As I reflect on the loss of my brother for the second year, I have an even greater realization on how much he impacted the lives of people fortunate enough to hear him live, play with and to hang with him.

For those of you wanting to see my latest non-music ramblings visit here

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…

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…

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

Doug has a new page that I maintain for him.Some nice tracks, videos and links Check it out!

Back in the end of February, my cervical herniated disc (orig diagnosed in 2005) came raging back with a vengeance, affecting my right arm and shoulder so severely that it forced me to stop playing, reduce my computer work and cut out any type of strenuous physical activity. I am going to be documenting the specifics of this condition in my other blog Other Raney Day Thoughts. With the preoccupation and frustration of finding relief from this vexing medical issue, I find myself having difficulty staying focused on anything or follow-thru with projects and goals. Recently a co-worker hipped me to one of the new types of products that fall…

For anyone who missed it a while back in my first blogs, I am resurfacing this memorial tribute to Jimmy done on NPR. Jim Hall (who was interviewed on it) was kind enough to alert me to it and give me a cassette of it. Jimmy Raney Memorial Broadcast on NPR 1995

In an effort to keep more of a consistent blog message and align that with the audience I have created here, I have created another blog for non-music posts and offloaded the existing non-music posts. My interests extend beyond music ofcourse, but almost all of my recent posts have been more non music related. Some of this is due to my recent medical issues forcing me to stop playing; regardless, these type of posts are probably of less interest to the Jimmy & Doug Raney followers both old and new. The blog page is Other Raney Day Thoughts.

Young guitarist Joel Svensson did an admirable job on the transcription of Doug Raney’s solo to Four but don’t you think it’s about time we got a glimpse of the real deal!?? This clip was from a concert in Louisville, 1995. Also on the gig were pianist Phil DeGregg, bassist Tyrone Wheeler and drummer Norman Simmons. Note Doug’s concentration and how he is singing each phrase silently (watch his cheeks). Doug is da bomb! Watch the new Doug Raney Video on You Tube! and view the commentary.

It’s a great pleasure to present pieces of Jimmy’s marvelous 1993 master class to the world, finally. Those who enjoyed the first video a little while back will enjoy this one as well. As per usual, it’s not just about music, but rather the thoughts and insights of deep human being with understandings of things that most of us have to catch up with. As always a breath a fresh air. Again there are analogies made between language and music as I alluded to in follow up comments on the previous blog. Using your ear and learning from people who do it well is the key. Pay attention to what…

Recently, I re-discovered this little solo excerpt from a live concert from 2000. Although at the time I was pretty annoyed, when I listen now, I can’t help but crack up at the gentleman in the audience apparently in need of a lung operation during the performance. When I think on it I realize now that coughing during a concert is an established nuisance universally tolerated but secretly despised by performers and other audience members alike probably since the dawn of time. Picture if you will, the archetypal moment with all performers throughout the ages: bear skinned caveman over mastadon bones, angelic youth in a toga with aulos, Franz Liszt…

Just a note. The other day I got a very nice email/note to my Jon Raney website email from a pianist fan from Boston, MA. I reviewed it and was about to answer it the following morning, but somehow the email just vanished. It was nowhere to be found. I asked the admin at 1&1 email to try to recover it but they could not. So, to the fan out there hailing from Boston, MA thanks for the note and sorry for misplacing your email and I hope you visit again to the blog or jonraney.com. Sincerely, Jon Raney

Do you have a love hate relationship with computers and technical gadgets? I know I do. At times it seems like the gadgets have their own spirit and intentions and in some cases (as in below story) openly defiant. And forget about the manuals. I want to constantly shoot the authors of them. And gadgets always screw up at the same time don’t they? Which is contributing to my personal persecution theories… Case in point. I bought a Motorola 2.4 ghz cordless phone w/ answering machine. I was happy with the purchase and got it for a good price. But for some reason it would not correctly update the day…

In the absence of any substantial thoughts/ideas on my part, click below MySpace link where pics were posted recently: Jon Raney MySpace page. Guess which ones are camera phone shots…uggh. Some great old photos of Dad as though. They are snapshots of the originals which were auctioned off by EBay. Read prior blog about EBay. Click the “pics” link below the sidebar photo when you get to MySpace page. (Sorry, you need to login or sign up for MySpace in order to see the photos)

The pre-e-mail and Internet world is difficult to imagine now after years of its entrenchment in our daily lives. I was musing about when the first rudimentary email was launched at my former employ, the now defunct Guggenheim Museum Soho. E-mail and Internet communication occupies this vast space between mailing written letters and yakking it up on the telephone, along with everything in between: chatting, both written and voice enabled, message boards and… oh yeah blogs with reader commentary. With the addition of graphics, audio and live hyperlinks to other sources of related interest, electronic correspondence is a whole new accelerated communication paradigm. It’s simply different when you “speak” to…

Some time ago I spoke about my full time day gig at ThomasNet. At that point I was still getting the hang of everything. I was suddenly put in the html driver’s seat with license to throw the switch to send our newsletters to hundreds of thousands of subscribers. After some trial by fire, I feel pretty comfortable with everything – even last minute email blasts with lots of edit change requests. But this does not mean I am ready to say I’m an html expert on my resume by any stretch. I am a functioning newsletter production manager, but my html design skills are in need of an upgrade.…

Often I wonder if there is a way to predict and bring about- through preparation- a successful performance. But the older I get the more I feel it’s not possible. Why? Well, tell me truthfully whether you have had one of these experiences: 1. You were well rehearsed but played worse than you usually do2. You were well rehearsed but not spontaneous3. You didn’t practice at all and played great4. You did a lot of practicing and played very well and felt practicing paid off.5. You were not prepared at all and played like shit6. You were really looking forward to playing but then it was a disaster7. You were…

In my early years, I got heavy doses of Jimmy Raney, Bill Evans, Bob Brookmeyer, Cannonball Adderly, Pat Martino, Stan Getz and whatever records my brother Doug inherited from Dad. Doug put many albums on reel to reel tapes (the mp3s of yesteryear in terms of packin’ your favorites on one unit). Plus I heard my brother making recordings, jamming with himself and transcribing solos by Dad, Charlie Parker and Sonny Stitt. Sometimes half speed. When my brother left for Europe, that’s pretty much where my head was at in high school. I listened to the same records and it was all great but very traditional stuff. I would wear…

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…

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…

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…