1 Huddersfield Jazz Guitar Society Newsletter No. 22 June 2013 Hi Jazz Guitar Fans, Unfortunately, due playing duties Adrian, Darren and myself were absent from the meeting. Martin did a great job looking after the meeting and reported a great night. Here is his summary of the evening. Robin and Charles kicked off the evening with Satin Doll. Robin's tasteful chord-melody work accompanied by Charles' fretless bass playing brought a new character to this HJGS favourite. Their second track Autumn Leaves showcased Robin's single line playing before the duo finally concluded their slot with a grooving A blues. Next up Chris and Dave began with Like Someone In Love featuring a relaxed chord-melody introduction from Dave. The pair provided an interesting spin on Nature Boy, incorporating a tango groove. The pair traded solos; Dave's dark modal playing contrasting with Chris' bop and blues inflected phrases. The duo concluded up with a relaxed bossa version of Stella by Starlight. Taking a detour from the usual repertoire regular attendee Steve Maguire made his performing debut at the club accompanied by Martin and Charles with a rendition Willie Dixon's popular blues, Hoochie Coochie Man. The trio then brought things back to more familiar meeting territory with a swinging uptempo jazz-blues. Society member Pete Davies also debuted his tasteful solo arrangement of My Funny Valentine. Despite the player's concern with his performance the piece was well received and the society look forward to hearing more from Pete. Martin and Charles then brought the first set to a close, playing to their strengths with a funky version of Sunny. After the interval and raffle break Robin provided an edifying demonstration on the benefits of live-looping for jazz guitarists through a selection of improvisations. Dave, Charles and Martin then formed a spontaneous ensemble for a version of Jobim bossa How Insensitive.
Transcript
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Huddersfield Jazz Guitar Society
Newsletter No. 22 June 2013
Hi Jazz Guitar Fans,
Unfortunately, due playing duties Adrian, Darren and myself were absent from the meeting. Martin did a great job looking after the meeting and reported a great night. Here is his summary of the evening.
Robin and Charles kicked off the evening with Satin Doll. Robin's tasteful
chord-melody work accompanied by Charles' fretless bass playing brought a new
character to this HJGS favourite.
Their second track Autumn Leaves showcased Robin's single line playing
before the duo finally concluded their slot with a grooving A blues.
Next up Chris and Dave began with Like Someone In Love featuring a
relaxed chord-melody introduction from Dave. The pair provided an interesting
spin on Nature Boy, incorporating a tango groove. The pair traded solos; Dave's
dark modal playing contrasting with Chris' bop and blues inflected phrases. The
duo concluded up with a relaxed bossa version of Stella by Starlight.
Taking a detour from the usual repertoire regular attendee Steve Maguire
made his performing debut at the club accompanied by Martin and Charles with a
rendition Willie Dixon's popular blues, Hoochie Coochie Man. The trio then
brought things back to more familiar meeting territory with a swinging uptempo
jazz-blues.
Society member Pete Davies also debuted his tasteful solo arrangement of
My Funny Valentine. Despite the player's concern with his performance the piece
was well received and the society look forward to hearing more from Pete.
Martin and Charles then brought the first set to a close, playing to their
strengths with a funky version of Sunny.
After the interval and raffle break Robin provided an edifying demonstration
on the benefits of live-looping for jazz guitarists through a selection of
improvisations.
Dave, Charles and Martin then formed a spontaneous ensemble for a
version of Jobim bossa How Insensitive.
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May's meeting was brought to a mellow close with regular sparring partners
Chris and Dave duetting over the changes of You've Changed.
Member’s News
Although this next item was mentioned last issue I thought it worth repeating!
Mon 3rd June - **GUITAR NIGHT at the Head of Steam
Brian Jackson the fixer for Monday night gigs (07762 733863) has agreed to put on a regular jazz guitar night featuring two or more players. However the future of this depends on its success, so PLEASE SUPPORT this night; this could provide a potential "regular" gig for HJGS members.
The first one (June 3rd) features two of the North's finest jazzers: Chris
Walker and Paul Hartley with Adrian, who you all know. So far the Monday nights have provided gigs for Al Morrison, Adrian Ingram, Gary Boyle, Chris Flaherty and Ian Wroe.
There are so few places left to play, if we don't use it, we will certainly lose it!!!
Call for Membership Participation
Remember the HJGS exists for the benefit(s) of its members, so we need to hear from YOU: good, bad, indifferent, news, views, gossip, ideas, viewpoints, gigs, sales wants, swaps… etc, etc!
