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Chords & Discords
Wooten Transformed Me
After reading Victor Wooten’s “Notes
Are Overrated!” article (July ’08), I can
now improvise on the bass guitar. It’s
unbelievable that Wooten immediately
transformed me into a jazz musician.
Previously, I had a tendency to
overthink music, which made my
playing seem repetitive, uncertain and
lacking in flow.
I had been working through developing
and playing walking bass lines,
diligently learning the different techniques
while learning to read sheet music for
bass through transcribing some of the examples.
Still, I was not seeing any progress and
did not have a groove. After reading the article,
I unplugged the bass track to that instructional
CD and played the first 20 songs just by
listening to, and feeling, the music. I sounded
better than I ever had before.
Analytically, the article makes sense, especially
in stating that a so-called wrong note is
never more than a half step away from a right
note. But what made the article so liberating
was reading that for bass guitar, groove is
paramount. Also, that all 12 notes are good in
their own way and it’s important to feel like a
kid playing air guitar. No hyperbole here, but
from a music perspective, this is the single
most transformational thing I’ve read.
John Diedenhofen
john.w.diedenhofen@imco.com
Jazzschool Gratitude
Thank you so much for the beautiful article
and mentions in DownBeat (“Student Music
Awards,” June ’08). I am so honored to have
been selected for the Education Achievement
Award and appreciate all the visibility you
gave to the Jazzschool’s new partnership
with Yoshi’s. We’re all working hard here in
the San Francisco Bay Area to promote the
music, so when a gift like yours comes
along, it feels like it’s too good to be true.
Susan Muscarella
Berkeley, Calif.
Valve, No Slide
Thank you for supporting the music, but I do
have a factual correction to make. In the
Brian Lynch “Blindfold Test” (May ’08), I am
listed as playing slide trumpet, but I’m playing
a valve trumpet on that track.
Steven Bernstein
New York
Edit Mehldau
Brad Mehldau is an excellent pianist and
deserves his Critics Poll rating (August ’08).
But having seen him many times playing
before an audience, it occurred to me that he
would be an even better player if he shortened
certain tunes. Every piece does not
have to be extended into a concerto.
Jim Newell
jjnewell@verizon.net
King Crimson Deserves Props
Thank you for your reviewing King Crimson
in the past. The Crimson were right up there
with the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return
To Forever in terms of progressive jazz of the
1970s. But because they were British and a
rock band, jazz critics and audiences ignored
the group. I am grateful to see that dispelled,
as Robert Fripp is a musical genius.
Roger Remick
rogerremick@earthlink.net
Hancock Should Spark Renaissance
Now that Herbie Hancock captured a
Grammy Award for Best Album, we can let
the jazz age begin. Maybe now’s the time for
us jazz supporters to launch a cultural renaissance
for our music, equivalent to the jazz
age of the 1920s.
Donald Brown
Chicago
Clarification
In the article on Maria Schneider, her album
Sky Blue is listed as being on the ArtistShare
label and released through her web site
(August ’08). Sky Blue was released by
ArtistShare, and the people who participated
in the recording did so through contacting her
at mariaschneider.com. The album can also
be purchased through her site’s direct link to
ArtistShare.
Correction
Trumpeter Kermit Ruffins is misidentified in
the photograph of his concert at Orchestra
Hall in Minneapolis (“Caught,” July ’08).
DownBeat regrets the error.
Have a chord or discord E-mail us at editor@downbeat.com.