What’s Hot With Jazz Guitar: Jay Graydon

by Doc Dosco

This week we feature jazz guitarist Jay Graydon. I have featured Jay's Bebop album previously, however now he has a play along book and CD based on his recording Bebop. “Now you can play along with one of the music industry's most celebrated artists: guitarist, songwriter and producer Jay Graydon. Actual tracks from his Grammy – nominated Bebop album have been remixed minus guitar on the CD to let you learn and perform eight of Jay's original bebop tunes, recorded by Jay himself and top session players.”

Jay Graydon has worked with practically everyone who is anyone as a session guitarist, and as you will learn from his bio, has won numerous awards for his song writing and production.

Jay's CD Bebop shows off his abilities at playing straight ahead jazz (which I might say are outstanding). The tunes are all original except for the ending rendition of the Star Spangled Banner and although they follow standard jazz changes, they are fresh, with creative lines and a big sound.

The production on Bebop is a cut above the average jazz CD. As Jay is a talented producer, he is well known for the care and attention paid to the feel, and the polish given to the over-all mix and it shows on this recording. His sideman are hot too. Dave Weckl is on drums, Brandon Fields on sax, Bill Cantos on Piano, and my all-time favorite upright player, 'Demon' Dave Carpenter on bass.

My take: “Bebop is very, very hip. Dazzling solos, burnin' tracks, a real gem of a jazz CD…”

Now with his minus guitar play along book and CD, guitarists who wish to study Jay's playing can gain new insight working with the actual tracks.

Online Bio:

Jay Graydon may not be known to each and everyone, but to all lovers of quality music he is known as one of the greatest guitar players and songwriters of all time in music history. Together with super producer/songwriter and long time pal David Foster he is also known to die-hard fans in Europe and Asia as the co-founder of “Westcoast Music”. This music genre has its roots in the late 70s, and is also labeled Adult Contemporary Pop Music or AOR for short.

Between the late 60s and the late 70s Jay played on practically every “A” list session in Los Angeles, acquiring a glowing reputation as an ace studio guitarist/ solo specialist on numerous albums with Barbara Streisand, Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, The Jackson Five, Cheap Trick, Christopher Cross, Ray Charles, Cher, Joe Cocker, Marvin Gaye, Hall & Oates, Olivia Newton-John, and Albert King just to name a few. It is almost easier to enumerate those artists he hasn't played with or produced or written songs for, than those artists whose career he has participated in.

His discography is massive and includes both fairly unknown artists as well as mega stars like Air Supply, George Benson, Al Jarreau, DeBarge, El DeBarge, Sheena Easton, Art Garfunkel, Manhattan Transfer, Johnny Mathis, Patti LaBelle, Lou Rawls, Kenny Rogers and Dionne Warwick, just to name a few.

Read on:

http://jaygraydon.com/biogrtxt.htm

You will find lots and lots of features on Jay Graydon's website: interviews, reviews, discography's, new productions, sound clips from various recordings over the years, etc.

Jay Graydon Official Web Site:

http://www.jaygraydon.com

Doc Dosco is a jazz guitarist, composer and audio consultant living in Los Angeles, CA. His website is located at http://www.docdosco.com, where you can find more information on the 'What's Hot with Jazz Guitar' columns, audio clips of Doc's playing, and many additional features. Doc now endorses Peerless Guitars and has the website Jazz Guitar Zone to help promote Peerless jazz guitars in the US. He also endorses the new Pignose Valve Tube Amps — great for jazz (and anything else!)

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