Country Jazz/Swing Suggestions

[jmalever]

Hello all,

Please suggest some country jazz (or at least jazz inflected) recordings that are presently available. For example, I love Jimmie Rivers, Jimmy Bryant, Leon Rhodes (if I could find any of his recordings), some Gatton, some Volkaert, Roy Nichols, etc. I'm sure there are plenty of people who have done this sort of thing, so fire away with your favorites. Thanks.

Jonas

[trag-o-caster]

Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys "The Tiffany Transcriptions" is a must have.

There's a boxed set of various artists from the 40's and 50's titled "Hillbilly Boogie" that is cheap, and excellent.

Jimmie River's and the Cherokees is another must have - except I don't have it yet.

And, for some more modern stuff, try out Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys, who lean towards being more authentic, or try Jim Campilongo's Ten Gallon Cats albums for some wacky modern twists of the form.

There's a lot of great stuff out there. You just gotta get out there and hunt it all down.

[Leon Grizzard]

Always start with the source - Bob Wills. Also, Tom Morell and the Time Warp Tophands series - How the West was Swung.

[maestrovert]

i love:
Asleep at the Wheel
Merle Travis
Chet Atkins

[morroben]

Can't go wrong with Jim Campilongo!

[mudshark]

Hank Garland
Hank Penny
Spade Cooley
Texas Jim Lewis and His Lone Star Cowboys
Pee Wee King
Moon Mullican
...and especially Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys

[20texas20]

I agree. All the above are great. +1 for Hank Garland and Bob Wills. Also there is a session: Joe Pass and Roy Clark Play Hank Williams that is really cool.

[ruger9]

You gotta' check out Wayne Hancock. Sort of like Hank Williams meets Bob Wills. His guitar players are FANTASTIC, the songs are great.

[Hucklebilly]

Originally Posted by ruger9

You gotta' check out Wayne Hancock. Sort of like Hank Williams meets Bob Wills. His guitar players are FANTASTIC, the songs are great.

+1!

I've been learning the guitar licks to "Gonna Be Flyin' Tonight" with the Amazing Slow Downer. It's the perfect Country Swing tutorial.

[fabiomayo]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0ZtD7qzsAyE

I like this!

[Chris S.]

The man, the legend: ELDON SHAMBLIN

If you don't know Eldon Shamblin, you don't know cow patties about Western Swing guitar. ;-)

Here's a GP featurette:

http://www.guitarplayer.com/story.asp?storycode=13966

And here's a GREAT double album to hear him on – it'll cost ya all of $9, but believe me, it's worth its weight in gold:



http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/...+Last+Time.htm

This was the last album Bob Wills recorded before he died, so it's "historically" important. But the other reason it's so important to guitar players is because it was recorded in the "modern" era, you can actually HEAR what Eldon is playing!!!. I learned more about Western Swing from taking lines and licks off this album than any other single source I can name.

Now, if you want "hot" 'single-line' guys, you'll want to listen to people like Leon Rhodes, Hank Garland, Grady Martin, etc, etc., etc. AND THEY'RE ALL INCREDIBLE! I mean jaw-dropping, astounding players! =:-O Simply mind-boggling. You'll need the Amazing Slow Downer or something similar to even BEGIN learning their licks. Seriously.

But even though he's not usually thought of as a "hot" guitar player, I will always have a special place in my heart for Eldon Shamblin. He was a musical genius who INVENTED a whole new style of guitar playing that falls right in between jazz and country. They oughta put up a statue of him in Tulsa, IMO.

"Bob Wills is still the king" is true. :-) But Eldon WAS and forever will be the King of Western Swing GUITAR. :-)

All IMO, as always. :-) Enjoy! :-) CS

[Chris S.]

Originally Posted by fabiomayo

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0ZtD7qzsAyE

I like this!

Me, too! And that's our own Andy R. playing those ultra-hip, ultra-COOL HOT guitar licks! Hee.

If you're EVER in Nashville on a Monday night, seeing The Time Jumpers at the Station Inn is NOT an option: it's a mandatory.

All IMO, of course. But WAY TO GO, ANDY! CS :-)

[OutlawSteph1975]

Chris, you are a wealth of information about classic country! Your twang factor, and hip factor, are very high.

I just printed the Eldon Shamblin article. I've been exploring western swing and Bob Wills recently too. There is probably a higher learning curve for country picker than there would be for jazz cats, but it's worth the time and effort!

