One of the reasons that people devote their time to learning the guitar is that they love the idea of making up their own songs and music. Simply by sitting down at an inspired moment, a guitarist might come up with a great song in only one session. Some guitar styles differ greatly from another, but it is by learning the jazz guitar that many musicians have experienced the liberty it brings. The deviations in styles that somehow hold to one rhythm and work together in the name of improvisation are why jazz musicians are said to be filled with “soul”.
When training your ear or your mind to learn how the jazz guitar fits into an entire ensemble of musicians, it is important to first know how jazz music works, at the root level. Much like an athlete prepares for a race, a jazz musician also prepares for a performance. The jazz musician needs to warm up, have an introduction, and be allowed to have some time to get used to the atmosphere of a place and an audience. Some musicians, however, especially those who have played a long time together will jump right into a tune without warming up, giving listeners an awakening into what’s about to take place.
A jazz guitarist in a band may or may not lead the group through a melody. Many jazz performances may not have a singer, but instead a trumpet, or some other horn instrument will take this lead. If a horn isn’t present in the ensemble, then the guitar or piano might work to lead a session. Since jazz music is made up of a band, each person in the band has a certain role to fill before they begin their improvisational role. The jazz guitar tends to hold the players together within a certain chord so that other band members can stick to what’s being played. A jazz guitarist in this role, will not necessarily strum a rhythm such as in other forms of music, but will instead move rhythmically with the rest of the players involved.
In the game of jazz music, improvisation is key. If you know how to play another instrument, learning the jazz guitar might be a little easier. And, if you love improvising on the piano, for example, then you might love it on the guitar. “Improv” as it is sometimes referred to, is one way music can be highly addictive and liberating. When that liberation happens with a group who is playing together, the soul and reaction from the audience involved can be magical. Overall, learning to play the jazz guitar will be rewarding on many levels. Learning to play the necessary chords and knowing when and how to strum to the rhythm of others in the group takes time and practice. Give yourself plenty of time and dedicate yourself to listening to and learning how jazz music works and you’ll be on your way to playing along with a jazz group in no time.
By: Rich Matthews
Benedetto jazz guitars are internationally renowned for their
exquisite design and craftsmanship. Benedetto is considered the
world’s foremost maker of arch top guitars. Bob Benedetto will
also custom-craft one-of-a-kind instruments on request starting
at about $45,000 and going up depending on what people want in
the guitar. Benedetto’s jazz guitars range in price from $5000 to
over $100,000.
They are prized by jazz guitar players such as John (Bucky)
Pizzarelli, who donated one of the seven-string guitars custom-
made for him by Benedetto to the Smithsonian Institution.
Since the original creation of the Benedetto Guitar introduced in
1968, many people have enjoyed the harmonic sounds that have
flowed from it. Noted jazz guitarist’s who play Benedetto jazz
guitars are: Howard Alden, Jack Wilkins, Frank Vignola, Kenny
Burrell, Johnny Smith, Ron Eschete, Cal Collins and Joe Diorio.
Bob Benedetto has worked hard with the jazz world’s greatest
musicians to refine laminated, smaller-bodied Benedettos that
feel and sound like the great carved Benedetto guitars but are
better suited to the demands of the road and nightclub.
Widely considered the contemporary master of the archtop jazz
guitar. Benedetto jazz guitars are available in:
(a) special one-of-a-kind custom order guitars
(b) the Flagship series
(c) the Professional series
The Flagship series models include – La Venezia / Manhatan /
Fratello / Bambino Elite and Bravo Elite.
The Benedetto jazz guitar Professional series include – Bravo /
Bravo Deluxe and Bambino.
The Benedetto jazz guitar is by far one of the most distinguished
archtop guitars. The Bravo’s parallel spruce bracing, rather
than the X-bracing of most of today’s finest acoustic archtops,
further enhances the rigidity, punch, and (electrified) nature of
the design, although it’s nice to see the laminated spruce here
rather than the traditional maple a detail that Benedetto says
maintains a visual link with his carved-top guitars.
The Benedetto Bravo Features:16″ body with three-ply binding,
laminated maple back and sides, laminated spruce top, parallel
spruce bracing, adjustable ebony bridge, three-piece bound flame-
maple neck, ebony fret board, body-mounted volume and tone
controls with ebony knobs, Benedetto A-6 humbucking pickup,
bleached bone nut, Schaller tuners with ebony buttons, gold-
plated hardware, nitrocellulose gloss finish.
The Bravo is every bit a Benedetto, and has many high-end
features you typically find on more expensive instruments,
including a gorgeous laminated flame-maple back and matching
sides, a select clear arched laminated spruce top, three-piece
flame maple neck with a dark ebony fretboard and adjustable ebony
bridge.
At first glance the Benedetto Bravo may appear to be a little
steeply priced for a laminated-wood instrument doesn’t have the
sylvan, multi-dimensional timbre or tonal succulence of
Benedetto’s Manhattan, Fratello, or La Venezia models, but it
gets you a portion of the Benedetto pedigree, and that’s still a
pretty amazing deal.
“In my earlier years, I was able to make instruments that were
more affordable to guitarists,” says Benedetto. All of which
implies that the Bravo is an “affordable” guitar, and although
such a claim seems contradictory for a model that retails for
$5,000, Benedetto’s carved-top La Venezia goes for $26,000, so
you can see the relativity at play here.
In summary the Benedetto Bravo is a flawlessly crafted archtop
with a very live and responsive top, effortless playability, and
an unmistakable high-end vibe without the top-end price tag.
Bob Benedetto has been built some of the finest musical
instruments to appear in the last 30 years. Each guitar is built
by hand using top-shelf materials, and each is inspected by
Benedetto before being shipped. Bob still works one week per
month at the Benedetto factory with as much care and enthusiasm
as he did way back in the 1960’s.
If you ever have a chance to hear of play any of the Benedetto
jazz guitars live, you’re in for a treat, they don’t make them
any better than this.
By: Mike P Hayes
There are a few music festivals that take place every year in the Isle of Wight, the ‘Jazz Festival’ is an event that has taken place for only a few years. I am a Jazz guitarist and I had the privilege to perform there for the first time last year in 2006, it was great, I loved the atmosphere, the people were warm and friendly and I’ve never met so many people who knew their Jazz inside out.
I got ready to go on stage with Jazz Culture to perform a well rehearsed Jazz set for 11 am, it was around 10.50 am in the morning and I didn’t expect anyone to turn up until we finished, at 11am the place was packed, I don’t know where the crowd came from but everyone sat down looking serious and ready to be entertained.
I knew that letting them down was the last thing on my mind, I came this far over the water by ferry to get up early in the morning for an unheard of 11am gig, me and the band went into a few standards like ‘blue skies’, ‘killer Joe’, ‘taking a chance on love’ and ‘fly me to the moon’ it went down a storm, we were on stage for about an hour, we even did two encores. From that moment me, the band and the audience fell in love with each other, there was a powerful aura between all of us. Well I’ve been to Isle of Wight many times since and when I perform there it feels like home to me, I got the chance to play at this years 2007 festival and it was mind blowing, there were many great international acts included, very talented and inspiring, there was a nice vibe all around and the weather was fantastic, I can’t wait to go there again, even if you aren’t performing, it’s worth booking a trip out there for three days next April to absorb this Jazz experience.
By: Clinton Paul