Jimmy Bruno is one of the premier, living, Jazz guitarists of our time. His playing style is immediately recognizable. He has a signature guitar built by luthier Roger Sadowsky you can buy. He’s the boss man. He’s a top teacher. You can now study Jazz guitar with him online at the Jimmy Bruno Guitar Workshop.
I have always purchased new guitars. Any dings or scratches or gouges — and they’re an unfortunate, but inevitable mark of playing a living thing — were proudly and embarrassingly put there by me. When I became interested in expanding my guitar playing repertoire from Blues to Jazz, I realized my talent was challenged in the change and that I was chasing a whole new sound I was failing to properly pin down. I happened to find Joe Vinikow and Archtop.com and my life as a man and musician have been forever changed.
Archtop.com is one of those Holy Grail places you read about in ancient myths — except that place of beauty and aesthetic conception is alive, and its manna is available for purchase! Archtop.com is an enterprise dedicated to buying and selling only Archtop guitars. There is no greater landing place on the internet than Archtop.com if you want to get a fantastic Jazz guitar at an incredibly reasonable price.
I instantly fell for this beautiful 1998, blonde, Gibson Custom L5 CES and contacted Joe and it was mine without moments!
Continue reading → The 1998 Gibson Custom L5 CES and Archtop.com Review
A new George Harrison album dropped last week called “Early Takes, Volume 1” and, for the first time, you can hear the demo versions of some great Harrison songs. “My Sweet Lord” is clean and clear and vibrant. “All Things Must Pass” still has the genuine sting of reality and acceptance that came to define the ultimate end of his life.
The year was 1987, and I was sitting in the cafeteria of a hospital in Princeton having a snack while waiting for my mother to come down and tell me if there had been any update with the family member I had been visiting. Hospitals seemed to be a dark and gloomy place for me and I had a companion with me that brought me a bit of cheer in the form of a Walkman and a copy of the 1986 album Licensed to Ill on cassette. I loved looking at the cover of the tape and thinking about the circumstances that would cause a plane to crumple like that. I must have listened to that album half a dozen times when I was sitting in that hospital. Now I am sad to have learned that one of the founding members of The Beastie Boys, Adam Yauch (known as MCA), passed away on Friday at the age of 47, possibly related to the cancer he was treating since 2009.
I am crazy wild about Warren Haynes. He’s a SuperGenius guitarist and composer and performer and he’s one of the greatest guys in the world. How do I know the character of the man? I follow his career. I watch his interviews. You can’t hide from his goodness. Mean people try to mask who they really are and they are never successful. Good people are open and welcoming and unpretentious. Warren Haynes is one of the good guys. Warren has a new Blues album that dropped this week — Warren Haynes Band Live at the Moody Theatre — and it is a rip-your-throat-out Blues album that is packed with a ferocious, and pleasing, energy.
Continue reading → The Blues Album that Roared: Warren Haynes Band Live at the Moody Theatre
You must be logged in to post a comment.