The guitar in the photo above is my Gretsch 6121 Chet Atkins solidbody. The first thing you’ll notice, of course, is that it’s beautiful. Its “Western” motifs include its studded and tooled leather trim, debossed “G” in the style of a cattle brand, and fingerboard inlays featuring steer heads, cactuses and fence posts. Even its … More Why my Gretsch is NOT a Gibson
Anthony Tillmon Williams (1945-1997) was undoubtedly one of the greatest drummers in the history of jazz. A worthy successor to Elvin Jones in pushing the language and technique of drumming to new levels, without losing touch with the jazz tradition. Williams’ name will forever be connected, first of all, to that of Miles Davis, and … More The Tony Williams Quintet – 1985 to 1995
This is Eddie Durham (1906-1987), an important figure who tends to be overlooked by jazz historians. Equally proficient on trombone and guitar, Durham recorded the first ever amplified guitar solo on Jimmy Lunceford’s 1935 recording Hittin’ The Bottle. In 1938 Durham co-led a couple of sessions with other Basie alumni including Lester Young and Buck … More Eddie Durham, an overlooked jazz visionary.
I’ve been thinking about this photo in recent days. I’m sure many of you have seen it before. What strikes me about this image is how many layers of meaning it has. One could argue that this is one of the most “meta” artworks ever produced. On the surface, it’s a photo of naked women. … More Pink Floyd’s “Back Catalogue”
Fender’s Mexican-made Player series instruments are the most affordable guitars with the Fender logo on their headstock. They are priced in between the cheaper Asian-made Squier range and the more expensive USA and Japan made instruments. Every now and then Fender releases some limited edition instruments which they’ve dubbed Fender Special Run (FSR). This particular … More Gear Review: Fender Player FSR Stratocaster
Was Mozart’s middle name actually ‘Amadeus’? Ummm… Not really! Mozart was christened Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. The first two names are his saint’s names. Following Catholic tradition he was given these names because his birthday (27 January) is the feast day of St John Chrysostom. He was generally known by family and friends as … More What was Mozart’s middle name?
It has been said that you’re not really a guitar player until you own a Telecaster. Many players, across all styles, have found a T-style instrument to be an essential tool in their arsenal – even if it’s not their main axe. The simplicity and versatility of a Tele is unrivaled, which is why you’ll … More Gear Review: Fender 70th Anniversary Broadcaster
Elegant Traveler is the debut album from Canadian guitarist Jocelyn Gould. Despite being a late comer to music (she began a science degree, and hated it) Gould has more than made up for lost time, developing into an accomplished guitarist and a composer of well-crafted jazz pieces. The album’s ten tracks are mostly Gould’s original … More Album Review: Jocelyn Gould – Elegant Traveler
With its striking Coral Pink finish, this guitar will definitely command attention. The question is, are you man enough to rock a pink guitar? Background context Ibanez began making a semi-hollowbody model called the Artist in 1978. The Japanese company had previously made a name for itself by making impressively accurate copies of Gibson and … More Gear Review: Ibanez Artcore AS-63
My students sometimes ask me, “Why are there three different types of minor scales, when there’s only one type of major scale?” Another question I often hear is, “Why does the melodic minor scale have different notes going up and going down?”. In this post I’ll attempt to answer to both of those questions. If … More Music Theory: Why are there 3 minor scales?
Aaron Searle 