[Dixielandjazz] Guitar players - Was Rock & Roll

[Stephen G Barbone]

On May 8, 2012, at 3:00 PM, dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com  
wrote:

> Rickey Z (Rick Jolley) wrote disagreeing with Kent: <polite snip>
>
> I taught guitar for twenty or thirty years.  (Back when most of you  
> were
> puppies.)  I taught youngsters
> to read, both chords and notes.

I'm with you Rick. Our guitar player, Sonny Troy, is an accomplished  
reader of both chords and lead sheets with no chord notations. For  
years he was the guitar player in a trio on the Mike Douglas TV Show.  
Five days a week, different singers guested and at least half of them  
never brought guitar chord noted music. He would simply read the lear  
sheet, or the piano music and back them perfectly. No time to  
rehearse, he just got out there and did it.

As for Rock guitarists, IMO some of them are incredible musicians. For  
example here's a guy who is ranked about 25th among Rock guitarists by  
Rolling Stone.

CAVEAT: NOT OKOM, but Very Expressive.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mE2aIUnevI&feature=related

or if you liked that, hear him with Steve Vai and Eric Johnson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDbGpgJMK_s&feature=related

Perhaps the reason many guitarists flock to Rock is because that's  
where the money is.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband