GregN

whew!!!

Dry "humor", it's an Alfredson trait.

FYI, Theo is actually the father of the "Fist Of Doom" & Jim Alfredson. ← By the way, pops, I heard that guitar! Sounds incredible. How 'bout I just wash your car?

Three guitarists???? Damn, I like the sound of that!

Yeah Jim! Move yo ass - not just yo hand. ← Move...yo....ass.... cuz I can't see.. Now I got those lyrics coupled with that melody in my head. Thanks Joe! lol

I thought Paris's best friend was Lionel Richie's daughter? Or are they splitville these days? Anyhow, what bigotry has the dumb bunny engaged in? Whatever it is, I probably wont be surprised. She doesn't strike me as the sharpest tool in the shed. Still wondering how Mayer and Sco did together... How old is Mayer anyway? Isn't he like in his early twenties? Not that it matters. Just seems like a lot going on for a young cat.

I actually have the whole thing transcribed for guitar with standard notation and tab. PM me if you'd like a copy. greg

We share many influences. However, I would like to add Willie Weeks to the equation.

I play guitar professionally and have recorded bass on some project recordings. For me it started with Jamerson, then Dunn, then Willie Weeks, then Chuck Rainey, and now I am investigating Chambers and Mingus. The cool thing about this, is that it has improved some elements of my guitar soloing. I have the most respect for any solid bass player!

Now if that were only the lyrics! Jim, actually does a great Richard Marx impersonation as well. Don't let his Marx bashing misled you. Simply add mullet hit him with a shrink ray and presto!

I know, but from the praise lavished upon this guy from some people, you'd think he had something really special to offer. ← The music biz is 99% hype. Once I realized that, it got much easier and enjoyable to listen to records. I don't worry about what everyone is saying, I listen and make judgements based on its merits or lack thereof. For instance, you mentioned Amos Lee. I saw him on the Early Show last week while watching my baby daughter. I wasn't expecting much. Then when the band kicked in, I thought "Ok, this is kinda neat." Then he started singing and his voice was not what I was expecting. I was nicely surprised. Then the song didn't go anywhere and I flipped the channel! I had no idea he's recording for BlueNote. And it would be safe to assume he's getting a lot of hype, since he's on the Early Show, but so what? Concerning John Mayer, I didn't think much of him until I saw him on that Crossroads festival movie. He can play! I'm not thrilled with his voice either, but he can play guitar. Can he play jazz? Does it matter? ← I heard a recording of him singing at 16, and he sounded like Richard Marx. Whether you like that sort of thing or not, one has to admit that Marx has vocal chops. Moreover, Mayer has vocal ability that far surpasses Matthews yet he seems to be going for the Matthews demographic. I don't blame him. Will be interesting to see what he does in the future though. As far as Mayer's playing goes, his blues playing is actually a small part of his style. He is a very creative pop stylist with his voicings and technique. Hip without being too contrived. With all that said, I believe that if Mayer decides he wants to play jazz, he will. He is young and has a great sense of harmony already.

I will check out Damien. Even though I am over 40, I do want to keep my mind open to new stuff. Many thanks for the suggestion. Greg

Daughters is a sticky sweet song about loving one's kids. Much better than most of the crap on the radio today. Also, it has some creative use of words, melody, vocal technique, and sounds that your boy Jack Johnson isn't even close to coppin'. You almost had me considering your point of view until you mentioned Jack Johnson. From what I've heard, the guy can hardly sing, play, or wear shoes. And the few tunes of his I have heard have been laughable on all grounds. However, point me to a few of your favorites and I will give them a reconsideration. (just don't make it Bubble Toes) I actually kind of like being proven wrong about artists. Sometimes we let our own prejudices, musical bigotry and myopia skew our perception of musical happenings. I want to be fair. g

