here. Burns' documentation is just the conduit through which a greater and more widespread appreciation of the art may eventually flow. And after hearing them interviewed  together I believe Marsalis' initiative was the force that set the wheels in motion resulting in the series "Jazz". 

I often feel like standard tunes are the gospel of our craft and that as a player I am testifying to their righteous truth. I had nicknamed an old Gibson 175 guitar of mine the "soul preacher". But beyond that the standards have another uplifting quality. They raise the level of the performer's presentation. There is something about the universality and timelessness of the standard repertoire that connects the performer to humanity and to eternity. 

Since Keith Jarrett's name has been a topic of conversation around here lately I'll use him as an example. He has written and performed lots of great original music. In fact his bossa Lucky Southern could arguably be considered a standard tune. He is a terrific writer. When you get to here him interpreting a standard though the whole experience is elevated to a new level.  I think this is why he continues with Peacock and DeJohnette in their so called Standards Trio. Since

the early '80s these three have performed and recorded lots of mainstream, straight ahead stuff and it is simply great listening.   The standard repertoire will be around for a long time after we're all gone.     

MARCH 2001

A maj7 chord will frequently be heard as a tonic harmony. We like to say it has gravity. The aug voicings would not serve the tonic function very well due to the tension within the chord that seems to want to resolve itself somehow. Therefore you would be more likely to use the aug as some sort of a dominant sound to set up

the C tonic.

ex. G+7#9  to Cmaj7

The sus harmony may occasionally be heard as a tonic sound as in FollowYour Heart by John Mclaughlin or Birdfingers by Larry Coryell. Minor suspended tonics are perhaps a little more common as a 4th or 11th will frequently be included as part of the tonic. Stolen Moments and Birk's Works are typical. Again the  sus harmony will more frequently function as a dominant, setting up a chord with more gravity [less tension] such as:

G7sus4  to  Cmaj7        

I played two of them at a guitar show last year. They were distinctly different to play and each produced different tones; one being substantially brighter than the other. Each guitar was an exquisite work of art with great visual character, flawless craftsmanship and great sound and playability. I would say that they are every bit as good as you would expect. Once you get up into the rarefied air of the handmade archtops the differences become more and more subtle. I have played D'Angelicos, Benedettos, and Campelone instruments that are in the same class.  Certain Heritage and Gibson guitars also belong in this category. I attribute the price differential to market forces more than to any great differences in overall quality. There are several other great handmade archtops out there too, but this  gets to be like discussing the differences between a Lincoln limo and a stretch Caddy.

The Les Paul guitar continues to be a popular item even after over sixty years on the scene. It's a first class solid body guitar and very versatile. The Gibson name plate carries with it a certain mystique and a fair measure of snob appeal and these factors tend to inflate the prices quite a bit. The company itself has milked this for all it's worth. At one point their advertisements described certain Les Paul models as "investment quality". In 1988 I bought  a  black Les Paul Studio anniversary model built in 1980 for $425. I still have it but don't play it much at all. As of this writing that guitar has more than doubled in value.

When I am initially approached by a prospective student I like to offer them a free initial consultation. It's not exactly a lesson. I invite the student to prepare a piece of his choosing to play for me. Then I offer my evaluation and advice which may or may not include lessons from yours truly. This is only fair. They may not be interested in what I have to offer. And I may not be interested in working with them either. When shopping around for a teacher, request a preliminary meeting; free or otherwise. This allows both parties to size each other up and better decide if  the relationship will be productive. Caveat emptor.  Buddy Rich made a few remarks on this general topic. He claimed to be self taught and it was his contention that all the other good players were self taught too. I thought about the wisdom of this remark for quite a while. I have concluded that it is up to the player himself to learn his instrument and the repertoire in his own particular way. To me the player is on a path of musical and personal discovery. No teacher can walk this path for you. 

Schoenberg was also an artist. He was associated with a group called the Blue Rider. Before World War One visual artists were beginning to take greater and greater liberties with their representations of  reality. They took distortion to new levels as they tried to create an artistic language in terms of abstraction. Have a look at Schoenberg's painting "The Critic". It has the expressionistic, distorted and unphotographic style of the day. Not a *pretty* picture, but I suppose most composers don't like critics all that much. In the same way that artists were dismantling traditional visual representations, Schoenberg and other composers started to deconstruct tonality and move towards an athematic and atonal music. It's hard to confront serialism for the first time without being swept away by how strange it all is. Some found it arbitrary, stifling and forced saying that it robbed the music of spontaneity. Others saw a bold stroke of genius that opened  new vistas of compositional expression. The open minded perspective was and continues to be one of curiosity as to what the musical results might be from the use of the twelve tone system. The arguments over this compositional technique have been truly futile.

