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Topic: Thelonious Monk, a la Sol Hoopii, Speedy West |
Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 13 Sep 2015 9:45 pm |
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I've been playing around with an arrangement of Monk's "Well You Needn't" for an upcoming project of all Monk for steel guitar, and this incorporates some of the wackiness of a Speedy West arrangement with a little Sol Hoopii and Les Paul thrown in.
More on this project at a later time, but this is a just a demo of me trying to get some solo ideas for the tune. I don't think it's originally what I had in mind, but there is no denying the amount of fun it is to play steel, and hopefully that shows here.
So, clams and all, here is a demo:
https://soundcloud.com/ionahoopii/well-you-neednt-demo
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 13 Sep 2015 10:14 pm
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By the way, I am playing my cast aluminum Clinesmith on all the steel tracks.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Jeff Au Hoy
From:
Honolulu, Hawai'i
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Posted 14 Sep 2015 2:10 am
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| Mind. Blown. |
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Charlie McDonald
From:
out of the blue
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Posted 14 Sep 2015 3:12 am
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I've been listening this to a week on the heels of another composition. I'm into the bassline myself, and who knows what you had in mind.
I can only echo what Jeff said. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 14 Sep 2015 5:20 am
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Thanks, gents. Some may hear this as a punk groove, some may hear it as surf, but to me it is klezmer. I spent a lot of time playing with some amazing klezmer musicians here in NY, and they have influenced me greatly. When I do record this legit, they will be on the track, no doubt.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Roy Thomson
From:
Wolfville, Nova Scotia,Canada
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Posted 14 Sep 2015 6:00 am
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Mike,
You get what you play for, and you got it!
Great!
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Custom Tabs Various Tunings
Courses Lap Steel, Pedal Steel |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 14 Sep 2015 6:05 am
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Well, you needn't but I'm glad you did! I can definitely hear the Klezmer influence. Do you know Andy Statman's music?
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Steel Guitar Books! Website: www.volkmediabooks.com |
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Stephen Abruzzo
From:
Philly, PA
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Posted 14 Sep 2015 7:11 am
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| Wow...very interesting. Expanding the repetoire for lap steel. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 14 Sep 2015 7:15 am
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| Stephen Abruzzo wrote: |
| Wow...very interesting. Expanding the repetoire for lap steel. |
Everyone has to follow his their own heart. I'm not really expanding the repertoire, just playing the way I hear it.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 14 Sep 2015 8:30 am
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Eastern Swing?
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Bo Parker
From:
Alabama, USA
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Posted 14 Sep 2015 8:47 am Re: Thelonious Monk, a la Sol Hoopii, Speedy West
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| Mike Neer wrote: |
| I've been playing around with an arrangement of Monk's "Well You Needn't" for an upcoming project of all Monk for steel guitar, and this incorporates some of the wackiness of a Speedy West arrangement with a little Sol Hoopii and Les Paul thrown in. |
Nice!
-Bo Parker |
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Bob Stone
From:
Gainesville, FL, USA
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Posted 15 Sep 2015 3:39 am
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Well, that was fun. Nice work. I look forward to the all Monk steel album.
I am a huge Monk fan and have spent some time working on several of his tunes.
Keep 'em coming. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 15 Sep 2015 5:55 am
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Thelonious is my favorite musician/composer, Bob. I'm devoting all of my energies into his music, I believe he is that important.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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Posted 15 Sep 2015 6:05 am
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| Mike Neer wrote: |
| Thelonious is my favorite musician/composer, Bob. I'm devoting all of my energies into his music, I believe he is that important. |
Great tonal study in that. He had a very unique style as everyone knows. It sounds like he dropped his hand whereever it lay but once you study it you realise its part playing style, hearing and part study what works.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zriS77PCaTk
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Stefan
Bill Hatcher custom 12 string Lap Steel Guitar
E13#9/F secrets: https://thelapsteelguitarist.wordpress.com
"Give it up for The Lap Steel Guitarist" |
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Bob Stone
From:
Gainesville, FL, USA
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 15 Sep 2015 6:39 am
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Bob, I am reading the biography now. It is an excellent book. Extremely detailed.
I have a few transcription books of Monk playing standards which I use for reference, and I have a fakebook of all his original music. The fakebooks all have a lot of wrong changes in them, which is why I prefer to use my ears.
A lot of folks listen to Monk and think he is avant-garde sounding, but I do not hear that at all. He brings me right back to stride piano, gospel piano, and blues. He was a bit more adventurous with his changes, which makes it difficult for improvisers who are used to blowing over the changes (beboppers, etc.). His music can't and shouldn't be approached that way.
I want to play Monk tunes, but I want to have fun reinterpreting them the way I hear them at that moment.
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You may be right about the scale of the steel, but I have been playing long scales now for about 6 or 7 years and only experienced this recently.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Stefan Robertson
From:
Hertfordshire, UK
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Posted 15 Sep 2015 6:44 am
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I love the fact that in order not to raise suspicion the book's author is Thelonius Monk.
He published a fake book of his own tunes. Or is someone trying to publish his songwriting without paying publishing.
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Stefan
Bill Hatcher custom 12 string Lap Steel Guitar
E13#9/F secrets: https://thelapsteelguitarist.wordpress.com
"Give it up for The Lap Steel Guitarist" |
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Bob Stone
From:
Gainesville, FL, USA
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Posted 15 Sep 2015 8:23 am
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Mike,
Re chord changes: You are a lot better at harmony than I. That said, I have observed plenty of variation in interpretation of his chords.
The gospel and stride roots are definitely there. Rhythm, rhythm, rhythm.
Re Bio: On page 43 the author proposes that the evangelist Monk traveled with early in his career may have been affiliated with the Church of the Living God founded by M.L. Tate in 1903. That is the "sacred steel" church. Now that would be an interesting fact to establish! And quite a challenge.
My saxophonist brother-in-law, Ron Brinnon, knew Monk's sax player, Charlie Rouse, pretty well--visited him in his home. Working with Monk couldn't have been easy...
Stephan,
The fake book is totally legitimate. "Look Inside" and check out the copyright page. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 15 Sep 2015 8:34 am
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| Bob Stone wrote: |
Re Bio: On page 43 the author proposes that the evangelist Monk traveled with early in his career may have been affiliated with the Church of the Living God founded by M.L. Tate in 1903. That is the "sacred steel" church. Now that would be an interesting fact to establish! And quite a challenge.
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I remember reading that the kind of gospel they played was like contemporary rock and roll and R&B (at least contemporary at the time of the article), according to Monk. He said it was in the southwest.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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HowardR
From:
N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville
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Posted 16 Sep 2015 4:08 am
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| Even your grooves have grooves.... |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 16 Sep 2015 6:19 am
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| very fine playing as always. that is an interesting groove. when the track came on and i heard the cut time, the first thing i thought was...well the 16th notes are going to be a monster!!...so you made it like a half time thing against the fast four/cut time. nice sound on that guitar too! |
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Mark Roeder
From:
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Bob Stone
From:
Gainesville, FL, USA
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Posted 16 Sep 2015 10:28 am
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Mike,
Re Monk's playing for an evangelist: I doubt very seriously that it was "Mother" Tate, |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 17 Sep 2015 7:39 pm
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Thanks to all who took the time to listen. I am really inspired to get this project going. I have quite a few tunes worked out and I am conceptualizing the arrangements.
Again, thanks for the support.
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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