Yeah, well: "Hancock, the ten-time Grammy Award winner, is also slated to release a collaborations album, Possibilities, on Aug. 20, featuring appearances from a slew of well-known musicians, among them—Mayer, Carlos Santana, Sting, Paul Simon, Trey Anastasio, Annie Lenox and Damien Rice" (And by the way, even Mayer himself wasn't happy with "Daughters" being a single because he thought it was subpar in some way...) ← "(And by the way, even Mayer himself wasn't happy with "Daughters" being a single because he thought it was subpar in some way...)" That doesn't surprise me. Of course, that is a relative term isn't it? First off, the "subpar" comment, was likely in the context of it winning a music award. I think it was a Grammy. It is a very fine song. Not a great song. If he thinks some of his others are better or even more worthy of an award, well then, yes, daughters would appear to him as subpar. This really negates not a thing about my previous comments, if that were you intention. Downplaying an award in just such a way is actually quite an industry cliche'. Regarding Mayer's appearance on a Herbie Record. Herbie likely needs the money. Just kiddin'. But seriously, Herbie has been a great cross-over artist before. Something most jazz musicians lack. I have to imagine that he must respect most if not all of the lineup as he is pretty well set and a very serious musician/artist. Regardless, The whole lineup suggests some pretty good record sales. I wont begrudge Herbie a little extra bread. The man deserves it. I saw Herbie in Ann Arbor about ten years ago and to this day it remains my musical event. I saw part of a John Mayer concert on DVD the other day, and was quite impressed. Maybe Herbie saw the same thing. g

I was not a fan of Mayer's for a long time. My wife kept prodding me to listen closely to his Heavier Things. I got to tell ya, he won me over with his craftsmanship. Not sure what you mean about "in-crowd", but I will tell you he is heads above any American Idol. I will stake my own musical reputation on that one. In fact, I've heard comparisons drawn to James Taylor. Moreover, I don't believe this was a jazz fest in general. Was it? I might concede the lineup was awkward though. "He seems to try way to hard to be cool and to be liked by girls" Well, you say that like it's a bad thing. Just kiddin'. Seriously, I can agree with you that sometimes the way an act gets marketed can be annoying. I am not sure how much of this is him, and how much of it is grooming. I have heard earlier radio interviews (when living in Charlottesville) of a very modest and actually insecure artist named John Mayer. Someone probably told him not to do that, and the opposite image was cultivated, but who knows. He is a very talented young man with a lot of people probably filling his head with all sorts of stuff. As far as his songwriting goes: Well, Daughters moved me when I listened closely, with headphones, and followed the lyrics. On the Heavier Things CD I heard a ton of very creative guitar parts and voicings, melodic intervals, word sounds, and harmonies. His vocal quality suffers a lot on radio with the over-compression so typical of radio stations. Again, with high quality headphones and my CD player, I heard something more than before. I guess, what I am trying to say is, I kind of felt the way you do now, until someone prodded me toward a more deliberate consideration. I would never go so far as to try to tell someone what they ought to like. However, I am glad someone talked me in to a reconsideration. Greg P.S. I also like the group XTC. There, I said it! whew!!

Are you generally not a fan of John Mayer? The reason I am asking this is, well, the live footage I have seen of him has been actually quite impressive. He is a very talented songwriter, singer, and musician by most accounts. But, I've met some folks who just can't stand his voice. Was he trying to play jazz? Guess I am not sure of your criticism here. Maybe he had an off day. g

Jimmy pretty much ignores my organ jokes. So, I am slowly getting the idea. With regards to the Playboy fest, with all that eye candy around, I would have a hard time playing for sure. It would also be the antithesis of where I played this weekend.

Usually, I show restraint... But, come on, it was at the Playboy Fest! If ever a bad and tasteless joke were in order...

"Joey DeFrancesco at Playboy Festival, Joey jammin' on his organ" I want to have fun with that line, but that would be wrong... But seriously, that would be a great time. The.. seeing of the musicians of whom you spoke, thing.. uh...

Syncopation, stop time, messin' up???? arar

And drinks! ← Oh geez, I can see it now, Joe is gonna buy the whole bar a round "on me". "No really, Greg, 200 people from the board showed up, it was amazing..." Damn, I am screwed. Oh by the way, is this gonna be a CD release party??????

Doncha hafta be there to make good on all the promised drinks? Best of luck with the new addition. ← Greg N made the promise.... But if Greg K wants to step in and make good.. I just found out I will be playing in Kzoo that night. Darn it. ← She went ahead and booked that date anyhow, eh? ← Yeah... well, I've got people comin down to see ya. And if Chuck's daughter does make it, please buy her a drink on me. I'll settle up with you later. I am bummed. The only weekend we had off all season, practically. Oh well, more money for CDs and guitars.

I should have known you'd have an escape hatch! ← No, no, no, I'll make good. Jim will buy on my behalf and I'll settle up later. I specifically asked for that weekend off... but... well, Jim can tell ya.

Doncha hafta be there to make good on all the promised drinks? Best of luck with the new addition. ← Greg N made the promise.... But if Greg K wants to step in and make good.. I just found out I will be playing in Kzoo that night. Darn it.

Yeah, but this is a live show... But I get what your saying, maybe announce here and pin over there?