I recently heard a Jack Hart and his Hired Hands tune named ‘Knock out the Lights (and Call the Law)’. I don’t recall ever hearing it before. The recording features a great solo by Jimmy Brant that reminded me of a musical break through I had years ago after learning his solo on Tennessee Ernie’s Rock City Boogie. It was the first time I realized you could solo over chords that the rest of the band wasn’t actually playing, especially if the rhythm section is just bass and drums. For instance the solos in both songs are over the basic three-chord 12 bar blues form.  On both solos at the ninth measure, Jimmy plays almost the same lick that’s basically a IIm7 arpeggio. Then over an altered V7 chord in the tenth measure.  It’s a useful trick if you’re a wannabe jazzer like myself.

Knock Out the Lights (and Call the Law)

Rock City Boogie

Anyone that has talked guitar  with me knows what a huge Charlie Christian fan I am, but the motivation to play music this month is by two horn players, Buck Clayton and Lester Young with their back-to-back solos on tune called Charlie’s Dream. Although I’ve heard this song hundreds of times, I still get chills when I hear these two solos. The three laughs Buck does at 1:15 into the song kills me. Freddie Green’s on this one as well playing rhythm.

Charlie’s Dream

Here’s another great demo where Joel fires off ”Walking the Strings” backstage at Deke’s Guitar Geek Festival using my tele equipped with…

Neck Pickup; TK Smith C.C.esque

Bridge Pickup; built by my friend (and neighbor) Curtis Novak to my specs.

Pots; 250K

Strings; Thomastik JS113 Flat Wounds

Amp; Stock ’54 Gibson GA-30

Joe Puma is another guitar player that I have a hard time not picking up my guitar after listening to one of his recordings. A friend gave me a copy of “The Jazz Guitar of Joe Puma” about 10 years ago and it’s been one of my favorites since. This song  in particular is great motivation to practice.

Indian Summer

A friend of mine turned me on to Cuban guitarist Jaunito Márquez a few years ago and lately I’ve been listening to him daily. I really love the sound he gets without using a pick. I’m finding myself not using a pick a lot these days since it seems all of my thousands of picks have apparently grown legs and wondered off.

Here’s one of my favorite tracks from the CD “arrímante pa’ cá” .

03 Guita Nova

Below is an unfortunately out of sync video showing Jaunito’s unique style.

I love everything about this clip, the performance, the guitar tone, the camera angles… I can’t stop watching it. I hope it’s new to some of you.

When I heard The Rovers ‘’Passport to Summer’’, it was my first time hearing Roy Lanham play guitar. I can still remember coming home from the thrift store with my bag full of records and putting this one on. I could barley sleep for weeks, it pretty much changed the way I wanted to play.

Up to this point I was content trying to copy Scotty Moore, Cliff Gallup and a few others.  From that point on, I wanted to learn how to improvise and play more like a Jazz musician. I’m still trying today. I soon learned the style I was obsessed with was called ‘’Take Off” guitar. I think a good definition for the ‘’Take Off‘’ guitar style would be… to solo as if you were half genius and half mentally insane! (Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West trading fours on Rock City Boogie, comes to mind.)

Around that same time I started hanging out with Robert Williams, aka Big Sandy. Robert, and another friend, Jason Goodman both had excellent record collections and were always finding new hillbilly and country records with hot ‘’Take Off’’ guitar solos. They were constantly making cassettes compiled of their latest record finds.  I always looked forward to getting the latest cassette from them. They were some of the first recordings I’d heard with guys like Lanham, George Barnes, Jimmy and Speedy, Jimmy Wyble, Noel Boggs, Junior Bernard, Grady Martin, Thumbs Carlille, Buddy Emmons, and countless others, playing the “Take Off‘” guitar style. I still have most of those cassettes. Hope this recording inspires you too.

I wish I had the writing ability to cleverly put into words how great I think this clip is. I’ve been watching it once or twice a week since Deke posted it. What I can say about it is…. Roy Lanham was an ass kicker on the guitar and Doug Dalton equally kicked ass on the mandolin.  Sweet Georgia Brown’s (Juanita Vastine)  voice and the rhythm guitar playing I can’t get enough of.  The bass playing is excellent, and on top of that they can all sing in perfect harmony. Not too many bands you can say that about. I love the beginning of the solo; Roy tries to go first but Doug doesn’t have it. Doug must have thought to himself ‘’Roy had the entire intro to himself there’s no way he’s going first on the solo section’’. Enjoy…

Many of you have probably heard this medley before, but if you haven’t, your ears are in for an 11 minute treat. Barney Kessel’s playing and tone on Cherokee is perfection to my ears, and if Kessel, Irving Ashby, Arv Garrison and Les Paul  trading fours on the last part of Honeysuckle Rose doesn’t motivate you to practice, you may want to consider a different hobby.

The rest of the Swing to Bop Guitar compilation is great as well.

16 Medley_ Cherokee, I Got Rhythm, How High The Moon, Honeysuckle Rose 2

I purchased the Guitar Arpeggio Dictionary by Chuck Wayne and Ralph Patt at a music store by my house back in the early eighties. The book is out of print now but if you ever see it, you should get it. At the time I had no idea who Chuck Wayne was, nor did I realize he would become one of my favorite players later in life.

My guitar teacher at that time told me ‘’ there’re three things you have to do to become a good guitar player, memorize all of your scales in all keys, memorize the Guitar Arpeggio Dictionary and, listen and memorize solos of your favorite players.” I can remember thinking that shouldn’t be too difficult. I’m still working at it thirty years later and if I live to an age of 200 I might have a chance at it.

Ralph Patt’s “Vanilla Book” is also a great resource that shows the “basic” chords to over 400 Standards.