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Thread: Strats in jazz?

  1. #1
    Forum Member S. Cane's Avatar
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    Strats in jazz?

    I am not really schooled in jazz guitar, my favorite jazz players being sax and trumpet guys.

    Do you guys know of any strat players in Jazz?

  2. #2
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Strats in jazz?

    Bill Frisell sometimes plays Strats and Teles. And Walter Becker played Teles and Strats on Steely Dan records. For traditional jazz tones, SD pulled in people like Larry Carlton who plays a 335 and did so on their records.

    You can play jazz on any kind of guitar, but with a Strat, you're not going to get the tones we most associate with jazz, a semi- or hollow body. That doesn't mean a Strat is no good for jazz; it can be, but you've got to expect the Strat to serve a different purpose than, say, Wes Montgomery's L5(?).

    Sometimes, we get stuck on the "musts" of a particular style or genre. Why not a Strat for jazz? Why not a nylon string acoustic for hard rock? Well, we don't want to blur the edges too much if we're stuck on the clichés of a genre.Why do we have to imitate our heroes in gear and fashion? SRV launched a million vests and hats with gaudy hatbands; it felt like a requisite uniform--why not wear a sports jacket and tie while playing blues or punk? Music and fashion have grown up together, and if we insist on the tropes, we're going to make them both anemic.

    The answer to your question is: there are few guitarists known for playing a Strat in jazz. And my point is: Use a Strat, a Sears Harmony, a washtub, or a bucket and a stick for jazz. just because it hasn't been done a lot doesn't mean it shouldn't be done.
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

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    Forum Member OldStrummer's Avatar
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    Re: Strats in jazz?

    Not exclusively, since he's played every kind of guitar known to man, but John McLaughlin (of whom Jeff Beck has said, "I'd say he was the best guitarist alive") has been seen playing a Strat. This very bad photo of him in 2007 playing at the Crossroads Guitar Festival...

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  4. #4
    Forum Member ch willie's Avatar
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    Re: Strats in jazz?

    A Strat is a fine instrument for fusion, so I get JM playing one on that type of music. And of course, he could make spaghetti sound great.
    If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison

  5. #5
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    Re: Strats in jazz?

    Oz Noy shreds some serious modern jazz on a Strat.

    One of many examples:


  6. #6
    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
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    Re: Strats in jazz?

    I think Garcia may have played a Strat on Aomoxomoa.
    "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim

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    Forum Member Gravity Jim's Avatar
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    Re: Strats in jazz?

    Oz Noy is a certifiable monster and a dazzling fuser of jazz/rock/blues into a highly personal style. I love him.

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    Forum Member OldStrummer's Avatar
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    Re: Strats in jazz?

    Quote Originally Posted by Gravity Jim View Post
    Oz Noy is a certifiable monster and a dazzling fuser of jazz/rock/blues into a highly personal style. I love him.
    And that's quite an ensemble he's playing with. I saw Vinnie Colaiutta performing with Jeff Beck a couple of years ago. Inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1996, and the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2014. I'd say he's got some chops, too!
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  9. #9
    Forum Member jrgtr42's Avatar
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    Re: Strats in jazz?

    Quote Originally Posted by OldStrummer View Post
    And that's quite an ensemble he's playing with. I saw Vinnie Colaiutta performing with Jeff Beck a couple of years ago. Inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1996, and the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2014. I'd say he's got some chops, too!
    Once upon a time when I worked at a GC, we had a clinic with Vinnie. Honestly he was kind of a jerk until he went out back for a few minutes.
    During and after the performance he was really cool, and took pics, signed autigraphs and so on.
    One of the questions was asking about a particular Zappa song and the time signature. He thought a minute, started tapping a bit and finally said that it was in 17/9 time.
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