Please keep us informed of any jazz guitar related gigs, events, sales or other item of interest, so that we can pass information on to other members. HJGS needs to develop its wider network as an important forum for jazz guitar related information and information exchange, so that we may all benefit from the collective wisdom and uncoordinated information that undoubtedly exists amongst fans and connoisseurs.
Swap an Idea
This column appears to be popular so we will keep it for the time being. But, and this is an important but we do NEED YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS for this to be successful. Contributions please to [email protected].
Here’s another contribution from Darren. Variations on a I vi ii V Progression A particularly effective chord substitution is replacing chord I in a progression with chord chord iii, the chord built on the mediant. This is known as a mediant substitution and is effective in breaking the predictability of chord I by adding a more unexpected chord change.
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In the key of C major, chord iii, the chord built on the 3rd note of a C major scale is Em or Em7. Chord iii is always a minor chord. This can be used as a substitute chord for chord I, Cma7. The progression could be played as:
Em7 has similar qualities to Cma7, mainly due to the fact they share many of the same notes. Cma7 contains the notes C E G B Em7 contains the notes E G B D The notes E G and B are common to both chords. Looking at a I vi ii V progression in the key of Eb we would have:
We can employ a mediant chord substitution to chord I, the Ebma7. Here is an Eb major scale:
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The third note of an Eb major scale is G, which when harmonised gives the chord Gm7. The progression using this substitution would look like this:
Applying the mediant Chord Substitutions. Taking the last part of the standard Misty as an example. Here it is as a chord/melody arrangement.
This is then followed by the turnaround of Ebma7 Cm7 Fm7 and Bb7 or in this case Bb13.
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Using a mediant substitution it is possible to substitute Gm7 in place of Ebma7. (G is the 3rd of the Ebma7 chord) We’d now have the following sequence.
Try following the Misty excerpt with the more conventional Ebma7 Cm7 Fm7 Bb13 progression and then try it with the substituted version. As many songs use this chord sequence it is a particularly effective way of creating variations and maintaining harmonic interest.
Membership
Some memberships are now falling due for renewal, remember membership lasts for a full 12 months from the paid up month and the following benefits are only available to current paid up members.
The following deals have been negotiated for members on production of a membership card: -
Bulldog Pickups (Huddersfield) www.bulldogpickups.com 15% off all pickups and repairs/rewinds.
ElectroMusic (Doncaster) www.electromusic.co.uk Variable discount depending on the item(s) purchased.
GTR (Huddersfield) www.gtrguitars.co.uk 10% discount on strings and accessories.
The Music Room (Cleckheaton) www.the-music-room.com Variable discount depending on the item(s) purchased.
Matt Ryan www.guitarrepairer.com 10% off guitar repairs/setups
AmplifierCoversOnline.com www.amplifiercoversonline.com Customised Equipment Covers On Demand
Frailers www.frailers.com
Variable discount depending on the item(s) purchased.
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Foulds Guitars - Derby www.fouldsmusic.co.uk Variable discount depending on the item(s) purchased. Vinyl Tap have been removed from the list as they have decided that they will no longer offer any discount on new cds and discount by negotiation on second-hand cds. As a consequence we feel we can no longer include them.
We are actively pursuing other supplier/retailers and will let you know as soon as we confirm them. Remember also that we welcome your suggestions re the future direction of HJGS. Please get in touch.
Committee
Martin Chung Publicity, joint treasurer, website/facebook and development
Darren Dutson-Bromley Ensembles, education, website/facebook and development Adrian Ingram Newsletter, education, international liaison and development
Ian Wroe Host, joint treasurer, artiste relations, events and development
Gigs Monday night jazz at The Head of Steam June 3rd Chris Walker, Paul Hartley, Adrian Ingram. GUITAR NIGHT 10th Carol Brown / Ian Wroe / Steve Childs / Ian Rose 17th T.B.A. 24th Jade Harris / Adrian Ingram / Ian Rose Jazz Dawgs on The Cut Wed 5th St Marco, Wheelock Thurs 6th Bluebell, Kidsgrove Fri 7th Old Kings Head, Sutton Bank (Nr Macclesfield) Sun 9th Station Bar, Stalybridge June 16th The Swing of Things, Cross Flatts Park, Beeston: 14.00hrs
June 30th The Swing of Things, Temple Newsome: 14.00hrs
June 30th Adrian Ingram’s Jazz Dawgs, The Blacksmith’s Arm, Lastingham: 7:30
July 1st Adrian Ingram’s Jazz Dawgs, The Blacksmith’s Arm, Lastingham:
Private Party
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A message from Paul Hartley Tuesday Jazz at the Bakers Vaults, Stockport 2013
Paul Hartley Quartet featuring :
June 11th Harold Salisbury (alto)
June 25th George Galway (sax/flute) with Mike Burns (trumpet)
(We are 1 of only 4 jazz guitar societies in England)
Here are a few links: -
http://cheadlejazzguitarclub.wordpress.com/
http://www.southjazzguitar.org ------- Note new website address
http://www.treforowen.com/index.php?id=38
http://www.meetup.com/LondonJazzGuitarSociety/
Meetings
The first Tuesday of the month at The Head of Steam : Huddersfield Railway Station (see http://www.theheadofsteam.co.uk/huddersfield )
Remember the society needs YOUR views and input so, if you want to provide a short introduction/discourse for a tune yourself or make any suggestions for a tune, please speak to a committee member. We have already had some other interesting ideas put forward which we are looking into. YOUR ideas are both vital and welcome. It is YOUR society and the committee is there entirely on YOUR behalf. Please, please get involved if you can!
2013 meetings
May 7th - Players Night June 4th - Hayden Minett talking about jazz amps. Have your
questions ready. July 2nd Aug 6th Sep 3rd Oct 1st Nov 5th
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Dec 3rd - Christmas Showcase
Workshop/seminars
Please note that in order to ensure an effective combination of complete
workshop and some time for playing, these sessions will commence at 8:30 on the dot.
Of Interest, News and Reviews
Found anything on the web or heard of something which may interest our members, then
this is the place for it.
Jamie Holroyd writes: -
As you know I have been quite busy finishing off my degree so I haven't had as much time as usual,
but I recently got to interview Dave Biller for Guitar International which some members might find of
interest.
Dave Biller: More Than Just a Pedal Steel Player
Thankfully, the Internet and YouTube have made discovering new musicians all over the world easier
than ever. Several fantastic guitar players in countries I’ve never been to have made their way onto my
computer screen. One of these is the Texas-based Dave Biller.
Biller has toured and recorded with Wayne Hancock, Dale Watson, and Deke Dickerson and is mostly
known as a professional pedal steel player, but his record, Hot Guitars of Biller & Wakefield, captured
the ears of guitar and music lovers everywhere.
Like many guitarists of his age, Biller’s first hero’s were classic rock guitarists such as Jimmy Page,
Clapton, and Hendrix, but jazz “became his religion” after discovering a ‘Best of Coltrane’ cassette in
a clearance bin in an old record store.
Biller has a unique guitar style that takes influence from jazz heavyweights such as Barney Kessel and
Howard Roberts, country pickers such as Roy Nichols and James Burton and the three Blues Kings;
Freddie, Albert, and BB, but he says the guitarist which made the biggest impact on his playing was
Django Reinhardt.
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“In 1998 I saw the film footage of him for the first time and it changed my life in music forever. It
was a pivotal moment and for the next 5 years I was hopelessly lost in the world of gypsy jazz.”
Although Biller was once an exclusive Tele picker, he now plays anything from Strats, Les Pauls, 175
C’s, and was recently seen performing at the Crossroads festival with a Collings 335 where he got to
play with one of his musical heroes, Jimmie Vaughan.
“Well, my big moment at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival was pretty memorable for obvious
reasons. But also because there was a bit of a musical meltdown onstage, whereupon the beat got
turned around, making the whole tune sound like some kind of psychedelic free jazz excursion! Oh
well, maybe I wasn’t meant to be a stadium rock star. It was an incredible experience, nonetheless.”
A popular YouTube video shows Biller with a Tele equipped with a Charlie Christian pickup which he
comments “I had a Lollar CC in one of my Teles and really liked it, plus it looked really cool, but the
best sounding neck pickup I ever had in a telecaster was a Gibson mini humbucker. Phenomenal! I
moved the same pickup to another Tele later and it sounded like crap! Oh well!”
I'm running short of jazz guitars again! I've still got a bigger stock than most but decent jazzers between £300 and £1500 I'm selling everything I get so if you have any members that would like to move any unwanted guitars on we may be able to help.
Of course I am happy to offer a deal on goods for members, they just need to mention when enquiring.