In the instructional book, The Roots of Country Guitar, you'll find a lesson for Twin Guitar Special by Eldon.

http://elderly.com/books/items/49-699079.htm

I have the two cd Bob Wills anthology that Rhino put out, but have they put the whole Tiffany Transcriptions on cd? I'd like to hear those!

Also, Jonas, check out Sundazed Records. http://www.sundazed.com/ They put out a 3-cd anthology of Jimmy Bryant's work which is amazing. I can't put it down. Jimmy's Stratosphere Boogie is in this book..

http://elderly.com/books/items/49-695580.htm

[Chris S.]

Originally Posted by OutlawSteph1975

Chris, you are a wealth of information about classic country! Your twang factor, and hip factor, are very high.

Hey, as I'm fond of saying, "Flattery will get you everywhere." Hee.

The truth is, I've just been lucky enough to meet and get to play with some amazing people, people who were kind and generous enough to share some of what THEY knew. I've been one very lucky plucker, and I'm just grateful for the tidbits I've been able to pick up over the years. But thanks for your kind words. :-) CS

[Leon Grizzard]

The problem sometimes is finding recordings with a lot of guitar featured. Like Chris says, it's hard to hear Eldon Shamblin's rhythm playing on the classic Bob Wills recordings, and on Bob Wills records in general, and in older Country in general, there are not many hot guitar leads. The playing of guys like Grady Martin and Hank Garland are all over classic recordings, but seldom cut loose. There is a Hank Garland CD available called Hank Garland and the Sugar Footers, which I have, but my recollection is there is not a lot of hot picking. His jazz record, Jazz Winds From a New Direction is just that, blistering jazz.

So does anyone have any concrete suggestions, ie names of CD's?

I think you hear some pretty good guitar on Hank Williams' Greatest Hits, including some Hank Garland I believe. There is some great Howard Bradley playing on Johnny Bush's Greatest Hits, which also has, in my mind, the definative versions of Whisky River and There Stands the Glass. And for Grady Martin, Marty Robbins' Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs; "Spanish" flavored, as we say, but still jazzy, and incredibly hot.

Where else?

[klasaine]

There's a decent amount of "take off, lead guitar" on this Will's compilation ...
"The Essential Bob Wills - '35 - '47" - Columbia Country Classics. CK 48958
Another of my faves is Jimmy Bryant - "country cabin jazz" - Capitol originally but my vinyl copy says 'west' Germany on the "HAT" / stetson label.

Junior Brown is a good one for easy to find contemporary examples.

[Leon Grizzard]

Yeah, Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West.

[bendingtens]

Originally Posted by Chris S.

And here's a GREAT double album to hear him on – it'll cost ya all of $9, but believe me, it's worth its weight in gold:

I'm downloading it right now on Itunes. Can't wait to hear it.

[olewichita]

all of it country jazz or bordering on swing or straight jazz... some CDs are available... roy lanham is the most advanced chord melody player i've ever heard... george barnes was his hero... tj

[Tim Bowen]

I'm still chipping away at my Bob Wills and Hank Williams box sets... I could probably spend the rest of my lifetime immersing myself in those. Whenever I'm working a new western swing arrangement and run out of ideas, I'll dink with a few of those tunes, and it will usually jumpstart me.

For a more raw and visceral spin on the subject, don't overlook Roy Buchanan's reading of "Hey Good Lookin' ". As a guy that was raised on rock and blues early on, this was the recording that opened up my ears to the sound, and sent me digging back to earlier stuff.

Originally Posted by ruger9

You gotta' check out Wayne Hancock. Sort of like Hank Williams meets Bob Wills. His guitar players are FANTASTIC, the songs are great.

Yeah, I'm a recent convert. Split a bill with his band recently, and those guys were great, just great. Acoustic guitar and vocals, doghouse bass, guy playing a Tele, and no drums required! I met the Tele guy and he asked about my Vibroverb RI amp, but I really suck at remembering names anymore... anyway, I really dug his style. He was tossing out diminished and augmented passing tone sounds (with exceptional taste) like crazy, and he'd obviously mastered all the Scotty Moore, Cliff Gallup, and Paul Burlison stuff as well.

