Tag Archives: jazz guitar

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All about the tone….

Greetings readers, I hope this post finds you well. This year, well starting the end of last year, has brought many opportunities in terms of live performance and music production. Some have materialized, and some haven’t, but either way, they began making me look at my skills as a guitarist AND a recording engineer more closely. Coincidentally, being the YouTube fan that I am, I started watching performance videos, specifically of guitarist doing smooth jazz pieces to backing tracks and loved the tone they were getting. Most either shot their video in studio or just of them playing on camera. This started my such to obtain such tone.

I had three choices, the two most obvious: either mic my amp and record in my DAW (Logic Pro), record direct into Logic, but by way of my Line 6 Pod XT Live, or go record straight into Logic and make use of it’s effects plugins and amp simulators. I decided to search the net for articles and forum activity that would help me understand how to achieve my goal for choice #3. To my surprise, I found many references on how to achieve a certain amp sound (amp sims have been big in software recording apps for the past few years now), or certain rock guitar tones, but nothing for that mellow smooth jazz guitar tone. I turned to magazine articles, still nothing. I like using my Pod XT Live for live performance and have found a few non-stock patches online that have really good clean tone.

Fortunately, I reached out to a great guitarist on YouTube Joe Washington, who kindly gave me insight to the effects chain he uses to achieve his tone. It’s really understanding the building blocks or elements needed to get any tone your are looking to use. Joe gets his town via a combination of different hardware effects, whereas I am trying to do the same via software (at least for now, since I still own my amp and a Roland GP-100. While the GP-100 is old school, this unit has some great user created patches I’d like to try out soon.

Fast forward to the last few weeks… a good friend and superb smooth jazz keyboardist asked me to provide the guitar solo for his upcoming CD’s title track. Needless to say, this has been an awesome opportunity and I’m pretty excited about it. With that, I realized I REALLY needed to get that tone for this track… a need for something not TOO smooth but definitely jazzy. After recording a rough of the solo tonite using my Epiphone Sheraton II, I think I am close to finding what I’ve been imagining for a few months. Looking forward to trying this out with my Emperor II after she gets a good setup.

The image above shows a channel strip in Logic Studio 8 with an amp simulator (Guitar Amp Pro), EQ, compression, reverb, and a dynamic stereo spreader (mix of LPF and HPF), giving me a nice jazzy tone. I’m definitely liking it and once I get it to where I really like it, you may see me record and post a few vids of my own.

In any event, I should have BEEN sleeping, but would love to record some more…THAT…is not a good idea at 12:59am.

’til we meet again…peace!

F!

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Kenny Burrell – 2010 Grammy Jazz Honoree of The Year.

Kenneth Earl “Kenny” Burrell was born July 31, 1931 in Detroit, MI and by 12 years old, started playing guitar (similar to yours truly who started playing at the age of 14). Little did he know that he would be this year’s Grammy Jazz Honoree.

I don’t know who is more excited, Kenny or me. He has certainly been my favorite jazz guitarist for as long as I remember. Kenny’s choice as this years honoree is quite a substantial one, in my mind. His discography alone proves his ability (and history) of being a superb sideman and solo musician in his own right. Between the years of 1956 and 2006, Mr. Burrell has excelled as a leader, co-leader and sideman releasing recordings with stellar musicians in the world of jazz. His last release, Kenny Burrell: 75th Birthday Bash Live! released in 2007 on the prestigious Blue Note label, not only has a historic playlist of wonderful jazz standards, but showcases prominent musicians such as Joey DeFracesco, Hubert Laws, Snooky Young, and the like. During that same year, he began his tenure as Director of Jazz Studies at UCLA.
He has recorded on well respected jazz labels including Prestige, Verve, Fantasy, and Concord Jazz.

Kenny Burrell posesses a unique style (and grace) if you will, defines the essence of jazz guitar. His playing easily brings to life the stellar arrangements of his great predecessors, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn and, in addition, has away of conveying the cool that IS jazz. If there was to ever be a true definition of “smooth jazz”, Mr. Burrell would undoubtedly be a defining factor. His remake of Neal Hefti’s classic song “Girl Talk” is one of my favorite tunes.

Mr. Burrell, if you are reading this, I came VERY close to being there this week to fulfill my dream of meeting you on Tuesday evening. Keep being the inspiration to jazz musicians and jazz lovers alike. I salute you in your accomplishments and in receiving this auspicious honor. There are many of your tracks that leave me “Just a Sittin’ and Rockin'”
Jazz lives.

