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Huddersfield Jazz Guitar Society

Newsletter No. 23 July 2013


Hi Jazz Guitar Fans,
The attendance this evening wasnt as good as wed hope although there were enough people to make the evening a success. A number of our members had expressed an interest in amplifiers so tonight was all about amps, possibly the wall of amps may have been a slight give away to anyone who didnt know and we were lucky to have been joined by Hayden Minett who works for Matamp and Gareth Graham from Brunetti amps who brought down a model for us to try. Adrian Ingram started off by giving an account of his experiences with amps over the years and his preferences. His knowledge of amps was quite considerable and it was interesting to learn of his preferences for Musicman and Polytones. Hayden then chatted about some of the designs of different amps and their benefits and their problems. Hayden is very knowledgeable and knows a lot about the workings of valve amps and his advice about their problems was very useful.

Adrian then joined Hayden to demonstrate the different sounds produced by different amps.

He began with the Polytone playing a beautiful chord melody arrangement of When Sunny Gets Blue. The sound of the amp was clean, sweet and traditional sounding. The Musicman was the next amp played; this is a hybrid amp and had a very different sound to the Polytone, warmer with more separation. The Blues Junior was the third amp. This was bright sounding with a lot of clarity. The fourth amp was a Matamp. This is a single channel amp with a bigger tube and a 12inch speaker. This was quite a warm sounding amp with a lot of bottom end but not the clarity of the Blues Junior or the Polytone. Hayden then discussed the construction of an amp and showed us the insides of one. His knowledge of valves is quite considerable and it was really interesting to find out what the valves and the different components do and how some companies scrimp on components and what to watch out for. Adrian then returned to try another amp, this was a hand made Marble amp from Holland. This sounded very warm with a rich bottom end, very Wes and Kenny Burrell. This was contrasted with a small Mambo amp. It was interesting to hear the difference and

while a good amp didn't have the depth of tone as the Marble amp. The AER was the next amp tried. This was very clean but didn't have the colour of the valve amps. The final amp was the Brunetti. This is a handmade 10-watt amp made in Italy. This had a surprisingly loud sound with quite a rich tone that turned a few heads and caused a spark of interest. Below is an email from Gareth sent the day after: Hi Guys, Just a quick message to say a big thank you for inviting us to your meeting last night. I found the event both informative and very enjoyable. It was great to have such positive feedback on the Metropolitan model too! As promised I have attached the specs** on all Brunetti UK products currently in stock at http://www.brunettiamps.com. We do of course have access to the full range of Brunetti products at (www.brunetti.it/en/) should you or members wish to make a purchase. There is a review of the Singleman on premierguitar.com (http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2012/Nov/Brunetti_Singlem an_Amp_Review.aspx) which you will find interesting reading too. I would appreciate it if you could 'spread the word' for us and pass on our details as well as our facebook (Brunetti Amps UK) and twitter (@BrunettiampsUK) links. Thanks again. Regards, Gareth Graham Brunetti UK
(**I havent included the specs as this would make this newsletter too large. If youre interested send me an email and Ill forward them - Ian)

After a short interval the playing began with the HJGS guitar ensemble, who have been rehearsing some tunes for this evening. The HJGS guitar ensemble consisted of Colin Lodge, Roy Swaby, Darren Dutson-Bromley, Phil Kampen, Tim Allen, Jim Paris and Richard Speight. The ensemble began with When I'm 64. This featured Richard on the banjo. The next tune was The Odd Couple. This piece was introduced a couple of months ago by Ian as one of the societies repertoire pieces. The two soloists were Colin and Darren. Phil Kampen did both these excellent arrangements.

The next performance was Jez Platt and Dave Vangelderen who gave an assured performance of Manha de Carnival. Jez playing was very contrasting to Dave's. Dave went for a clean more traditional sound while Jez went for a more crunchy sound and made use of the choice of valve amps available.

The duo's next piece was a blues. This began with a nice solo by Dave with some interesting and sensitive accompaniment by Jez. Jez then took an accomplished solo before the duo traded fours before bringing the piece to a nice conclusion. The final guitarist of the evening was new member Tim Allen who played a version of Struttin by Jerry Read, a bluesy ragtime piece played on the acoustic guitar. Tim is a very competent player who gave a confident and assured performance of this piece bringing the evening to a nice, serene conclusion.

