fingerstyle players will like this

jazzinger · Joined: 27 May 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Las Vegas, Nv.

New on You Tube for pickers search Raj Rathor and find "There is No Greater Love" in the style of Lenny Breau a dear friend of Raj. Also Raj and his friend Jim Monahan who plays left handed upside down at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Let me know what you think. Enjoy, Diana www.jazzcatrecords.com

1bassleft · Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 12:15 am Post subject:

Welcome to the forum, Diana Smile

I took the liberty of altering the link to your site so that it worked properly. Although it should be in the "pics and clips links" category, it'd be nice if it stayed in the main cat for a while where more viewers look in. I'm a fan of modern jazz so I enjoyed both of the featured YooToob clips immensely.

I checked out "Limehouse Blues" first because, although my basses are strung correctly, I tend to play lefty guitar upside down because that's what my righty guitarists hand me. There ends my similarity to Jim Monahan, though. Seeing as you know Jim (I assume you did the very good job of camcording the performance), please make sure I receive his cryocooled hands and brain in the event of some unfortunate accident. I'm even willing to pay for some "salad forks cause fatal chest injury" accident to happen if the price is right Wink

My favourite clip, though, is "There is no Greater Love". There aren't many modern adaptations of this that I really like. Brits may have seen Amy Winehouse do a predictable cod-Billie Holiday version and (jazzers will beat me up for saying this) I think Sonny Rollins and Oscar Peterson go too much for that 1970s tour de force technical playing that loses the emotion of the song. Raj manages to combine skillful guitar playing without losing sight of the heart in the writing. The more structured clusters actually remind me of Joe Pass, but he also pushes the envelope a bit during the bass and drum solos.

I especially like Raj's guitar for this song. I've got my anorak rustling, but is it a Nocaster with Seymour Duncan pickups? Whatever, I can't remember seeing many jazz guitarist playing a Tele that sounds like a five-foot-deep Gibson ES. See if you can get him to enlighten me. Also, you ought to stick a song with your vocals onto the Toob.

jazzinger · Joined: 27 May 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Las Vegas, Nv.

Thanks for your great comments as well:-)

On "No Greater Love" Raj is playing a 1985 re-issue '52 tele with Joe Barden pickups acquired directly from Joe when he first perfected them.

Did you get to see the three other duo vids of Jim and Raj? Airmail, Four Brothers and Honeysuckle Rose....Oh, and Raj does " Angie" on a Martin D35. That's the one I filmed. The trio was shot by a pro at a concert we did and a friend filmed the Monterey Jazz Fest tunes although they don't allow that at the fest Smile

ooops. Glad we have the footage though. I want to get Jim and Raj back together for more of that great pickin'.

Again, I appreciate your help!
Diana

1bassleft · Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 1:21 am Post subject:

I just clicked on the two direct links on your Jazzcat site, although I did notice that others are available to view on Toob. I'll have a look at them. Your friend did a commendable job at Monterey (shall remain nameless in case the Jazz Police nick him). It's not easy to make any decent camcording from an audience position, but the swing-to as the solos switched between Raj and Jim were very well done in any circs.

1bassleft · Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 1:24 am Post subject:

p.s., thanks for the info on the Tele. That's a lot of fretboard laquer wear on a guitar that young; hence the wondering if it were a 50s original. Darn good RIs, those Japanese Fenders.

1bassleft · Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 2:02 am Post subject:

I've now viewed "Anjie", and the other three vids with Jim, and enjoyed them all. I do recommend that other Guitarsite regulars have a look. Frightening to think that 20yrs have passed since those Monterey clips but the same thing has happened to me (except I was playing in pubs in Lancashire in '88, which isn't quite the same as Monterey). Anyhoo, I'd vote for a post-up of a Raj + Jim reunion if practicable.

	GuitarSite.com Guitar Discussion Forum Index -> Guitar	All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1