It’s been forever since I’ve last written, but rather than give a billion excuses why, let me just finish the story I started. So when Christian Egeskov told me he had the painting and had obviously obtained it completely innocently it put me in a wierd position. I didn’t want to get angry about it but I felt like he had to know the circumstances by which he obtained it. I told him the entire Ebay story. This was his some of his reply:Seeing the painting on the cover of “the date” album I got the idea the he painted a lot, and that the self portrait was just a…
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The woes of clutter, the wolves of Ebay and the great Dane. (Part 2)
So continuing on with the story… As mentioned, it was quite upsetting to see all these things I grew up all of the sudden up for sale at the world’s larget online auction entity, Ebay. Attached are some of the details I was receiving from DJ, Joe Bourne in regards to the items being sold on Ebay: Summary This is a 12 by 11 1/2 inch photo album from the estate of Jimmy Raney, the renowned jazz guitarist. It contains 82 photographs, some color but most black and white, that were taken from birth to Raney’s senior years. It includes large pictures of some of the bands and groups he…
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The woes of clutter, the wolves of Ebay and the great Dane. (Part 1)
After my father passed away in 1995 all of his relevant personal effects were to be put into a memorial room at Bellarmine College with the help of guitarist/teacher Jeff Sherman and Dad’s last companion Ola Miracle. We put in a letter of intent and kept a Raney Estate accounting with Ola at the helm as administrator. This went on for years. The room was reserved and she made her best efforts to hold the remaining Raney possessions: original paintings, old photos, albums, tapes, scores, correspondence, and assorted nick-nacks. She had a large condo in Louisville with most of the rooms filled with just about everything she had ever owned…
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Workin by Day, Bloggin by Night. Workin Day and Night Bloggin by…oops
I guess there’s no way around the 24 hour day, unless human habitation on Mars is a closer reality than believed. Many of us in the blogosphere lead double lives. I’m no exception. I had many good years to myself to develop as an artist. I’d like to say between 1981 to about 1986 or so I was able to lead a bohemian lifestyle practicing for hours on end after school and my little part time jobs, eating Cheerios for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But by 1995-1996 I was feeling the pull of responsibility and that strange double edged comfort called the steady paycheck. Both of my parents passed away…
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Jimmy Raney’s polyrhythmic concepts (book preview part 2)
Continuing on from my earlier article, I mentioned that Charlie Parker and Stan Getz were among Dad’s strongest early influences. Parker was an influence on everyone including Getz. Getz was an influence on Dad on the bandstand from their several years touring together with the Stan Getz Quintet. Dad actually mentioned copying some phrases from Stan, including that trademark double-noted phrase of his. (Listen to Live In Tokyo’s “Darn That Dream” for reference). In the late 40s, at Al Haig’s suggestion, Dad woodshedded Charlie Parker’s Dial and particulary the Savoy Sessions. He learned all the solos note for note, figuring out the appropriate fingering (which ofcourse at that time there…
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How Did I Become A Living Legend? By Jimmy Raney
A few days ago I began to wonder how I had become a Living Legend. It has happened in the last few years. Before that I was an Old Master. I’m not sure what a Living Legend is. I’ve also become an Elder Statesman. I don’t know what that is either. I don’t do much anymore, so I think about these things. That last sentence is a good example of what a Living Legend does. When I first became an Old Master, it worried me. I knew it meant the end was in sight, but I didn’t know what to do about it. I know who’s behind it though; it’s…
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Alien vs. Predator: (Aka: Finale vs Sibelius…)
Finale’s layout and program logic can border on the extra-terrestrial, at least for me. Most of the musicians I know who have settled into Finale use have been set-up by other power users from across the great layman/expert divide. How do power users get this way? Not sure, but they would likely become engineers and understand Fortran if confronted with it, I’m sure. My friend and Finale expert, bassist Tom Hubbard is an example of this. He knows everything about everything. Just one of those type of guys. We did a barter agreement where I taught him some piano and harmony and he taught me Finale. I think he got…
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Jimmy Raney’s polyrhythmic concepts (book preview part 1)
Rhythmic subtlety was key in my father’s playing. He picked up on this originally from bebop masters such as Charlie Parker and Bud Powell and also bandmate Stan Getz and then incorporated the concepts wholely as the hallmark of his style. Such things as rhythmic displacement, polyrhythmic grouping and polymetric phrasing were a regular feature in their lines and particularly Jimmy’s. The first Just Friends 5/8 phrase is one I constructed from memory. If it’s not an exact replication, it was very typical of the things he played. The second phrase is from a 1974 live duo recording at Bradley’s. Originally played in key of D(?)The snippet is from last…
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Jimmy Raney Birthday Bonus: NPR Jimmy Raney Memorial show
A tape of the following NPR 1995 broadcast was sent to me by guitarist, Jim Hall. He was interviewed via phone just after the death of Jimmy Raney in 1995. This was originally aired June 4, 1995 by National Public Radio (NPR) and several of Jim Hall’s phone comments were aired. The host of the feature is Tom Cole. Again this short broadcast about Jimmy Raney really spotlights how he was not truly appreciated for his major contribution to the legacy of Jazz guitar and jazz in general as evidenced by the commentary. It’s very poignant and makes me a little sad when I listen to it–for many reasons. But…
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Happy Birthday Dad!
Happy Birthday Dad! Click the link for a live Jimmy Raney excerpt from Bradley’s 1976 feed://www.jonraney.com/feed/