JOHNNY SMITH 25th June 1922 - 12 June 2013


PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS Adrian Ingram Jazz guitar players and fans, everywhere, will mourn the loss of the great Johnny Smith. He was a warm, generous, polite and helpful man, who showed us all how the instrument should be played. His flawless technique and perfect tone were coupled with a musical vision that resulted in pick-guitar perfection. His impeccable performance yielded an uncompromising tone of carved marble, the guitaristic equivalent of the great violinist; Jascha Heifetz! Although not as pervasive an influence as Christian, Reinhardt and Montgomery, Smith's close-voiced harmony crops up frequently in the playing of others. To play these close-voiced pianolike chords, on the guitar, requires not only a very big reach but also meticulous precision. Playing one chord at a time, slowly, in a ballad is relatively easy (once a stretch has been mastered) but try 5

playing them fast with the smooth, silky legato of Johnny Smith! Yes, indeed, if you've tried it you will realize Smith's great skill and the time and effort it must have taken to master this technique and realize his musical vision. Smith has been criticized for not being a great jazz improviser. He said himself that he was "a straight 8th man rather than a true jazzer". Here is a case of the great man's modesty. Every one of his Roost albums, with the possible exception of "Man With a Blue Guitar", has stunning examples of his single-line improvising. Certainly one could argue that Smith was not an innovative jazz player but his approach, innovative or not, did move the instrument forward in jazz by realizing its true potential as an instrument. Mundell Lowe, Hank Garland, George Benson, Barry Galbraith and Pat Martino are but a few of the important jazz guitarists influenced by Smith during their formative years. And I have no hesitation in stating that he has probably left a strong impression on everyone who has heard him play. He is and, I hope, will continue to be an important part of every jazz guitarists' education. A beautiful man and truly great player Johnny Smith will be greatly missed.

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Roy Sainsbury My fathers friend and my godfather, Uncle Roy to me, was a jazz guitar enthusiast. Whenever I was at his home he would be playing his latest jazz guitar album and it was here that I was introduced to the music of two guitar greats, Barney Kessel and Johnny Smith. I remember Uncle Roys comments that these two were as different as chalk and cheese, but both truly great players. I soon acquired Johnnys album Moonlight in Vermont and spent many hours analysing his beautiful arrangements and working out his closely voiced piano-like chords. I was complete hooked, but in those days his albums were difficult to find in the UK. On a trip to New York in the mid-1970s I set out on foot to find a record shop on Broadway which I had heard on the grapevine had some second-hand Johnny Smith albums in stock. Two and a half hours later I was still plodding along Broadway wishing Id taken a cab, but I finally arrived at the store. The guy behind the counter looked like a heavy-weight wrestler and customer empathy was evidently not his forte. I asked about the Johnny Smith albums and he grudgingly searched and handed me four. As I turned the first one over to the look at the titles he stood menacingly with arms folded and said, I havent got time to stand here while you read the sleeve notes buddy. Ill have all of them, I said, and made a hasty retreat clutching my albums. Ive never been disappointed with anything Johnny recorded. His sense of harmony and melody was exquisite. Everything was executed immaculately and with seemingly effortless technique and every album contains hours of study material for any serious guitar player. Several great guitar players came to the fore in the era immediately following WWII but no one else has played quite like him before or since. One wonders how his immaculate style could have evolved so differently following so closely after Charlie Christian who had seemed to influence most of the players in those days. I have never heard anyone his equal as far as pure guitar playing, musicianship, and taste are concerned. A few years ago I was invited by Trefor Owen to perform on a tribute concert at which Johnny would be present at the Wrexham International Guitar Festival. When I arrived at the hotel the great man was sitting in the bar talking to two fellow jazz guitar giants, Mundell Lowe and Louis Stewart. An hour or so later I found myself alone with Johnny in the bar, conversing with him as if I had known him all my life. He was charming, with great humility, and had a wonderful sense of humour. One of

his particularly hilarious musicians jokes, (unprintable here!) has stayed with me and I have passed it on to many UK musicians. Fortunately Johnnys recordings are now available on CD and I particularly recommend the collection of Roost recordings which are now available on the Mosaic label. There are dozens of stunning tracks to be enjoyed and studied. I think of him often and his death has left a void. As the great Barney Kessel once said, nobody has ever played the guitar better than Johnny Smith.

