Teach Your Children Well

What did Steve Jobs and Keith Richards have in common?  After reading both biographies, something struck me.  These very successful creative mavericks had something in common: their parents believed in them.

In Richards case, his mom simply said, as he strummed some of his first chords, “Is that you?  I thought it was the radio.”  To which Richards thought, “I’m in.”

Steve Jobs, raised by his adoptive parents, talked about how his parents treated him as special and how, eventually, it dawned on Jobs that he was smarter than the dad who had such a huge influence on him.  It was OK with his parents.  They realized it too, and biographer Walter Issacson points out, “they would go to great lengths to accommodate him.”

Parents have such profound influences on children.  Those who were fortunate enough to have parents who believed in them recognize this.  And those who have kids aspiring to be musicians or computer scientists or designers or whatever, should help their kids uncover their true talents and should encourage experimentation.

Keith Richards experimented, created, thrived and survived because his mom, Doris, planted a seed that, yes, he could be on the radio.  Steve Jobs knew he was a “chosen one” because his parents told him they chose him when they adopted him.  This theme seemed to come up often in his early life and, no doubt spawned his ability to freely create and break through boundaries.

So, in the words of another great musician, Graham Nash, teach your children well…..and give them all the confidence and faith you can, and watch them flourish.

A Surprise Star Among Stars

An “aha” moment came to me while watching the recently debuted HBO special on George Harrison. Ringo and others in the show were commenting on Harrison’s mournful slide playing, how it was so full of expression. So that WAS George Harrison playing all those great lines on “Give Me Love,” “My Sweet Lord,” “All You Need is Love” and other classics.

Who talks about George Harrison’s slide playing? No one. Who gives him credit for creating a unique voice in the world’s ultimate rock band using an instrument known almost exclusively for blues. No one. Well here goes: George Harrison was a true stylist on the slide guitar.

Historical accounts and even his bandmates (notably John Lennon) downplayed Harrison’s talent on the guitar and as a singer songwriter. But as a stylist, Harrison really made a mark. All those years hearing his slide playing on the car radio made an imprint in my mind. Oh, it was a sweet sound and it perfectly fit the mood and feel of the song, but….it must have been Clapton playing all that stuff. That’s what I (and many others I’m sure) always thought.

What a remarkable job HBO and Director Martin Scorsese did revealing the true Harrison as a talented stylist wedged between the genius of Lennon and McCartney. Harrison may not have been a genius, but he developed and showcased something all players dream of doing: a personal style that branded his sound forever.

A Cropped Style

Among electric guitar stylists, there are few that occupy a time and place and still live on. Steve Cropper made his imprint using his smart “cropped” style back in the 60′s with Booker T and MG’s. He never blew me away (or anyone probably) with a flashy technique, speed or pyrotechnics. But he did blow people away with his style. It was a tightly wound, biting approach to lead playing that contrasted perfectly with Booker T’s smooth Hammond B-3 playing and the funky backdrop of locked bass and drums.

Steve Cropper helped to define the Memphis sound that helped to shape rhythm and blues, rock, pop and so much more. I recently discovered Cropper’s latest CD, “Dedicated.” (Billed as a tribute to the 5 Royales.) All of Cropper’s bite and tasteful note selection from the 60″s live on in this new recording, and it’s a great example of a stylist with a simple but impressionable approach stuffed with soul and passion.

The Art of Strumming

Working with a new acoustic partner I’ve learned that, despite all my years of playing and, in my view, perfecting my playing, I’ve missed something. Strumming the acoustic guitar is indeed an art much different than strumming an electric.

With an electric you have instant power at the twist of a knob or flip of a switch. With an acoustic you have instant chaos strumming too hard and banging away at chords. The acoustic encompasses a subtle delicate feel, even when played with powerful intentions.

Listen to the late, incomparable Michael Hedges, who mastered the dynamics, harmonics and color of the acoustic steel string guitar. Hedges truly exuded the power of dual humbuckers and a Marshall stack all with his simple solo acoustic guitar.

