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Definitely, Not The Same Old Thing! Sometimes, you get a surprising musical boost from a direction that you would never expect to. That’s what I got a week ago and in both its cuteness and innocence, it puts a real smile on my face. ...

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Scott Samuels - The King of Pop! In the summer of 2002, I was walking in Washington Square and I stopped and turned because I heard someone playing the guitar unlike anyone else I'd ever heard in the Park. I sat down for what I expected...

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The Musician's Musician I've mentioned in several of my postings that I drove Joe Pass around quite a bit when he was visiting the New York area or wanted to go some place near New York. Well, he was part of Oscar Peterson's...

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Joe Pass Brought The Bagels I was fortunate enough to hang out with Joe Pass for close to a dozen years. When he was in New York, I was one of a few people that Joe would meet up with, have lunch with, and would look to get a ride...

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GET TO KNOW JACK! - JACK WILKINS THAT IS Jack Wilkins is well known as a consummate guitarist, simply because he can play with anyone! And Jack has certainly challenged himself by working with many of the finest talents in the jazz world. When...

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Smooth Jazz – Chieli Minucci

Category : Musicians

chieli2Now I don’t know about you, but I rarely remember the first time I heard a particular artist. They better be really good for that to happen! Well, Chieli Minucci is really good. What I had first noticed was Chieli’s guitar work, but it didn’t take long before it was just as much the music. The music of both Chieli as a solo artist and with Special EFX is very rhythmic and often upbeat. What stands out about his playing is his superb use of dynamics, even when playing fast lines, and also his use of volume control. Continue Reading

Bert Monroy – Light Painting

Category : Artists

Bert Monroy

I’m a big fan of Bert Monroy and his graphic ability. My uncle was a graphic artist and he invented “Instant Type” the dry press lettering. I was one of his helpers and delivery boys to CBS’s 60 Minutes. So, to see someone that moves graphics in a fascinating direction such as “painting with light” well, that grabs my interest, let me tell you!

Since Photoshop is something most people have at least heard of, and most people are fascinated by; you very well may be interested in knowing that Bert was the coauthor of the first book on Photoshop entitled  “The Official Adobe Photoshop Handbook”. It was released in 1990 and then came another book that was the definitive book on one of Photoshop’s most challenging features called Channels. The book was named “Channel Chops” and was released in 1996. Bert himself was gracious enough to correct my error in thinking that Channel Chops was the first Photoshop Book – thanks Bert! Continue Reading

Wayne Wright Sharing Whole Notes

Category : Musicians

Wayne Wright

On Friday (May 9th, 2008) the world lost a great musician and a wonderful human being named Wayne Wright.

Everyone that came to know Wayne Wright would have their own personal “Wayne’s World” story. Peter Pan must have still left some fairy dust on him, because he was always impish and wanted nothing to do with too serious a world. And yet it was Wayne that would always help someone to look at themselves when things kept going wrong. He gave out life lessons, while keeping his wonderful sense of humor. Continue Reading

Emily Remler

Category : Musicians

Emily RemlerFor a short while I took guitar lessons from one of the finest female jazz guitarists since Mary Osborn. I never became a great guitarist, but that’s because I never put in the time it takes to be a great guitarist. Emily on the other hand, lived and breathed the guitar.
One day I arrived at Emily’s apartment to take a lesson and there she was in a leg cast and on crutches, Continue Reading

Connection To Ella

Category : Musicians

Ella FitzgeraldElla Fitzgerald’s last concert at Carnegie Hall featured Joe Pass to play duets with her. I called the hotel earlier that afternoon to speak with Joe. The operator said he wasn’t in his room, but he might be rehearsing with Ella, should we connect you to Ella’s room? I couldn’t believe that she asked me that. I was thinking to myself, “what kind of idiot would refuse talking to Ella”, so I said sure. Continue Reading

Lotte Jacobi – Jazz Age Beginnings

Category : Artists

lotte

Years ago, I went door to door speaking to people about the Bible. It was something I grew up doing. It was on one of these times going door to door in Dearing, New Hampshire that I came upon a little woman that was in her mid seventies. She opened the door and said “come on in look around and I will be right with you.”
Continue Reading

Jaco Pastorius Finds New Sneakers

Category : Musicians

Jaco Pastorius

The beauty that went on inside Jaco’s head never ceases to amaze me. Whenever I heard Jaco play a song his presence was always so strong. He didn’t have to overplay or overpower a song to make that presence known either.

I only got to see Jaco play in a group setting 2 times, once with Weather Report in 1977 or 1978, when they played in Virginia Beach and the second time in Forest Hills Stadium, when Jaco was the leader of Joni Mitchell’s Band. Both times were amazing! Up to that point the best electric bass player I’d ever seen was Stanley Clarke, but Jaco had so many more sophisticated harmonies going on and to me his sense of “space” was perfect. Continue Reading

Joe Pass – Ride Uptown

Category : Musicians

Joe Pass

In the early 80’s, Joe Pass, one of the finest solo guitar players that ever lived, had just finished his last set at Fat Tuesday’s. I was alone that night, sitting at the bar. Joe looked in the direction of the bar and said “Is anyone going my way?” I asked where he was staying and he told me that he was around the corner from the Plaza Hotel. Since I lived in Queeens and I could go home lots of ways I told him I would drop him off.

As I dropped Joe off, I told him that should he ever need a ride, I’d give him my number and he could call me. Joe told me “you pick me up tomorrow and you can get in for free” – So, I did that for the next 12 years.

You can learn more about Joe Pass Master Solo Guitarist