Jimmy Raney Book: Sequence & Development

This is a demonstration of Jimmy Raney Book Chapter 3 and how you can use it to improve your playing

[@Nightprowler696]

I bought the book as soon as I heard from it. Thank you very much releasing it. I love the playing of your father and also of your brother.

[@raneyjr]

😊Thank you very much!

[@gregwarner8560]

Hi Jon. I think the original phrase comes from Lester's famous tag on "Sometime's I'm Happy" (version with Guarnieri, Slam and Sid Catlett). Your father mentions listening to Lester to study the art of developement and I think this session, along with Just You, Just Me is exemplary.I first heard your father in the early 1970's in a club in NY called The Guitar (I was 17 then, I'm 70 now!). He was there for a long engagement and I went almost every night. He usually played with bassist Mike Moore. Your father played so Great I can't put it into words. Often times early in the evening you're brother Doug and I would the only ones in the place. One night Jim Hall was playing with Ron Carter and Doug sat in playng Jim's ES175. He was just a teenager. They played a Bb blues I remember and Jim was very complimentary. I drove Jim out to Jimmy D'Aquisto's shop to pick up the guitar Jmmy made for him. I also became a lifelong friend of Joe Puma's who alternated with your father in the Jimmy Lyon Trio at The Blue Angel accompanying Mabel Mercer and also on her recording "Merely Marvelous". Jimmy Lyon performed at Tatum's funeral! Almost as striking as your dad's playing was his humility. Greg

[@raneyjr]

Hello Greg. You could be right about the pentatonic thing. His first influences were Prez and Christian before Parker. Pentatonic licks were more common in the Swing era. Thanks for sharing your stories. They predate my experience with Dad's gigs which were a few years later, though I did go to the Guitar gig at age 11. I remember sawdust on the floors. I also remember because I was introduced to George Van Epps. Later when I told Doug I made a mistake about omitting the middle name (I was 11 sue me lol) when I told him. I said, "I met George Epps". He needled me mercilessly for years about that. Ha

[@sgcim956]

@@raneyjr It was funny; when I spoke to your dad at Zinno's, the first thing I asked him was, "Wasn't Prez one of your biggest influences?" He said, "No, Charlie Parker was my main influence." I was aware of that, as Barry Harris said on the liner notes to the "Live at Tokyo" album that "Jimmy Raney was the closest thing he ever heard on the guitar to Yard", a fact I always have to remind all the Bird and BH zealots, but I just wanted to hear him talk about what Greg had posted. It's also rarely noted that Mingus named Jimmy Raney as his fave jazz guitarist. Understandably, your father was not in the greatest mood that night, due to an aspect of the group, so I just changed the subject.😁 Your presentations on the book are an oasis of musical sanity on YT, keep them up!

[@gregwarner8560]

That's funny about van Eps. We used to call him van - eezzz he was so fluent! His father Fred played with George Gershwyn. Van Eps as a little boy would sit on Gershwyn's lap as they rehearsed! Bless the Raney family (PS - I took up tenor after copying Lester's solos on guitar and ended up playing saxophone for the next 47 years) Really great communicating with you Been bottled up in me for half a century!

[@raneyjr]

​@@sgcim956 Re: Prez. Yeah not sure what that's about. It seems like that lick he plays on the JA play along record on Rhythm changes (top of last A, first chorus) is right out of Lester. Perhaps Greg can confirm this. Re: sanity. I'm trying...,😉

[@gregwarner8560]

Purchased the book from Sher Music. Thanks Jon

[@raneyjr]

@@gregwarner8560 Thanks Greg! Hope you like,😊

[@bobblues1158]

Super way of looking at this subject.

[@raneyjr]

@@bobblues1158 thanks Bob!

[@gospodine]

Thanks Jon

[@raneyjr]

Your welcome😊

[@pgroove163]

👍