The Way You Look tonight

[WJC4]

Hey y'all, I've been a lurker here off and on for a while and have made use of many resources provided by members. I've been a decent Western swing/big band rhythm guitarist for some time and decided to try to transfer that technique to mandolin last year. After about a year of trying to find chord voicings that I like, I've come up with something that sounds good to me. If Y'all like it, let me know and I'll post more.

https://youtu.be/pFwgfzXxeN8

Thanks,
WJC,4

[Mark Gunter]

Hey Judson, thanks for sharing! I enjoyed hearing your version, and of course you should post more, it's a great way to polish your chops. I'm posting the vid here for you, rather than a link.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFwgfzXxeN8&feature=youtu.be

[WJC4]

Thanks - hadn't thought of posting the video that way.

[WJC4]

BTW, the chords I use mainly come from Peter Martin's ebooks and The Mandolin Handy Guide by Morton Manus. On guitar, I usually play a combination of Freddie Green chords, Eldon Shamblin Chords and Eddie Lang Chords. The way that works is that solo, I'd play more Lang style with fuller chords. In a band, more Freddie Green chords. Always, int he back of my mind is the movement that Eldon Shamblin achieved with his rhythm. I haven't quite worked all this out on the mandolin yet, but theoretically it should work. After all, in a big band, 4 note chords are the max, with 3 noted preferred and if it sounds better for 1 or 2 notes to ring while the other noted are dampened, that's what you do. So, a 4 string instrument should be a no brainer.... however, I've found it quite a challenge to play rhythm mandolin in the same way I would rhythm guitar. I'm reviewing some tenor banjo/guitar info and will try to incorporate that. Hopefully, this will all work out into something fairly enjoyable for listeners. And yes, I know that Jethro Burns and Dave Appollon already did it... and Grisman and Steirnberg but they were geniuses - I'm just a picker.

[WJC4]

Oh yeah... and like my hero Mr. Green, if I do it right, the rhythm will be more felt than heard. I'm not going for a lead style... Eventually, I want it to be interesting to the ear of a musician, but nothing that distracts from the lead. The old saying is that Freddie Green in the Count Basie Orchestra was like vanilla in a cake. You don't necessarily taste vanilla, but you miss it if it isn't there. Ranger Doug of Riders In The Sky and The Time Jumpers, Joey McKenzie with the Quebe Sisters and Whit Smith of the Hot Club of Cowtown are the masters today...... but, where I live, everyone plays guitar. Besides, mandolin is a whole lot more fun to solo on, especially in keys like E flat!

[Mark Gunter]

Personally, I'd probably be less "free" with the tempo in the intro. I think you are varying the tempo by design, maybe? As a matter of feeling? Anyway, I think you might try setting the song up with a very solid tempo in the intro to get the ball rolling 'in time' for the listener. You can mess with the tempo in the last few bars. Just my opinion, anyway, good job, keep polishing it, and by all means, post more.

[WJC4]

Thanks for the advice - you are correct. In my mind, I hear a string section playing a quick tempo with swells emphasizing certain parts, before settling into a a stricter tempo - kind of like Ray Price's "For the Good Times".... but, of course, I'm the only one hearing that! I'll try to be a bit less Willie Nelson-esque in my timing next time.

[AlanN]

Great tune, and you do a nice job on it. In my stack, I have versions by some of the great jazz men - Johnny Griffin, T. Monk, Jimmy Smith (swingin'...), Getz/Grappelli and Wes Montgomery, from Guitar On The Go (1963). My fave is probably Wes' take, he just grooves it. But, they're all terrific.

[WJC4]

Thanks AlanN That Wes Montgomery is one of my all time favorites too! He was the first jazz guitarist I really listened to - I was probably 14 or so. He had such a good tone! He and Tal Farlow are my favorites of the more modern era. The funny thing is, the video I posted is the first time I've seen myself playing mandolin - my first thought was, "Wow, my hands look as big as Tal's!"

[pointpergame]

Oh ... Ranger Doug of Riders In The Sky and The Time Jumpers!

Heh! Can't believe you're mentioning the wonderful Riders in the Sky! We raised our children on them (along with a few dozen others) because of their tremendous musicianship and their sharp sense of humor. I heard them lately, a little surprised that, while they are still them, they had gotten older.

And much appreciated your excursion into chord land, a place I'm traveling this year for holiday music. A nice, honest piece of singing. This is NOT a criticism, but here and there my ear would like a chord or a chord extension leaning towards the next passage.

[AlanN]

Ah, Tal Farlow, now yer talkin'! Born in Greensboro, his father started him on mandolin (how cool), but tuned like a uke, go figure. I remember seeing him with a bass player at a regular Sunday brunch at a place called The Yankee Clipper in Sea Girt, NJ, in the 90's. I have his Complete Verve box set and never tire of his swingin' stuff. He plays the fastest Cherokee...

[WJC4]

here and there my ear would like a chord or a chord extension leaning towards the next passage.

Thanks, that is a good point. I considered some extensions, but it seemed to be throwing off my singing when I tried. Even the slightly dissonant quality of the Maj7 took a lot of practice for me to sing with.... I'll woodshed on it a bit.

BTW, be sure to check out the Time Jumpers if you haven't already. Doug really swings with them! Also, someone has uploaded tracks from his out of print Songs of the Sage album on youtube. Jimmy Capps played lead on it and some of the tunes are really pretty.
https://youtu.be/iq9wY2qbChA

[WJC4]

Ah, Tal Farlow, now yer talkin'! Born in Greensboro, his father started him on mandolin (how cool), but tuned like a uke, go figure. I remember seeing him with a bass player at a regular Sunday brunch at a place called The Yankee Clipper in Sea Girt, NJ, in the 90's. I have his Complete Verve box set and never tire of his swingin' stuff. He plays the fastest Cherokee...
Absolutely! I grew up near Boone, NC and Doc Watson was the person who recommended his music to me. I have that boxed set too, but all my stuff is in storage right now. That version of Cherokee is CRAZY! I wish he had recorded a duet with Joe Maphis on that - fretboards would probably catch fire. The concerts he did with Herb Ellis and Charlie Byrd were great too. I love the way Herb Ellis kind of silently sang or mouthed each note he played.
https://youtu.be/a_7pz1_P8ZE

[Jim B]

Nice

[AlanN]

Yes, Herb Ellis - the Mumbles (read: Dick Tracy) of jazz guitar, ha! His work in the Oscar Peterson Trio stands out. The Great Guitars was usually Barney Kessel with Byrd and Ellis, but Tal would sit in. I have a live Rutgers University show somewhere. The early Red Norvo catalog is very great, too. The thing with Tal is he set his own pace, so a drummer would/could hamper his thing. When he died in 1998, WKCR did a touching memorial broadcast. I believe he played/recorded with Bird.

Just look at dem hands...