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Darren Dutson-Bromley I was sad to hear that guitarist Johnny Smith had left us on June 12th 2013. I've always enjoyed his playing, his beautiful chord melodies and precisely articulated solo runs. At one point I became a bit of an avid collector, I'll never forget finding his album 'Easy Listening' in a record shop in Amsterdam and how excited I was to buy it. That particular album at that time was very difficult to get hold off. I wonder how many people were inspired to play the guitar from listening to his composition 'Walk Don't Run'. In an interview in Guitar Player magazine from around 1980 he was asked about the cover version of the piece by the band The Ventures. At that particular time Johnny had virtually stopped performing and had a music shop. He talked of The Ventures visiting his shop and how he invited them round to his house, knowing that they didn't know who he was he made them burgers as a way of thanking them for taking an interest in music. I re read the interview many times, he came across as a humble, genuine man and his insights into guitar playing were inspiring for an impressionable thirteen year old boy. His last album 'Moonlight in Vermont' should be in all jazz guitarists record collections. Featuring Stan Getz this became Johnny's most successful album. This album is truly representative of his skill as a guitarist from the wonderfully sublime title track to the up tempo tour de force 'Jaguar'. I was thinking as to why I was sad at learning of his death. I didn't know him, I've never met him or seen him play and Moonlight in Vermont was recorded twenty years before I was born. Yet I did know him, through his music, which had touched me, moved me and inspired me over the years. As with all great artists we develop an emotional bond and I had with Johnny Smith. To me his playing still sounds current and fresh, technically exciting yet always musical. It is through his recorded legacy that his music will continue to inspire and move later generations, I'm sure many will enjoy his playing as much as I have. So even though he is no longer with us in the flesh his music survives, long live Johnny Smith.

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Members News Call for Membership Participation


Remember the HJGS exists for the benefit(s) of its members, so we need to hear from YOU: good, bad, indifferent, news, views, gossip, ideas, viewpoints, gigs, sales wants, swaps etc, etc!

Please keep us informed of any jazz guitar related gigs, events, sales or other item of interest, so that we can pass information on to other members. HJGS needs to develop its wider network as an important forum for jazz guitar related information and information exchange, so that we may all benefit from the collective wisdom and uncoordinated information that undoubtedly exists amongst fans and connoisseurs.

Swap an Idea
This column appears to be popular so we will keep it for the time being. But, and this is an important but we do NEED YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS for this to be successful. Contributions please to huddjazzguitsoc@gmail.com.

To continue the Johnny Smith tribute, here are a few excerpts from Adrians excellent book Jazz Guitar Greats (Mel Bay MB98117BCD) where he highlights a number of the techniques Johnny used in his playing.

Membership
Some memberships are now falling due for renewal, remember membership lasts for a full 12 months from the paid up month and the following benefits are only available to current paid up members. The following deals have been negotiated for members on production of a current membership card: Bulldog Pickups (Huddersfield) www.bulldogpickups.com 15% off all pickups and repairs/rewinds. ElectroMusic (Doncaster) www.electromusic.co.uk Variable discount depending on the item(s) purchased. GTR (Huddersfield) www.gtrguitars.co.uk 10% discount on strings and accessories. The Music Room (Cleckheaton) www.the-music-room.com Variable discount depending on the item(s) purchased. Matt Ryan 10% off guitar repairs/setups www.guitarrepairer.com

www.amplifiercoversonline.com AmplifierCoversOnline.com Customised Equipment Covers On Demand Frailers www.frailers.com Variable discount depending on the item(s) purchased. Foulds Guitars - Derby www.fouldsmusic.co.uk Variable discount depending on the item(s) purchased. The Amp Shack Contact Andrew Lazdins Valve/Solid-State amp and Effect pedal repairs. Discount available.
Phone: +44 (0) 7716 460 163 Email: theampshack@gmail.com

Vinyl Tap have been removed from the list as they have decided that they will no longer offer any discount on new cds and discount by negotiation on second-hand cds. As a consequence we feel we can no longer include them. We are actively pursuing other supplier/retailers and will let you know as soon as we confirm them. Remember also that we welcome your suggestions re the future direction of HJGS. Please get in touch.

Committee
Martin Chung
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Publicity, joint treasurer, website/facebook and development Darren Dutson-Bromley Ensembles, education, website/facebook and development Adrian Ingram Newsletter, education, international liaison and development Ian Wroe Host, joint treasurer, artiste relations, events and development

Gigs Monday night jazz at The Head of Steam July


1st 8th 15th 22nd 29th June 30th July 1st July 10th Jon Taylor Vanessa Rana / Al McSween Victor Brox blues night Adrian Ingram / Ken Hickey Jade Harris / Adrian Ingram / Ian Rose Adrian Ingrams Jazz Dawgs, The Blacksmiths Arm, Lastingham: 7:30 Adrian Ingrams Jazz Dawgs, The Blacksmiths Arm, Lastingham: Private Party Adrian Ingram / Andy Cholerton / Jeff Lorriman, Head of Steam, HUddersfield