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Welcome To The Sunday Soundtrack – 01 Nov 09

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Greetings listeners….

Welcome to the 11th month of 2009. Guess you may have been asking yourself the same question I have….”Where has the year gone?” Seems like just yesterday, I was sitting at this very same spot saying…”Here we are…2009….” Time flies when you’re having fun…or just about doing anything else, it seems.

In any event, I’ve decided to take a small departure from the downtempo, chill, and ambient grooves that I love to present in the podcast and, instead, bring you a combination of smoothness and coolness wrapped up in one. Many of you know I am a guitarist and have played a lil of just about all genres the guitar is known for. I’m currently studying jazz guitar as well, and thought I’d bring you a little bit of what I consider some good jazz guitar, both from a more contemporary delivery, as well as what;s foundational. While I couldn’t present all the guitarists I like, much less deserving of the genre, I’m showcasing a few of my favorite that more than adequately represent.

Out of my collection, I bring to you the world renowned, George Benson (a lil trivia for u, he and vocalist Anita Baker were both involved in what kind of activity as youth?), the young lion (still known to be I guess) Mark Whitfield (currently on tour with Chris Botti), Nick Collione, Mr Smooth – Norman Brown, Steve Laury (ex-guitarist of Fattburger), Russell Malone, the jazz guitar giant Kenny Burrell and my favorite, and the legendary Mr. Wes Montgomery.

I hope u enjoy these offerings of “g”-strings. The playlist is as follows:


1. Strollin’ – Mark Whitfield/Mark Whitfield
2. John L – Nick Colionne/Keepin’ It Cool [Bonus Track]
3. After The Storm – Norman Brown/After The Storm
4. Being With You – George Benson/Best Of George Benson: The Instrumentals
5. Tenderly – Kenny Burrell/Lucky So And So
6. West Coast Blues – Wes Montgomery/The Incredible Jazz Guitar
7. Rise – Russell Malone/Sweet Georgia Peach
8. Sugar Hill – Kenny Burrell/Jazz Masters 45
9. Gone With The Wind – Wes Montgomery/The Incredible Jazz Guitar
10. Soulful Eyes – Steve Laury/Stepping Out
11. Tenderly – George Benson/Best Of George Benson: The Instrumentals

Here is one my FAVORITE new discoveries, Matt Otten. He is inspiration.

All the above artists can be found at Amazon and iTunes. I hope the playlist provided for a relaxing journey through music.

The Sunday Soundtrack is on Facebook as well as Twitter – see the links over there—->

Have a great day, evening, and/or night….

peace, keep it chilled…

F!

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Welcome To The Sunday Soundtrack – 05 July 09

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Photo Credit: 2Serenity

Hello listeners….

Happy Independence Day weekend for those stateside. I hope it was and will continue to be safe. Welcome to this edition of The Sunday Soundtrack. I hope all is well with u.

This edition of the podcast brings an eclectic mix of ambient, electronica, latin vibes, and classic jazz onto the musical palette, so I hope that u can find a color to suit your mood. Per a recent conversation, I’ve got some Vikter Duplaix for one of my new listeners, Tiffany…I hope you enjoy the track. Jazz guitar great Kenny Burrell is on tap as well…that track goes out to fellow guitarist and Twitter buddy Ray Betts.

I’d like to take a moment to give thanks to all my listeners, globally and locally. I always appreciate the comments and encouragement in bringing this podcast to you on a regular basis. Props to my podcasting crew over there on the right, in my blogroll. They bring a style and finesse that oftern aspire to. Thanks for doin’ it big.

That being said, the playlist is as follows.

As Possible (feat. Baschin) – Chris Zippel/Genuine Horizon
Nowhere (Crazy P’s Heatwave Mix)/Aquanote Bare Essentials, Vol. 2
Around, Arrived – Chris Zippel/Genuine Horizon
Let Go – Kuba/Inside Out
The Number Readers – Subsurfing/Frozen Ants
Dentro De Cien Anos – The Metitxell Project/The Metitxell Project
Slight Accent – Ray Obiedo/Modern World
Another Great Love Gone By Featuring Esthero – Vikter Duplaix/Bold & Beautiful
Tenderly – Kenny Burrell/Lucky So And So

All the tunes above can be found on iTunes, and I am sure Amazon.com. The Sunday Soundtrack podcast is also available on iTunes.

Thanks for listening, as always. If you’re on Twitter and or Facebook, please feel free to follow me there as well. The links are to the left, in my blogroll.

Have a great week….keep it chilled.

peace,
Fresh