I only saw Hedges play live once, and was not close enough to see, but I heard the results of his unique wrist action, tasteful string slaps and careful hand mutes that painted his extraordinary aural portraits.

The title of Aerial Boundaries, one of my favorite Hedges recordings, says it all. Hedges used space to create boundaries in his music, giving it strong imagery like an world-class artist would his canvas.

So, all those great acooustic strummers, from the Everly Brothers to the Goo Goo Dolls, deserve credit for their subtle artistry. They may not have the flash of a Hendrix or a Clapton, but the right approach to acoustic strumming adds invaluable depth, body and color to many of the greatest songs.

Start Early and Start Young

Joe Bonamassa is a player I discovered on satellite radio. A superb blues and rock stylist who blends elements of Clapton, Beck, Stevie Ray and other masters, Bonamassa, it turns out, decided he wanted to be a musician at age 4, according to Wikipedia. His parents owned a guitar shop and their musical tastes enveloped his sphere of influence.

Nothing can replace young brain cells absorbing stimuli. I was lucky enough to take piano lessons at age 6 and I’m sure it helps me to this day. Like a personality, a musical ear is a product of heredity and external stimuli. More years listening, practicing and even trying to emulate others equals deeper understanding of the instrument and approaches to take while playing phrases.

You can hear Bonamassa’s influences with every note….what he listened to, what he liked, and who he emulated early on.
The refreshing thing is that, according to what I’ve heard on his radio show, he readily admits his influences and acknowledges them with praise. Honesty is the best policy, and his honesty helps me accept his role as an individual stylist of amalgamation. As a result, I’m starting to recognize his playing as a unique voice, which is the ultimate brand of a true stylist.

Having a listener say “I like your style” or “I like your approach” is the ultimate compliment. After all, does anyone say to anyone “you sound like Clapton” or “you sound like Beck” or “you sound like Santana”? Rare words indeed.

Celebrate your influences, your ear and your time spent listening and practicing. Then try something new using the tools you’ve developed and you’re on your way to creating your unique voice.

A Brit with some grit

I recently discovered blue-eyed soul and blues man James Hunter.  Heard him on satellite radio and then noticed he was performing in Beaver Creek, CO, right after my visit.  Who’s this guy?

Hunter is a blend of James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Van Morrison (who’s a big fan, turns out) and many R&B singers of the past.  Really, he’s got the perfect Beach Music (Southeastern US-style) sound.  A Beach Music artist from Essex England?

I’m always amazed at the ability of the British, with all the pomp and circumstance as part of their culture, to sing the blues.  Hunter sounds pretty close to James Brown at times and even a little like Ray Charles.

His guitar playing, however, sounds like a garage band player just starting out.  It’s a choppy, frenetic, nervous style that hits the right notes but doesn’t sound confident enough to stay there.  I  believe this is a case of the band leader (with an incredible voice) taking control and deciding he’s going to be the guitar player!  It’s all OK, because the band….horns, Hammond B-3, drums, bass….is really excellent, along with Hunter’s vocals, of course.

When you’ve got the power (in this case, Hunter’s vocal prowess), you don’t have to be a world class stylist to be a world class performer.

Close your eyes, Local can be just as good

An ad agency president friend of mine told me once he doesn’t believe incredible talent dwells only in rich and famous superstars.  “You can go to church and hear a guitar player who’s just as good as anyone,” he offered.  While the conversation started around great advertising, his point about guitarists struck a sensitive cord (chord?) with me.  He’s probably right, I surmised.

I witnessed this fact Thursday night at a local wine bar.  Two local jazz artists I know were ripping through jazz standards with incredible skill, branding the tunes with their impressive techniques.  Before long, I closed my eyes and was in Greenwich Village, maybe at a showcase like Smalls, far away from the suburban piedmont Virginia wine bar.

Ripening the tone

I was in the Bahamas last week chatting to some wonderful musicians about their instruments.  One had a solid mahogany Warwick 5-string bass he proudly pointed out was one piece through the neck and body.  Said he was 43 and had been playing since he was 11 or 12.  “You do the math,” he said.  I told him how lucky he was to be playing music for a living, adding, “I’ll bet a lot of people down here tell you that.”  He replied, “thousands have!”