A message from Paul Hartley Tuesday Jazz at the Bakers Vaults, Stockport 2013
July 9th July 23rd July 30th August 13th August 27th Sept 10th Sept 24th Paul Hartley Quartet featuring Carole Williams (trombone) & Helen Pillinger (tenor sax) Paul Hartley Quartet featuring Jim Collins (alto sax) Paul Hartley Quartet featuring Mike Hall (tenor sax) Paul Hartley Quartet featuring Adrian Ingram (guitar) Dean Masser Quartet Paul Hartley Quartet featuring Andzrej Baranek (piano) Paul Hartley Quartet featuring Phil Nicholas (trumpet)

9 - 11pm FREE admission Bakers Vaults, Market Place, Stockport Tel 0161 477 7312

Other Jazz Guitar Clubs/Societies


(We are 1 of only 4 jazz guitar societies in England)

Here are a few links: -

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http://cheadlejazzguitarclub.wordpress.com/ http://www.southjazzguitar.org ------- Note new website address http://www.treforowen.com/index.php?id=38 http://www.meetup.com/LondonJazzGuitarSociety/

Meetings
The first Tuesday of the month at The Head of Steam: Huddersfield Railway Station (see http://www.theheadofsteam.co.uk/huddersfield )

Remember the society needs YOUR views and input so, if you want to provide a short introduction/discourse for a tune yourself or make any suggestions for a tune, please speak to a committee member. We have already had some other interesting ideas put forward which we are looking into. YOUR ideas are both vital and welcome. It is YOUR society and the committee is there entirely on YOUR behalf. Please, please get involved if you can! 2013 meetings
July 2nd Aug 6th Sep 3rd Oct 1st Nov 5th Dec 3rd Players night + Dave Vangelderen introducing 'All the things you are.

- Christmas Showcase

Workshop/seminars

Please note that in order to ensure an effective combination of complete workshop and some time for playing, these sessions will commence at 8:30

on the dot.
Of Interest, News and Reviews
Found anything on the web or heard of something which may interest our members, then this is the place for it.

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WES MONTGOMERY and the WYNTON KELLY Trio : THE UNISSUED 1965 HALF NOTE BROADCASTS Jazz on Jazz 244555 If you buy just one jazz guitar CD this year, it has to be this one. It represents one of the finest exponents at the height of his career and the top of his game. Furthermore the material on the CD has never been released before which, in itself, marks it out as an essential purchase. Recorded just a few months before the well-known and widely acclaimed classic Verve Half Note recordings the 11 tracks on this CD also feature pianist Wynton Kelly and drummer, Jimmy Cobb but the bass chair is shared between Ron Carter and Larry Ridley rather than Paul Chambers, who featured on the Verve sides. As usual, Wes plays with taste, polish and technical precision but I cannot think of another Wes recording with as much abandon and fire. To say that Wes was really going for it would be an understatement: he positively flies!! Of his large catalogue of recordings none are as of the moment or as casually spontaneous. The stupendous dexterity of his block chording, which is easily as fluent as the customary octave work, and the abandon on the use of wild glissandos, percussive slaps, ghost notes and other effects are unusually candid and rarely heard aspects of his style. Few recordings have hinted at this rawer side of his work, with the possible exception of ECHOES of INDIANA AVENUE (Resonance HCD 2011) where he parodies the down-home post-war urban blues style in After Hours Blues. Wes usual fare: Impressions, Cariba and Four On Six are included here, as is his only known recording of I Remember You. It is interesting also to hear the difference between the up-tempo, adroit, version of All the Things You Are, featured here, compared to the more relaxed version he recorded on the Montgomery Brothers and Five Others (Pacific Jazz PJ 1240) in 1957. The ballad, Laura, is hauntingly beautiful in full contrast to the rawness and immediacy of the other material, whilst the unaccompanied, Mi Cosa, demonstrates how complete the electric guitar can sound in the right hands. For anyone wishing to discover the genius of Wes Montgomery I can think of no better place to begin than with this album. Adrian Ingram

www.mambo-amp.co.uk www.adrianingram.com www.jazzdawgs.co.uk http://jazzguitarscene.wordpress.com/ http://www.joefinn.net/html/jazz_guitar_almanac.html

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http://jamieholroydguitar.com http://www.darrendutsonbromley.com Check out Darrens pod casts Tuition

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Sales
Please let me know as soon as items are sold to remove them from the list. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------60s Gibson Johnny Smith pickup (neck mounted).. 55 Set Bulldog Stratocaster Pickups, Haydens finest, lovely sound....120 All prices are negotiable and interesting trades are welcome Contact Ian Wroe ( ianmwroe@virginmedia.com )

