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Hearing Ted Greene For The First Time: by Greg Clayton |
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Hi Dale, Frank Quinn, Montreal guitarist and proprietor of Frank Quinn Music had the hippest store for jazz guitarists in the 70's. Located in Montreal's West End. It was the spot to drop in and talk music, pick up gear and the best and latest in method books, arranging texts etc. In those pre internet days, Frank would travel to the NAMM Show each year to hook up with Joe Pass [who knew Frank from the 50's and early 60's when Joe would hit town in a traveling group] Howard Roberts, [who did an early seminar for Frank] Tommy Gumina [ Frank Quinn Music was the exclusive Polytone distributor in Canada] and others. As a jazz guitarist himself, Frank always brought the new music study material and news of any new players back with him as well as the normal things he needed for his store. I don't remember which came first, the real early copies of Ted Greene Chord Chemistry or the solo guitar lp but I do remember this about my first listen. The playing was amazing, and on hearing "Just Friends" for the first time where Ted builds walking bass, chord comps and the melody all at the same time I turned to a friend and said "If he starts blowing bebop on top of this I'm quitting !!" Fortunately for me, Ted was human and didn't do that so I'm still playing but all these years later I'm still amazed at his accomplishments. He was one of a kind and left a great legacy, sort of a modern day Carcassi or Fernando Sor in that his study materials permeate the guitar world. Greg Clayton
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© Dale Zdenek 2007 |