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RIP Tony Rice 1951-2020

Lango-DjangoLango-Django Niagara-On-The-Lake, ONModerator
edited December 2020 in Welcome Posts: 1,854

Possibly the greatest guitarist in bluegrass history...

https://variety.com/2020/music/news/tony-rice-bluegrass-great-dead-1234875125/

Paul Cezanne: "I could paint for a thousand years without stopping and I would still feel as though I knew nothing."

Edgar Degas: "Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.... To draw, you must close your eyes and sing."

Georges Braque: "In art there is only one thing that counts: the bit that can’t be explained."
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Comments

  • Posts: 4,730

    What... oh no...man...giant of acoustic guitar

    Every note wants to go somewhere-Kurt Rosenwinkel
  • lostjohnlostjohn Charleston, WV✭✭ Altamira M01
    Posts: 81

    A guitar hero of mine. Like Django, so much of his style, which has been emulated by scores of players since, had never been heard before him.

    A true innovator. It was his progressive, jazzier stuff that made me a huge fan, moreso than his bluegrass playing.

  • Lango-DjangoLango-Django Niagara-On-The-Lake, ONModerator
    edited December 2020 Posts: 1,854

    Me too, John.

    Tony’s composition “Swing 51” was a particular favourite of mine... even despite some green notes from the fiddle player...

    try to hang in there until Tony’s solo at 3:05...


    lostjohnBucovanmalmsteen
    Paul Cezanne: "I could paint for a thousand years without stopping and I would still feel as though I knew nothing."

    Edgar Degas: "Only when he no longer knows what he is doing does the painter do good things.... To draw, you must close your eyes and sing."

    Georges Braque: "In art there is only one thing that counts: the bit that can’t be explained."
  • scotscot Virtuoso
    Posts: 653

    A real artist, that's for sure. He's renowned for his flatpicking but he's also one of the best rhythm players in bluegrass/flatpicking/American acoustic jazz, not to mention a truly great singer and songwriter. He started out as a typical bluegrass player without any particular knowledge outside his idiom, but late in life he studied jazz, learned to read a chart, etc, and continually put himself with people who would push him to grow as a musician. He made a lot of recordings, but I think the one that would be of most interest to the folks here would be "River Suite for Two Guitars" with John Carlini, it's on spotify. It's quite something to hear how two master acoustic guitarists approach the soloing and rhythm on these jazzy tunes without any Django or traditional jazz influence I can hear. All the same, it's sophisticated and melodic, these guys really play great.

    It's also interesting to hear how they played Minor Swing in Dm on that Grisman LP. Not what we expect here, of course, but an original take all the same.

    RIP

  • BonesBones Moderator
    Posts: 3,319

    Wow, sorry to hear that. Yes, I really loved his stuff with Grisman back in the day. I think that their take was the first version of Minor Swing that I heard before I found the Quintet.

  • MichaelHorowitzMichaelHorowitz SeattleAdministrator
    Posts: 6,152

    So sad to hear this. Tony was my first inspiration to play acoustic music of any kind on the guitar. His tone was sublime and his execution flawless. I saw him many times back in the 80s/90s when he was arguably in his prime, amazing!

    Lango-Django
  • lostjohnlostjohn Charleston, WV✭✭ Altamira M01
    Posts: 81

    Bones, I think that was the first time I heard Minor Swing, also. The early Grisman albums were my introduction to GJ in a roundabout way, through Grapelli’s playing with them on a few tunes. When I first heard their stuff in late 70’s, it left me in awe, particularly Rice.

  • BonesBones Moderator
    Posts: 3,319

    Lost, I figured out the chord progression that they used and the key and that was how I thought Minor Swing was composed until I heard about Django. I wonder why they changed it from AB to AABA and changed the key?

  • JosechikyJosechiky
    Posts: 122

    Ohh,what a sad news!I'm so sorry.Definitely this is not being a good year.

  • geese_comgeese_com Madison, WINew 503
    Posts: 459

    I have actually never heard of Tony Rice until I saw this thread a various Facebook posts on my newsfeed. I am glad that I have discovered him now. Sad to hear hear of his passing.


    It looks like he did play a Selmer guitar on at least one track. He still had his own distinctive sound even though he was playing through a GJ guitar.



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