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Looking for approaches to solo GJ gigs

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Comments

  • paulmcevoy75paulmcevoy75 Portland, MaineNew
    Posts: 715

    I dunno I think any of the Parisian guys could play solo any day of the week. Would it be "GJ" specifically, maybe not but Django played solos and I'm sure he could have played tunes.


    Not easy at all but why would it not be possible?

    TheGarethJones
  • edited January 25 Posts: 5,830

    Yeah, plenty of guitar players can play solo guitar gigs no problem. And getting good as the Parisian guys is the goal.

    TheGarethJones
    Every note wants to go somewhere-Kurt Rosenwinkel
  • djazzydjazzy New Castelluccia, Riccardo Mordeglia, AJL
    edited January 25 Posts: 155

    Very well possible...

  • pdgpdg ✭✭
    edited February 9 Posts: 636

    Here's Jon Delaney (now deceased) playing Menilmontant at a solo gig .

    https://youtu.be/y4xmCD-I5Nk?si=km4ss1DHpydOCHTf

    You can see how he has a rubato intro, then plays in-tempo, alternating chords, solo lines, and extended rhythm playing. Seems he fills out the time with rhythm chords -- until there would be an anxiety that he's just playing rhythm guitar, when he switches to leads, etc. Sometimes he sort of "trades" twos, fours, eights, whatever -- i.e., as if his rhythm playing were another soloist.

    frostymittendjazzywimBucobillyshakesJangle_JamieBillDaCostaWilliams
  • billyshakesbillyshakes NoVA✭✭✭ Park Avance - Dupont Nomade - Dupont DM-50E
    edited February 10 Posts: 1,767

    I remember a few years ago I learned Jon's solo version of Chez Jacquet from @geese_com 's Soundslice channel. It's on Jon's youtube channel too, but I have to post this version of All of Me just for @wim 's hilarious comment. Buco and I were just talking about Jon at practice last week. Excellent musician, sorely missed.


    Jangle_JamieBillDaCostaWilliamsdjazzyBuco
  • Posts: 4

    Having no players in my area, I've been struggling with this for a while..

    Solo jazz guitar is a great sound, but there is something extra challenging about getting that GJ energy without some sort of accompaniment.

    Backing tracks and loopers are a mistake though...

  • Jangle_JamieJangle_Jamie Scottish HighlandsNew De Rijk, some Gitanes and quite a few others
    Posts: 452

    Please explain why you think they're a mistake.

  • Posts: 4

    They are a crutch, at best.

    You are robbing yourself of an opportunity to grow musically. I've experimented with both, and they only helped to prolong my mediocrity by filling in the gaps of my musicianship.

    Talented people can make art with loopers and sequenced arrangements, no argument there. Just doesn't work for this tradition, IMHO

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