[jmalever]

Thanks for the replies. I'm very familiar with all the suggested players. I appreciate the link for the Wills record as I love Shamblin's playing, but, as mentioned, can't hear enough of it on old records. I really like some of the film footage of his playing. Junior Barnard's, too. Ultimately, I prefer smaller combos like Jimmie Rivers', Jimmy Bryant's, Roy Lanham's, Hank Garland's, etc. I really wish some of the Leon Rhodes stuff was still in print. Youtube has a couple of very cool videos at the moment featuring Rhodes. @Chris S: You are luckier than you might realize. I just moved from MD to Kansas and there is nothing here that's even close to Chick Hall and company. I really miss seeing Chick every week, and for free at that. I don't think many people who have not heard a player of his caliber live realize what they are missing. He's about as good as it gets, period. Jim Stephanson's a hell of a player also. Anyhow, if anyone happens to be in the DC area on a Thursday night, go to Chick Hall's Surf Club. It's free and the playing will stun you.

Jonas

[mudshark]

Originally Posted by 20texas20

I agree. All the above are great. +1 for Hank Garland and Bob Wills. Also there is a session: Joe Pass and Roy Clark Play Hank Williams that is really cool.

Speaking of Roy Clark, I used to have a vinyl album of Roy Clark and Gatemouth Brown called Makin' Music that was out of this world, best version of Caledonia I've ever heard. Sure wish they'd issue that one on CD.

[weelie]

I am not a country or jazz buff, but I think the Hank Garland CD is alright, the JR & Cherokees is great, any Jimmy Bryant & Speedy West is to die for, and I really the Chet Atkins & George Barnes CD "Jazz from the hills" (though I wouldn't call it jazz... but I guess it's because I don't call any music I like jazz ): http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Hills-Cou...8525288&sr=1-1

Also, Jim Campilongo is unmatched... in what ever his genre it might be. :) And most of the above I found via his suggestions on his site: http://jimcampilongo.com/about/gear.php

[Chris S.]

Originally Posted by jmalever

@Chris S: You are luckier than you might realize. I just moved from MD to Kansas and there is nothing here that's even close to Chick Hall and company. I really miss seeing Chick every week, and for free at that. I don't think many people who have not heard a player of his caliber live realize what they are missing. He's about as good as it gets, period. Jim Stephanson's a hell of a player also. Anyhow, if anyone happens to be in the DC area on a Thursday night, go to Chick Hall's Surf Club. It's free and the playing will stun you... Jonas

HEE. Yeah, I've been saying here for years that you can't swing a dead cat around the DC area without hittin' a HOT Tele picker. Believe me, I KNOW how lucky I am, and I'm grateful for it every day. :-)

Just FYI: I used to play the Surf Club every Sunday for a while back in the late 70s when Chick Hall, Sr. was still running it. And Chick Hall, Jr. is not only a hell of player, he recommended me for my current gig with Ty Braddock. (www.tybraddock.com). So I owe him BIG time. :-)

And yes, Jim Stephanson's playing is spectacular – as is the playing of Nils Lofgren, Bill Kirchen, Dave Chappell, Gantt Kushner, John Jennings, Steuart Smith, Doc Reed, Dan Hovey, Dan Leonard, Mike Armstrong (Tim's brother, who's down in OC now), Ray Tilkens, Mike Melchioni, Mike Ault, Lenny Stevens, Michael Fath, and SO many others I can't even remember half of them... DC is just LITTERED with great guitar players. :-)

And of course, we had a couple of DC Tele players named Gatton and Buchanan who are sadly no longer with us. But their playing was kinda sorta okay, too. Hee. ;-)

Best of luck in KS, I hope you can find some good folks to play with. I'm sure as you get to meet people, you'll make some connections. :-) CS

[Ian Miller]

Originally Posted by jmalever

Hello all,

Please suggest some country jazz (or at least jazz inflected) recordings that are presently available. For example, I love Jimmie Rivers, Jimmy Bryant, Leon Rhodes (if I could find any of his recordings), some Gatton, some Volkaert, Roy Nichols, etc. I'm sure there are plenty of people who have done this sort of thing, so fire away with your favorites. Thanks.

Jonas

You just listed all of my favorites, though I would also add George Barnes (his rare COUNTRY JAZZ lp is amazing, I don't know if it's on disc or not) and Roy Lanham. Neither were Tele players, but hey!

[Ian Miller]

Originally Posted by olewichita

all of it country jazz or bordering on swing or straight jazz... some CDs are available... roy lanham is the most advanced chord melody player i've ever heard... george barnes was his hero... tj

Whoops!!

What he said!

[markinlondon]

This album gets you lots to be going on with. Merle Travis, Les Paul's country stuff, Speedy and Jimmy, Roy Lanham etc. Very nice compilation.

[weelie]

Originally Posted by Chris S.

And here's a GREAT double album to hear him on – it'll cost ya all of $9, but believe me, it's worth its weight in gold:

Enjoy! :-) CS

I ordered this right away. Thanks for the suggestion!