Telecaster Pickups: 14

1. Boxed pair of Fender Custom Shop Texas Specials. Full fat sound with good balance and punch, as new... 70 2. Fender Custom Shop Twisted-Tele neck pickup. Not commercially available, except on custom shop Teles, therefore hard to come by, nice full sound35 3. Bulldog Alnico III neck. Best sounding Tele pickup for jazz, end of story. Similar spec to custom shop nocaster pickup but bespoke, hand wound as opposed to mass produced. New, bargain at35 4. Lollar neck pickup, signed as new. Lollars are current flavour of the month35 (or you could order one wait 3 months and pay 100!!) 5. Lindy Frailin high output neck pickup, new 35 6. Mojo Boutique bridge pickup, new 30 7. Pair of Bare-Knuckle Mules (PAFs), everyones current favourite Humbucker..100 8. Aged Bulldog PAFS Boxed/new....100 9. New Gibson P90 (soapbar) with black cover30 Celestion 30 10 8 ohm speaker. new.. 20 Fender 30 10 8 ohm speaker. new.. 20 Dunlop Jazz picks 205 and 206 series. Hard to find and expensive in UK. Bargain. Job lot packs of 36. 5 per pack!!! (nb 20p not included in sale)

George Van Eps string damper, Original early 50s model actuall machined by Van Eps. Used by Eps, Jim Hall, Herb Ellis. Stops all open string feedback on archtops. Mega rare, offers, trades.

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Polytone Mega-Brute Nr mint. 110 watts, loud and very small. Fully serviced..375 Session Sessionette 75 watts. Recovered (as new appearance) fully serviced, (just) with new upgraded celestion speaker. Collectable!....................................................150 Contact Adrian Ingram; 01484 314529
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Rivera R55 1x12 valve amp excellent condition : 600 ono Roland GR33 guitar synth + pickup : 200 ono Session Rockette 30 fantastic little jazz amp : 90 ono JMP 50 1980 Marshall head : 600 Eventide Time-Factor delay/sampler/loop pedal : 220 Tone Pros locking nickel stoptail (335/ Les Paul etc) : 20 Boss digital dimension (1980s) pedal as new (Mike Stern/Sco/Metheny etc) : 80 Fender Hot-Rod Telecaster with case900 o.n.o. Contact Hayden Minett on 07967 831193 or hjm@bulldogpickups.com
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65/66 ES-335
I've hung it up on ebay for 5.5k which is very close to what I paid a few years back. i live in Mirfield approx 15 mins from Huddersfield if you or anyone else wants to come try it out. Its a 65/66 ES 355 and is in great shape. Many thanks Gary Webb garyjwebb@btinternet.com

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The Comins Jazz amp has a power attenuator...all valve 1x12...nice & light combo & built by the great amp builder George Allesandro....1,000

The Ameson 50watt is all tube & a small head 750

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The Ameson 120w is a very small transistor amp...very high quality....650

'Triggs Jazzbox the top is laminate....2,500

Schaefer 15''Jazzer3,500

For more info contact Paul Wright on: ptw01@btinternet.com or mob 07527 389637 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Antoria telecaster, 1970's, dark surburst green, all original, comes with soft case. good condition. 150.00 vintage strat copy, dark wood stain, 50.00 Double Bass, Antoni, professionally setup by Crinson and Gohlman, comes with soft case and stand. good condition. 380.00 Contact Andrew Lazdins
The Amp Shack The Professional Tone Breakdown Service

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For all amp (valve and solid state) and effect pedal repairs.

Ph: +44 (0) 7716 460 163 Email: theampshack@gmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Heres a message from Dan at Foulds Guitars I'm running short of jazz guitars again! I've still got a bigger stock than most but decent jazzers between 300 and 1500 I'm selling everything I get so if you have any members that would like to move any unwanted guitars on we may be able to help. Of course I am happy to offer a deal on goods for members, they just need to mention when enquiring.
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Trades Wants 1. 2. small amp : Polytone (any model considered); Musicman RD50 (1x10 or 1x12); Peterson (Wood cab 10 speaker) AER etc Seymour Duncan alnico Pro II neck telecaster neck pickup

If you have of know the whereabouts of any of the above please contact Adrian Ingram adrian@jazzdawgs.co.uk
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Gypsy jazzer (Doubling Double Bass & Rhythm Guitar) seeking fellow Gypsy jazzer's for blow. Tel. Mike on: 01663 743610. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Charts

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Huddersfield Jazz Guitar Society


Contact huddjazzguitsoc@gmail.com If you don't want to continue receiving newsletters and notices then send an email with the subject 'REMOVE' to huddjazzguitsoc@gmail.com Cheers Ian

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