SOUTHERN JAZZ GUITAR SOCIETY

Dedicated to foster the Art and Craft of the Jazz Guitar

FEBRUARY, 2013 NEWSLETTER

EDITOR : John Clarke, 18, Warbleton Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG24 8RF

Tel: 01256 357521

Email: jclarke1308@hotmail.com

Website: www.southjazzguitar.org

Editorial

Welcome to the first issue of the SJGS Newsletter in 2013.

This issue begins with a summary of some changes we agreed at the January AGM. There is an update to the diary, and as an introduction to our February guest artist, Louis Stewart, I have written a review of his 2004 CD, ‘Core Business’.

In the Members’ Appendices you will find the AGM Minutes and an article from Simon Newton about harmonising chords in 4ths instead of the usual 3rds. I wrote an article for this newsletter some years ago explaining how chords are built up from scale intervals (both 3rds and 4ths) which you may find a helpful support to Simon’s piece here. Please email me if you would like a copy.

SJGS Annual General Meeting, 29/1/13

Thanks to all of you who turned-up for our January meeting and AGM. There was some very positive discussion and we agreed some significant changes to the operation of the SJGS as a result.

Marian Cole kindly took some detailed minutes and these appear in full in Appendix 1. The key items are as follows:

1. The annual membership fee will rise in June from £25 to £30. This covers the room hire and is also to ensure we have enough in reserve to fund any shortfall arising due to an overspend on guest nights.

2. Admission charges for guest nights will rise to typically £12 for Members and £15 for Non-Members, but may be lower if our costs are lower.

3. As we now have a number of members who play bass guitar we will reduce the number of occasions when we hire an external bass player.

4. There will be a rota of member bass players to provide backing at club night sessions, including those for beginners.

5. We will also make greater use of backing track facilities at club nights.

6. We will aim to make playing at club nights a bit more structured e.g. just one or two guitarists plus a bass player or backing track at a time. It is crucial when playing jazz in a group to listen to each other and this is impossible when everyone is playing at once. A member will volunteer to run each session.

7. Occasional talks and workshops conducted by members at club nights will be encouraged. Let’s have some volunteers!

8. The Summer Concert this year will be held at the United Reform Church in Romsey. This has lovely acoustics and it is hoped that holding it there on a busy Saturday afternoon will encourage a wider audience, including some who may want to just drop-in for a while

Diary

Tuesday, 26th February, 2013, Guest Night with Louis Stewart

Louis is not only one of the most highly rated jazz guitarist this side of the pond, he is truly world renowned. Check out YouTube and Spotify for many excellent videos and recordings of Louis.

See the previous issue of SJGS News for more details. This is going to be a really special evening and I hope you will all plan to be there and bring along some guests.

Louis will be playing solo, and also with the excellent Hampshire based pro guitarist, Mick Hanson, who has helped us organise this event. Joe Limburn, the outstanding double bassist who played for us at the SJGS Christmas concert, will also join Louis and Mick on many of their numbers.

I am sure Louis will bring along some CDs to sell at the event. To whet your appetite, see a review below of Louis’ CD ‘Core Business’ which I have recently acquired.

Admission charges for this event will be £12 for SJGS members and members of other jazz guitar societies, and £15 for others.

Club Nights – last Tuesday of the month unless it is a guest night

These club nights, possibly with some kind of workshops, are mainly for playing and are intended for all levels of ability. This includes ‘Beginners’, whose special session starts the evening off. Bring your instruments and join in, but not all at once! Let’s aim mainly for one or two guitarists at a time plus bass and/or backing track.

A rota of members who play bass guitar has been arranged for the Club Nights, as follows:

March - Simon Newton

April – Graeme Lewis

June – Summer Concert rehearsal, Richard Thompson and Jon Wilks (subject to us not hiring a session player)

October – Jon Wilks

November – Christmas Concert rehearsal Simon Newton and Richard Thompson (also subject to us not hiring a session player).

We anticipate having a guest on one of the other months, probably September. Many are away in July and August so it may be a case of whoever can make those evenings and bring their bass and/or guitar.

Even when we have a designated bass player anyone else who would like to bring along a bass to the evening is welcome to do so.

Tuesday 28th May – Peter Oxley – Nicholas Meier Duo

Thanks to Simon for booking this duo. Peter has been a guest of ours before, performing with the Argentinean guitarist Luis D’Agostino.

He is a fine musician and guitarist and you can expect an unusual and musical evening. Peter has provided a CD of this duo’s latest offering ‘Travels To The West’ and this has been put in

the SJGS Library for you to borrow if you would like a preview of this event.