Does Shamblin play a strat on that, by the way?

----

For Wayne Hancock, I like this live set, that you can stream or download off this site:
http://www.archive.org/details/wh2005-10-07.ak40.flac16

----
E. Tubb interview: http://web.hep.uiuc.edu/home/g-golli...eon_rhodes.htm

[Leon Grizzard]

yes, strat.

[jmalever]

Chris,

Chick, jr. is a great guy--one of the nicest you'll come across. And, yeah, DC has an incredible amount of talent. I always try to plug Chick because I personally think he's the top of the bunch, though not many people seem to know of him, relatively speaking. He and Jim (and John Previti and Brooks Tegler) also happen to have a free, running gig on Thursdays. There are not too many places in the world where one can see that level of playing and the fact that it's free to get in is simply amazing. Ian, I love George Barnes. Everytime I hear him I think he's got to be among the top two or three jazz guitarists ever. Check out his duets with Carl Kress. I wish more of his stuff was in print.

Jonas

[Chris S.]

Originally Posted by weelie

I ordered this right away. Thanks for the suggestion!

I think you'll love it, especially when you start trying to learn some of Eldon's moving bass lines and voicings. It's just beautiful stuff, IMO. :-)

Does Shamblin play a strat on that, by the way?

Yes, as Leon said above, a Strat.

But I'd say not just any Strat – it was one of the very first ones ever made, and it was personally given to Eldon back in 1954 by some guy named Leo Fender , who I think might have had something to do with some other kinds of guitars and basses and amps and stuff. Hee.

Enjoy! :-) CS

[Chris S.]

Originally Posted by jmalever

He and Jim (and John Previti and Brooks Tegler) also happen to have a free, running gig on Thursdays. There are not too many places in the world where one can see that level of playing and the fact that it's free to get in is simply amazing.

Yeah, all those guys are dear friends, some going back 30 years or more. (Geez, does this mean were getting old? ) ;-)

And I would probably go over there on Thursdays more often, except 1) it's kind of a long drive from my house, and 2) I hate being in PG County at night anymore, even driving around.

But you're absolutely right, the level of musicianship is superb, and the fact that you can see players of that caliber for FREE is pretty amazing. CS :-)

[Leon Grizzard]

Here's a little Leon Rhodes:

[Chris S.]

THANK YOU for posting that Leon, that's priceless! Gary Lee & I have been "working on" working the Rhodes-Bud Boogie up, but we haven't quite nailed it yet. :-\

Btw, did you notice that LR was using a little bit of delay (or reverb) on that clip? I'd never heard him using any before.

Anyway, WAY COOL, thanks again! CS

[Leon Grizzard]

He seems to playing a vertically a lot; up and down the neck.

[dangelico603]

Sorry for the late reply. I'm surprised nobody mentioned Dave Biller and Jeremy Wakefield. They have an album out I think it's called "The Hot Guitars of Biller and Wakefield" that's just killer. Biller is one of those cats that can play convincingly in so many different styles that it makes you sick. Another CD you might try and track down is "King of Hillbilly Bebop" by Hank Penny.
Jason

[-PickupTruck-]

Not sure where the lines are on the Country/Jazz border, but I love Eddie Lang and Joe Venuti:
http://www.amazon.com/New-York-Sessi...9635572&sr=1-1

[Leon Grizzard]

Originally Posted by -PickupTruck-

Not sure where the lines are on the Country/Jazz border, but I love Eddie Lang and Joe Venuti:
http://www.amazon.com/New-York-Sessi...9635572&sr=1-1

Of similar era and style, but with authentic Texas credentials, Hugh and Carl Farr, from Llano, Texas. Fiddler Hugh went on to the Sons of the Pioneers.

[bendingtens]

I have a transcriptionf "Faded Love" that Eldon recorded as a bandleader on one of his own albums. Any one know what that is?

[OutlawSteph1975]

Originally Posted by Chris S.

This was the last album Bob Wills recorded before he died, so it's "historically" important. But the other reason it's so important to guitar players is because it was recorded in the "modern" era, you can actually HEAR what Eldon is playing!!!. I learned more about Western Swing from taking lines and licks off this album than any other single source I can name.

I just got it after placing my order a couple weeks ago.. certainly nice to hear the Texas Playboys in a modern setting!! The tempos are slower and the performances more laid back than the vintage recordings, but I'm sure I'll learn a lot through it too.

I haven't read the liner notes yet but there seems to be more biographical info about Bob Wills than info regarding this particular album.