Dedicated to jazz music performed (mainly) on archtop guitars.
Nicolai Foss
Here is the link to the official site for the recent Unstrung movie on Pat Martino’s amazing musical recovery from a brain operation that essentially totally erased all of his musical and artistic knowledge. I am definitely going to order this, not just because I am an admirer of Martino’s playing, but also because the movie interestingly explores the broader implications for cognitive science of the Martino case.
Nicolai Foss
Mary Osborne was IMHO one of the major guitarists coming directly out of the Christian bag. Her style was direct, hardswinging and muscular (one hesitates to say “macho”). Unfortunately, there is precious little available on CD or on the internet. A compilation CD was isued back in 1993, a year after her death, but is rather pricey.
Here is a YouTube clip with Mary playing “I Love Paris” and “These Foolish Things” from the A Girl and Her Guitar 1959 session. Her playing on the former is twangy (as befits someone playing the Gretsch White Falcon), and an interesting contrast to Tommy Flanagan’s delicate piano playing. To repeat: We want more Mary!
Nicolai Foss
This was aired June 4, 1995, shortly after Raney’s death. Features excepts from an interview with Jim Hall, as well as interesting info that was new to me, such as the fact that Raney tried his hand at painting and knew some of the leading modernist painters, e.g., Mark Rothko. HT to Jon Raney.
Nicolai Foss
I am not sure who created this silly list. Check it out to see such great revelations as Tiny Grimes ranking higher than Howard Alden, or Al di Meola beating Barney Kessel big time.
Nicolai Foss
Billy Bean was one of the greatest late-1950s beboppers (which is saying a lot!). Various rumours have circulated about his life over the last 4+ decades and the reasons why he seems to have languished in obscurity. I actually wasn’t sure whether Bean was still alive. However, it turns out that he has a MySpace profile, apparently maintained by a friend. He is shown on a few, clearly recent, pics with an early ES-175.
