This week I am off from my day gig and in Boston University area for my daughter’s graduation. I’m so proud of her. In celebration of it I’m coming out of my retirement from music to celebrate the Raney family legacy. I will performing in a local club called the Lilypad in the Cambridge area in Boston on May 17th (Last night I caught local saxophonist emeritus George Garzone and an old friend, trumpeter Phil Grenadier in a quintet there).  The 2 set gig will feature the music of Jimmy, Doug and Jon Raney as well as standards made famous by Jimmy.  For you nightbirds, I have radio interview scheduled…

Below is a video of a gig I was on made by the saxophonist Tony Heath along with his wife, vocalist Kate Scott at the Spotlight Cafe (part III of III) in Jan 1994. The bassist is my pal Ed Fuqua and drummer Joe Smith.The film is both an homage to Tony Heath’s Mom and a little slice of life in the NYC clubs as well as our playing at the time. This former folk cafe became Caliban and then folded by 1996 I believe.

One of the things that I consider a personal privilege is to have been able to see and hear my father, Jimmy Raney live. He always had this ability to hook you in – it’s a difficult talent to describe – where you are hanging on every note waiting for something great to happen. It’s something that only can be shared now via the few videos available I have posted and segmented on my YouTube channel. There are tons of dedication YouTube videos out there where free album tracks are posted under the gray area of “fair” or “educational” use of both Dad and Doug. (As if Spotify artist thousandth…

It’s been a few weeks since Jim’s death and I was shocked when I heard about this. I wanted to write about it sooner but honestly was looking for just the right thing to say. But I think I do now.

As happens often, I’m usually away on vacation on Doug’s Birthday, Aug 29th. Just back from New Orleans. So another belated one. Be that as it may, let’s celebrate my brother’s return to jazz scene. He’s playing better than ever despite the wear and tear he’s been thru the last few years. He’s featured on a new record out under bassist’s Jesper Lungaard name, celebrating the music of Horace Parlan, with whom he’s recorded several albums (Horace can no longer play due to illness). See my sidebar for details. For those of you who may only be familiar with Jimmy Raney, Doug is one of the smoothest most natural swinging…

August 20th is Jimmy Raney’s birthday. Although I’ve largely given up on how and why Jimmy’s true stature has been largely minimized in the jazz community, I can’t help but be reminded of this around his birthday. Where is his radio retrospective on NYC jazz radio stations? Or a couple of tracks at least? For my part I would have to admit that being Jimmy Raney’s chief spokesman here is proving more and more challenging for me because of changes in my personal/business life but I will try to do a better job of it since it is important to keep the flag flying in the Raney Camp given the…

Following up on my previous blog about my BJ’s passing on June 2nd. I’ve written a special song for him and it is featured in a new video presentation that has great pictures and videos of his life, including a puppy video at around 10-11 weeks old. I think you will enjoy them. Best, Jon

Those of you that are not pet owners may not fully grasp my feelings in this post, which is about my beloved dog, BJ who is now with the angels after almost 12 years with us. But I'm sure most of you can appreciate the feeling of loss of a loved one.

Following up from my previous post, Bill Evans Explained, I’d like to continue with my next subsection: Personality/Identity For me one simple measure of artistic personality is quick recognition without prior knowledge of the artist or recording being listened to. Use Ben Webster as a reference point. There’s no mistaking him. The piano is a more difficult instrument to establish an identity than a saxophone in part because of the nature of the instrument. There is less direct contact and control of the means of sound production. So if you can establish pianistic identity, it’s an important measure of achievement. Even great pianists can sometimes only be deduced rather than…

Following up on my previous post, The Bill Evans Question, I will discuss the aspects of Bill’s playing that raises him above nearly all of his contemporaries. I will also discuss some of the criticisms leveled against him.

A while back I had written about Ronnie Singer. For those of you who don’t know, he is sort of a gap in the jazz continuum that might’ve altered how jazz guitar developed had he lived. Because his sound is similar (he is using the same guitar as Jimmy, the Gibson ES 150 and he uses similar slurring techniques), you might at first mistake him for Jimmy when you listen to him. But his approach is a bit more direct and active and, unlike almost any other jazz guitarists at the time (save Jimmy), much more fluent in the “real deal” vocabulary of bebop and its proper execution. For example,…

My brother Doug was born Aug 29, 1956. I was on a bus tour of Canada this week and was unable to make the entry on Wednesday. But let us take today to appreciate my brother’s contribution to the art of jazz guitar. He is still one of the finest that have ever played, displaying the hallmarks of any great jazz artist – timing, feel, sound and authentic jazz feeling. These are somewhat rare commodities these days. We should also be celebrating his recent comeback to the jazz scene and the great reviews he has been receiving. Long overdue. Welcome back, Doug! At left is a picture of Doug when…

Today Aug 20, 2012 Jimmy would’ve been 85. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 17 years since his passing. Every year I have to pinch myself that I was so lucky to have someone so brilliant in my life, whose work has touched and inspired not only me and my brother Doug but many, many musicians both young and old. I continue to marvel at his genius and hope that more and more people begin to appreciate this under-appreciated, soft-spoken man who just was able to cut through all the bullshit and deliver the truth, whether from his words or his guitar. Those of you who know me and…

Scott was a great musician, guitarist and friend. Haven’t seen him for some time and I learned the distressing news that he had multiple cancers,  that he elected to not treat it in the end and to just continue with end of life care. Many people, including me had no idea about what was going on with him aside from some personal difficulties he was experiencing in the latter stages of his life. He is the guitarist featured in the 1993 Louisville clinic videos I have on my youtube page . He is also interviewed in Glen Hodges’ Jimmy Raney thesis work. When I was woodshedding in Louisvlle in 1985…

Teddy Charles was a frequent collaborator and ardent supporter of Jimmy Raney in the 50s and early 60s.  They also did work together with Bob Brookmeyer who also recently just past away.  And all of them were part of the jazz loft scene in NYC.. Teddy was among the innovative thinker/composers during the day along with Mingus and Miles that  paved the way for compositional styles to come, which involved long expositional sections and interwoven improvisations.  His style I find echoed in the later work of the late Gary MacFarland. Teddy never made it big and along with many jazz players in the sixties, faded from view. He changed careers and became a…

My old Dell laptop was pretty much on last legs by the end of August. With one available usb port and basically a non-working mousepad it was becoming impossible to work, not to mention a few close calls with crashes and reviving my computer from the dead putting my book project at risk. Having enough I got a new Mac Quickbook. (I hate the vista, windows 7 family of products). In order to continue my book work I basically needed to upgrade to Sibelius 7. I figured I’d start cooking pretty good after that. A bit of new mac user learning curve but a good one and trading in a…

As promised, a new video segment from Jimmy Raney/Cal Collins videotape on the tune, Autumn Leaves. Although Jimmy looks slightly uncomfortable in spots (shifting his seat, flexing his arm, etc) he’s still one of the most fluid jazz guitarists who ever walked the planet. Tyrone and Bruce are getting a good groove here and Jimmy is just flying over the top Enjoy! Or click here to watch the video on youtube