London based Swiss guitarist Nicolas Meier is one of the rising stars of a vibrant British jazz scene, his trademark sound, as heard on his Naim albums is a mixture of Metheny-esque jazz and spicy Turkish and world music rhythms.

See previous newsletter for more details, plus web links as follows:-

http://www.meiergroup.com/meiergroup/index.html

http://www.peteoxley.com/

Readers’ Letters

I don’t have any specific communications to publish this time, but after the AGM there were a number of emails circulating which appear to indicate that some clarification may be needed regarding the scope of the ‘Beginners’ and ‘Intermediates’ sessions at club nights.

My understanding is that the Beginners sessions are intended for Beginners new to playing jazz on the guitar (or those who regard themselves as such), with one or two ‘Intermediates’ (members who have been playing jazz guitar to at least a good amateur standard for some time) there in a mentoring capacity.

The Intermediates session follows during the remainder of club nights, but is intended to be open to all. As I observed at the AGM, it has often seemed to me that a number of the Beginner's go home when their session finishes. They may have reasons to do this, of course, but I hope it is not because they think the Intermediates session is not for them. That is certainly not the case – all are welcome to participate.

I feel the Intermediates session should be mainly about playing solo or in duos, with those not playing providing an audience. Unlike concerts, though, these performances should be informal, with the opportunity to ask questions about what was played, develop arrangements, and generally provide a 'show and tell' means of learning for all Members there. Performers should not worry about making mistakes,

starting a tune over, etc. Think of it as a rehearsal opportunity.

It does need someone to manage the Intermediates sessions though otherwise we get the unproductive chaos of everyone playing at once, or not at all!

The Intermediates session would also be improved by the addition of a bass player and/or backing tracks and we agreed we would arrange this.

2013 Summer Concert

I thought you would like to see the letter Simon Newton has written to the Rev. Terry Hinks regarding the proposal to hold our Summer Concert in his Romsey United Reform Church.

Dear Terry

SOUTHERN JAZZ GUITAR SOCIETY CONCERT

Back in April 2006 you kindly allowed the SJGS to use the URC for a jazz concert in memory of one of our longest serving members, Peter Finch, who died at the end of 2005.

The concert was a great success and we raised £100 for the Musicians’ Benevolent Fund and around £125 for the URC building fund.

We presently hold our Summer Concerts in July of each year in the Abbey Hotel garden if the weather is bright, but due to the continuing year-on-year unreliability of our summer weather thought that for 2013 we would change to an alternative inside venue.

I was wondering if you would allow us to use the church on the afternoon of Saturday 6th July for our 2013 Summer Concert and if so, whether you would be happy with a donation to the church funds from our proceeds as before. Our aim would be to charge a small entry fee which would possibly include a glass of wine/ soft drink/cup of tea in the interval. We would also arrange for a retiring collection in order to raise further funds for the church and for our named charity (usually the British Heart Foundation).

I look forward to hearing from you. Perhaps you could reply to my email address above if that’s okay.

Kind regards

Simon Newton SJGS Committee

And here is his reply:-

Dear Simon,

Thank you for your letter re possible concert at URC. We would be delighted to host another concert by your group on afternoon of 6 July (and would welcome any donation you could give for the work of the church).

Your suggestions including possible refreshments sound fine to me. Let me know as details come together - and we will be happy to put up any publicity you have nearer the time. I am copying to our church officer to double check date is clear.

Best wishes

Terry

If we can start allocating duties and organising things as soon as possible, Simon will let Terry have some further details. We will need volunteers as usual for:-

- publicity- programme

- door

- refreshments

- etc.

and performers, of course.

Simon has agreed to act as first point of contact on this.

Review - Peter Bernstein at Ronnie Scotts – 9 and 10 January, 2013

I mentioned in the last issue that Peter Bernstein is one of the most highly rated of contemporary jazz guitarists and played at Ronnie Scotts last

month. He was playing with organist Larry Goldings and drummer Bill Stewart and it was the most enjoyable and memorable evening of jazz I have experienced in years.

The club was packed out, not just with guitarists, I suspected, but also with many drummers who had come to enjoy Bill Stewart’s playing. Bill gets my vote as the most musical and empathetic drummer playing in this type of jazz group.

I didn’t take notes as to all the tunes they played so instead of a personal review, here is a slightly edited version of John Fordham’s review in ‘The Guardian’ which pretty much echoes my sentiments.

“Hammond-organ jazz trios aren't supposed to sound tasteful – the default adjectives for this popular 1950s-minted line-up are soulful, sermonising, sweaty, and maybe sexy. But though Boston organist Larry Goldings's trio plays in a more restrained manner than those of such famous predecessors as Jimmy Smith, this widely admired soloist, composer and accompanist plays a subtler kind of Hammond jazz for a more eclectic musical era.