The guitarist in the band sported a maple-neck Stratocaster that looked aged and worn.  “It’s a 1969,” he said.  “Wow,” I exclaimed, “Do you know how much that is worth?”  He answered, “somebody told me maybe $20,000 in the states.”

With musical instruments, nothing can take the place of old wood.  Old wood resonates better, provides richer tonal colors and seems to sustain notes longer.  The Bahamian band sounded quite good, but part of the fun was the garage-band tones they broadcast with their 60′s instruments.

If tone affects the style….and it does, doesn’t it?…..then the wood affects the style, right?  So I might play a little differently if I had a 50-year old guitar?  I just might.

The Ric 12

The Rickenbacker 12-string has had a remarkable effect on many different genres.  Particularly, the Ric 360 12-string, touted as the world’s most popular electric 12-string, played a big role in creating the sound of The Byrds, The Beatles, and many other influential bands.  The instantly identifiable, ringing, chimey sound of the Ric 12-string evolved into what many would refer to as a style.  I believe that the sound affected the style of the player; thus the guitar itself, to a degree, helped to create a style.

 

 

Becoming Clairvoyant

•April 6, 2011 • Leave a Comment (Edit)

Robbie Robertson released his fifth solo album today…..”How to Become Clairvoyant.”  One of the great guitar stylists in rock….witness his passionate, inventive solo on The Band’s “King Harvest”…..Robertson apparently PO’d his bandmates in The Band after grabbing most of the songwriting credits while his bandmates were partying it up in the late sixties and early seventies but nonetheless, this guy is a gifted writer, singer and guitarist who brings his unique brand to the table in style.

“How to Become Clairvoyant” opens with a burner set up by Robert Randolph on the pedal steel.  Randolph’s another great stylist who plays his instrument as if it were a slide guitar (but, of course, the pedal steel is much more capable with wider range and a fatter tone).  Instantly you recognize Robertson breathy, whispery vocals in this opener, “Staight Down the Line.”

Robertson’s Stratocaster shines on “When the Night Was Young”….a stirring soul tune that harks back to the magnificent Curtis Mayfield, background vocals and all.

Clapton’s help in “He Don’t Live Here No More” doesn’t do much to lift this tune….sounds a little like his duet with Hornsby back in the 90′s….nothing new.

However….”The Right Mistake” with Clapton and Winwood is another story.  This song drips with soul and Clapton and Winwood are almost to performing as what Lennon and McCartney are to songwriting.  Put these guys in the same studio and it just doesn’t get much better anywhere.  Winwood’s Hammond B-3 skills are brilliant….just the right amount of everything.

The next three tunes feature Clapton with Winwood on two of them as well, complementing and backing up Robertson’s reasonably well-crafted vocal lines.

Madame X justaposes Robertson with another musician who made the successful (and I’m sure very competitively fought) journey from rock to cinema: Trent Reznor.  The Nine Inch Nails founder just won an Academy Award for his soundtrack compositions on “Social Network;” Madame X is full of imagery and expressiveness, like any strong soundtrack should be.  I can see a madam walking in the rainy night with car lights flickering by…..

Tom Morello shakes things up with his guest appearance on “Axman,” an appropriate nod to a guy who deserves more credit as a outstanding stylist in the rock and rebellion anthem genre.  Robertson credits everyone from Elmore James to Link Wray in this sure-to-please-every-guitarist number.

“Mistress of magic, goddess of night” sings Robertson on the title cut….”how to become clairvoyant, that’s what I gotta know”……another breathy question from Robertson….how do you…”be one of the ones to see around corners?”…..not a bad subject for a song.

Tango for Django doesn’t really sound like Django Reinhardt to me, although it has a strong gypsy feel, the speed and dexterity of the master is missing.  But of course, it’s a tribute, not a reproduction!  (Rest assure, Django will be a subject for a future blog.)

“How to Become Clairvoyant” has no blazing guitar statements from Robertson like “King Harvest,” but it’s a worthy work of art and collaboration by some of the most impactful stylists of the past several decades.