The principle of economy of motion dictates that certain techniques on musical instruments are indeed preferable to others. The guitar does at the same time lend itself to a wide range of techniques; many of which are unorthodox. Some "free floaters" are able to execute very precise and clean articulation while certain guitarists who play while "anchoring"  the picking hand somehow against the instrument can be stiff and one dimensional in their sound. Form follows function (as they say) and it is up to the instrumentalist himself to discover the way to get the music to say what he wants to make it say. 

My Mom used to try to get me together with the children of her various friends and acquaintances all the time. This went on for years. In fact it still does. For instance she would encourage me take her friend's daughter out on a date. It would be a disaster. Or if I wanted to play tennis why didn't I call her friend's son; she heard he was really good. It would turn out that he couldn't play to save his life. The musicians mom put me in touch with were all terrible but still I'd go through the motions, be polite and play along as gracefully as possible. Then she asked me to go with her to her friend's house and why didn't I bring my guitar along because her son would be there and he played guitar too and wouldn't this be fun.....etc. Well, meeting Chuck Loeb in this way was an unexpectedly pleasant surprise. He's an awfully nice guy and a very fine player, too. After a lifetime record of  0 for 675 I was  glad my Mom got this one right.

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The Jazz Guitar Almanac is published in monthly installments on the first of each month.

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Here is a review of the Joe Finn Quintet from 2021:

https://www.nippertown.com/2021/09/03/joe-finn-quintet-jazz-on-jay-9-2-21/

“Finn has a special way of taking on this music. Like modern guitar pioneer Wes Montgomery, Finn brings out the up-to-date elements of music without ever losing contact with the listener. The music stays lyrical and melodic, intelligent and pensive, never becoming discordant or unpleasing to the ear. If we awarded stars, this album would get five.” 

Dave Nathan  AllAboutJazz.com

 “Finn's technical prowess on the guitar is impressive while managing to be understated and not obviously imitative of any in the jazz pantheon.”   

David Hewitt JazzReview.com

“Finn's playing reveals a smooth tone and immaculate technique, reminiscent of such players as Barney Kessel and Herb Ellis.”

Dave Nathan AllMusic.com

“Taste, musicality, chops, maturity, and swing. These are words to live by when one steps into the ring as a jazz musician, and it's obvious from the first listen that Joe Finn and his quartet live by these words...and more.”

Lyle Robinson   JazzGuitarLife.com

“Finn proves to be a formidable player who rarely stumbles. His mostly single note licks fly by with ease, with an occasional octave twist a la Wes Montgomery.” 

Jay Collins  Cadence Magazine

“There's a fluidity to Finn's playing that always makes me smile whenever I hear him. The notes just flow out like water over a gorge.” 

J. Hunter AlbanyJazz.com

“Finn plays a straightforward, uncomplicated, but highly melodic and deftly harmonic instrument. He adopts that clean sound that seems to be the preference of his peers. This style also lets the listener get a grasp around each note Finn plays rather than trying to sort them out among a cacophony of over-ripe chordal structures.” 

Dave Nathan    AllMusic.com

“A top jazz guitarist based in upstate New York, Joe Finn has a mellow tone (a little reminiscent of Jimmy Raney), creates harmonically adventurous improvisations, and swings at every tempo.

            The COVID pandemic made it very hard for jazz musicians, but for As Luck Would Have It, the guitarist’s seventh release as a leader. Joe Finn took advantage of the fact that the top players living in his geographical area were available. His sidemen, vibraphonist Mike Benedict, pianist-keyboardist Wayne Hawkins, bassist Mike Lawrence, and drummer Pete Sweeney, have not only had extensive experience playing with major musicians but have also led bands of their own. On ten of the guitarist’s originals, they form an attractive group sound and their performances are full of subtle and inventive interplay.

            The opener, “The Good Word,” is a relaxed minor-toned medium-tempo piece that introduces the quintet and (as is true on all of the other selections) features inventive and concise guitar, vibes, and piano solos. “As Though I Had Wings” is an attractive jazz waltz which hints at “Inchworm” in spots. The uptempo “As Luck Would Have It” (with Lawrence particularly prominent in the ensembles and Sweeney taking a fine solo) is followed by “Elan,” a slow ballad that one could imagine pianist John Lewis and the Modern Jazz Quartet playing.

            “Come What May” a happy piece utilizing the chord changes of Charlie Parker’s “Confirmation,” is followed by the harmonically complex but still cooking “Purity Of Essence,” the atmospheric and moody “Dedalus,” and the swinging “Asymetrical Reflections.” The CD concludes with one of the strongest original melodies of the program (“Born Yesterday”) and the joyful “Blue Ullon.”

            Each of the ten performances on As Luck Would Have It (www.joefinn.net) is enjoyable with Joe Finn displaying an original style that, while connected to the jazz tradition, does not sound like any of his predecessors. The musicians all were clearly inspired by each other’s presence and quite happy to be playing together. The result is a high-quality set of music that is easily recommended to anyone who enjoys modern straight ahead jazz.”

Scott Yanow The Los Angeles Jazz Scene