Re: Western Swing Aiding My Jazz

Date: 05 Jul 2003 16:49:55 GMT
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.jazz
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email-address-deleted (Henry Moon) wrote in
news:email-address-deleted:
> I got inspired to sit down and pick some old western swing tunes. I
> enjoyed slowly playing San Antonio Rose. All of the sudden I was
> playing out of my visual boxes and letting my ear do the leading
> instead of my eyes. (A problem that I've struggled with for a long
> time)
> I actually swanged! The lines were really good.
> So here is what I think:
> We know that western swing lends itself to plain or jazzy playing. But
> I think that it is the 'folksy' non-pretensious nature of this music
> that made me feel like I didn't have to live up to the Jazz Gods
> watching from on high. It's probably just my problem, but when I play
> a Miles tune, for example, I feel the pressure to live up to something
> or another.
> Western swing demands nothing but a smile. So it kinda set me free.
> This make be helpful only to me but you might try playing a western
> swing tune if you know one...and see what happens. Great practice
> cause there are loaded with 2/5/1 all over the place and you can stay
> in or take it out as far as you want.
> Henry (In Texas of course)
>
Henry, I would argue that Western Swing IS jazz, it's just played with a
sllightly different mix of instruments. Fiddle, mandolin, and steel guitar
aren't classical jazz instruments, but they can certainly play jazz. Check
the Bob Wills Tiffany Transcription series - many traditional jazz tunes,
like A Train, etc, and when Tiny, Eldon, Herbie, and Joe Holley play them,
to me it's jazz. And it's possible to improvise on the Wills tunes just as
easily as on Parker tunes. Down here in the Great State, Wills tunes get
called all the time at jams, jazz or other, at least the ones I've been to.
--
Regards,
Stan