Goldings is partnered by guitarist Peter Bernstein and drummer Bill Stewart – the latter an implacably focused performer who mixes stretches of steady groove-marking with jostling snare-fills and gunshot off-beats that can make you spill your drink.

The trio opened its second night at Ronnie Scott's with ‘Jim Jam’ (Goldings' lithe, melody-entwining swinger dedicated to guitar legend Jim Hall) and followed it with ‘Time of the Season’ by the Zombies' Rod Argent, which began as a glistening, delicate rumination for the organ's treble alone, before a choppy mid-tempo riff brought the rest of the band in, to loud cheers.

Goldings' melodic imagination is easy to miss, because he often delivers his most unexpected departures at a murmur, but his left-hand inventions below a quiet upper-register trill complimented Argent's song, and emphasised how personal his style is.

‘Luiza’ (EDITOR – my own favourite from the evening), is one of Antônio Carlos Jobim’s lesser known songs, but is no less of a

masterpiece because of that fact, the gorgeous melody being tenderly unwrapped by Bernstein on guitar.

The standard Will You Still Be Mine took off over a flying bassline from Goldings. The classic, Wurlitzer-like roar of a Hammond fully unleashed was reserved for the close of a lazily stalking blues that Bernstein dominated with sparing power, and Stewart kept on the boil with venomous inventiveness”

It took me a while to track down a chart for Luiza (it’s not in any of the ‘Real Books’) but it’s now sat on my music stand and challenging my reading skills! You can hear Peter Bernstein play it on the recording ‘Stranger In Paradise’ which he did with the Brad Mehldau Trio.

CD Review – Louis Stewart’s ‘Core Business’

This CD features Louis Stewart, guitar, with Egil Kapstad, piano, Terje Venaas, bass and Eyvind Olsen, drums and was recorded in 2004.

It’s a classic example of beautifully played small group modern jazz and I can see why Louis picked this Norwegian trio to record with. Kapstad at times sounds more ‘Bill Evans’ than Bill Evans and the support from Venaas and Olsen is inventive and tasteful, as well as being exceptionally well recorded.

Louis’ tone is gorgeous and as perfect an example of the jazz guitar sound we all strive for as I can think of.

The album is mainly comprised of some well known standards and begins with a lively version of ‘I Should Care’. Next up is John Coltrane’s ‘Equinox’ which provides a great minor blues vehicle for all involved.

The first time I heard the next track I was stumped as to its title, even though the song was familiar. Louis plays it very slow – it’s usually more up – but it works well. Written way back in 1925 it’s the Rogers and Hart song ‘Manhattan’. I had to learn it to appreciate what an unusual and subtle melody it is and can recommend many of you to do the same.

Next up is a Gigi Gryce original called ‘Minority’ – quite a difficult tune but Louis eats it up at a fast and satisfying tempo.

The trio complement Louis’ playing beautifully at all times and the music continues with the standards ‘For All We Know’, ‘Everything Happens To Me’, ‘Gone With The Wind’, and ‘How Deep Is The Ocean’ before concluding with a guitar/piano duet on a medley of ‘I Can't Get Started’ and ‘You've Changed’. A review I found on the web concludes thus:

“So, this is not a disc to wave at your friends (or enemies) as the future of jazz. But as the cold winter nights rapidly approach, it's one you'll return to again and again as you kick off your slippers, put your feet up, and grab a favourite tipple. The only warning I'd give is that once you've listened two or three times you'll be wanting to hunt down Stewart's other discs”.

I can agree with this and, as they are hard to find, let’s hope he brings a few copies over from Ireland when he visits us at the end of this month. Classic small group modern jazz that many would say had it’s heyday in the 60’s, so it’s great to know it’s still alive and well!

- John Clarke

Website Developments

I hope you will all agree that the website is looking great now, thanks to the sterling efforts of Tony Ormston.

One of the developments being discussed with Tony is to create a section containing some of the technical articles and workshop material that Simon Newton, Marc Tuddenham, I, and others have prepared for workshops and newsletter articles in the past. These would be available for downloading by those who may have missed them first time round.

Tony is also looking into the feasibility of having a section containing video clips of Members’ concert performances subject, of course, to their approval.

I am sure Tony would welcome further suggestions for developments to the website.

- John Clarke

For Sale

It was suggested at the AGM that we should include a ‘For Sale’ section in this newsletter.

Let me kick things off with the following.

I have a Japanese made genuine Fender Precision (not Squier) bass guitar for sale in as new condition (although it probably needs a new set of strings). £350

If you are interested, please call or email me at the address on this newsletter heading.

- John Clarke