[Dixielandjazz] Guitars and Dixieland

[Steve barbone]

> "LARRY <sign.guy at charter.net> wrote (polite snip)
> 
> Guitar players that might remotely fit in a Traditional or any kind of jazz
> group are really scarce around here.  Not that there aren't a couple but most
> can't read and have a limited knowledge of chords.  It's because they don't
> have to read and they don't need many chords for today's music.

Larry & List mates:

The comment is right on and makes me realize how lucky I am to be working
with a guitarist like Sonny Troy and a Bassist like Ace Tesone. They are two
of the most versatile jazz musicians in the world today.

Sonny played with Louis Prima & Sam Butera, backed Peggy Lee for a while,
and then took a commercial gig with the Mike Douglas TV show as lead &
guitarist. Different music every day, sometimes no chord chart, just a lead
sheet, etc. He works with Bobby Rydell and Frankie Avalon when they gig in
the NJ Casinos. MONSTER player. Can play from a lead sheet w/o chords. Uses
lush substitute chords that fit with the tune lead and knocks us all out.

Same with Ace who backed Billie Holiday, recorded with Clifford Brown,
Chubby Checker and Mel Torme, Gigged with Lester Young, Buddy Rich, Max
Roach, Kai Winding, Ben Webster etc., etc.., etc., plus numerous
Dixelanders, Muggsy Spanier et al.  MONSTER player

Both also gigged extensively with Howard Lanin bands when Lanin had the
Society work in Philadelphia sewed up. As Howard used to say. "Boys, if you
want to work for me you got to know the tunes." He was a lousy player, but
could hear every mistake the sidemen made. So you learned "the tunes". He
had lead sheets/chord charts for more than 1500 "tunes". In that business in
Philadelphia, you had to be able to play whatever they wanted for the rich
and demanding, since they paid well for it. Lanin paid the sidemen well and
so they all went after those gigs between jazz gigs in order to eat. And he
loved to hire "Jazz Musicians" because they could shift from Dance to
Dixieland and back effortlessly.

So Ace and Sonny, beside being swinging jazz musicians with impeccable time,
know every tune you might want to play. I never counted, but I think they
must know 2500 tunes. Rodgers, McHugh, Berlin, Jobim, Schwartz, Mancini,
Arlen, Lerner-Lowe, Cahn, Bacharach, Van Heusen, Porter, Kern,  et al., all
the show tunes etc.

I think the pros on the list know what I mean about these kinds of musos.

So we can play any kind of gig we chose, as a trio or up to 7 piece. Except
R & R, Acid or Free Jazz, etc. Of our gigs, about 120 are six piece
Dixieland. The remainder are from trio to quintet. Mostly Dixieland, but all
the trio stuff is straight ahead. Since the guitar can play almost anything,
we amaze clients with our ability to play requests, even on trio gigs where
I don't know the tune. Sonny plays the lead line after a quick verbal run
through the chords and feeds me the chord verbally and I noodle around the
melody. Did Begin the Beguine that way recently and I had not played the
tune in 45 years. Sonny knew the laborious routine cold and I just followed
along. Requester loved it.

Better than being in a home somewhere. Yep, this is an easy job when you are
70 with 50 years of playing steadily, behind you like Ace & Sonny, as long
as someone markets the band properly. That's where I come in. ;-) VBG

Since we average 70 years old, we limit the gigs we take, playing the
highest payers, for the people we like, all locally. Very few overnights.

What amazes Ace & Sonny is that we are getting Dixieland gigs with a lot of
the "Society" crowd that Lanin once had as dance gigs. Ace cracks me up when
he says. "Boys, we are replacing Howard Lanin" in the Lanin accent. Those
rich folks? They say, "Hey fellows, you got the beat." and they dance to
Dixieland. Must be in their genes.

Like Davern says, there is no substitute for "a million hours of practice".
That and a versatile rhythm section. Not too many of them around.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone