• Jimmy Raney,  Jon Raney,  Poetry

    The pRoBLeM With a romantic

    The pRoBLeM With a romantic A romantic is movedbut is a bit removed a romantic is lovingbut is often longinga romantic pursuesbut often peruses A romantic likes happy endingsbut doesn’t like them, depending…a romantic like things close at handbut becomes distant at the wave of a wand Cynicism, (the romantic’s alterego)may take the thronebut then is soon overthrownthe romantic blooms againbut a bit overblownand shrinks back to earthand is once again alone The seeds are always thereand the cycle continueswith blindness to the pastand unrestrained hopefulnessabout a future much less hopeless

  • herniated disc

    To Hell and Back

    With 2009 being a bust musically because of my disc problem, I was determined to get back into gigging again in 2010. I took a job at Sofia’s after New Year’s with Eliot Zigmund and Ed Fuqua and it went really well. I felt very little, if any pain. But by the middle of February, my situation went from bad to worse… Read More

  • herniated disc,  Uncategorized

    When Do-It-Yourself Does Yourself In

    I’m a DIY person. And as my friends will confirm, I’m also sort of obsessive compulsive. When I read Claire Davies’ The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, I was excited to find an alternative to the gloomy surgical track offered by conventional medicine in the treatment of herniated disc… Read More

  • Uncategorized

    Good old fashioned swing

    The days of going to local haunts and hearing a set of free jazz are sort of few and far between. Sofia’s restaurant is a place in midtown that maintains that NY jazz piano bar tradition. On any night of the week you can listen to some of the top flight pianists in NY looking to keep their fingers warm. Aaron Goldberg, Danela Schacter, Mike Kanan and Cecilia Coleman just to name a few of the recent ones. In addition to pianists,saxophonists often gig or sit in there as well. A local favorite is 86 year old Red Horndstrom whom I’ve mentioned in the past. Red’s pedigree is from the…

  • Jimmy Raney

    Jimmy Raney vs. Tal Farlow

    In this video Dad answers the question “Why are Tal Farlow and Jimmy Raney so often compared?” Click this link to go to the youtube video Interesting conversation. It settles any question in reference to influence and formation of styles of the two guitar giants. Enjoy! feed://www.jonraney.com/feed/

  • Uncategorized

    Doug Raney vs. Jimmy Raney on Billie’s Bounce

    For those of you who like to compare Doug to Jimmy, here’s your chance to compare them directly on the same tune with these two videos posted on YouTube. Interestingly, for those who say that Doug plays like Jimmy you would have to admit their approaches – although very similar- have some very noticeable differences in terms of tone and attack, time feel, melodic content and general phrasing style as evidenced by these videos. You’ll note along with his signature complex bebop groupings, a Charlie Christian lick creeping into Jimmy’s playing, while with Doug you have Parker’s original counter line on the head as well as some modern chord comps…

  • Uncategorized

    Jimmy Raney Retrospective (Part1 Early Years)

    Happy Birthday Dad! Below interview segment is from a Louisville jazz radio retrospective on Jimmy Raney with host Phil Bailey. I believe the date of the interview is 1988 if my recollection serves. The subject is Jimmy’s first recording in 1948 with pianist, Al Haig and saxophonist Stan Getz. Some very interesting background on the recording along with the tracks. Most of this music should be commercially available on re-release under Stan’s or Al’s name. Interview on Jimmy Raney’s first recording Pardon My Bop As I Live In Bop Interlude In Bebop Diaper Pin More from the retrospective to come https://www.jonraney.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Interlude_In_Bebop.mp3