Comments on: Who wrote Patsy Cline’s “Crazy”?

By: DNW

DNW — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 15:44:24 +0000

“Gringo on April 16, 2021 at 10:56 pm said:
DNW
‘In that regard Adrien Chevalier – who in my untutored estimation is the best Grappelli style violinist I have heard in years…’

Heaving heard Grappelli both in person and recorded, I’m not about to argue with you. Chevalier is GOOOOD. I wonder if Adrien is related to some other Chevaliers of historical import, such as Maurice Chevalier or Haakon Chevalier.

I don’t know, but the name is distinctive as it carries vague connotations of rank even today. Whether it is his real name or a stage name I could not say. Oddly, or maybe not [ if it was an intentional pick and kind of ” homage”] , Grapelli, was reputedly the son of an Italian marchese who seemed to have misplaced his chateau somewhere along the way.

Gringo, you might be the commenter I remember mentioning having back in his college age days seen Grappelli and Martin Taylor in that vineyard concert series in Ca., …which was later released on CD. It is a CD I still have.

The Avalon Jazz Band seems to have a revolving membership, and can even be too cloying: but for my money the 3 or 4 best YouTube performances feature Chevalier’s work.

Download these for your wife and save her a trip to the Starbucks or Pottery Barn CD eclectic moods collection rack. No Nina Simone cuts though. Haha

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N4zOi8h-Uds

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OddALnXIhkE

By: Gringo

Gringo — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 02:56:59 +0000

DNW
In that regard Adrien Chevalier – who in my untutored estimation is the best Grappelli style violinist I have heard in years…

Heaving heard Grappelli both in person and recorded, I’m not about to argue with you. Chevalier is GOOOOD. I wonder if Adrien is related to some other Chevaliers of historical import, such as Maurice Chevalier or Haakon Chevalier.

By: DNW

DNW — Sat, 17 Apr 2021 02:04:05 +0000

Want to drop off a link here to an ad of all things.

Following suggestions on YT and came across videos on the D’Angelico throwback collection. Some of you music-icans may be familiar with the history of that famous archtop brand along with the original Epiphone.

Anyway, the ad features Vinni Rainolo who accompanied Frank Vignola for years, and has in recent times worked as a lead guitarist on occasion with the Avalon Jazz Band. In that regard Adrien Chevalier – who in my untutored estimation is the best Grappelli style violinist I have heard in years – handles the violin.

Beautiful guitars, if a bit elaborate for my taste, for a couple thousand bucks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOpNoCy6ahc

By: Steph

Steph — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 21:34:54 +0000

Another thumb’s up for the Country Music doc. I usually find Ken Burns to be insufferable, but I thought he kept his politics in control in this one.

Jeff+Brokow – I’ve always enjoyed “roots” music, but I bounce around from Van Morrison to Mark Knopfler to Dylan to Miles to Coltrane to Beethoven to Shostakovich to King Sunny Ade to Fela and around some more, But I also found myself going to old school country after watching the doc. I broke out my old NGDB albums, which led to Bill Monroe, Bob Wills, Ralph Stanley, Buck Owens, and for those smooth harmonies, the Louvin Brothers.

By: KyPerson

KyPerson — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 21:28:44 +0000

I recommend Ken Burns Country Music highly. One of the commentators on that is Ketch Secor of the band The Old Crow Medicine Show. They have a CD and DVD that covers their show 50 Years of Blonde on Blonde and it’s really good. Roots band takes on Dylan.
Check out Lefty Frizzle’s version of Long Black Veil and pay attention to the sparse accompaniment. It makes a chilling song more so.
I grew up in Kentucky about 65 miles from Nashville and watched and listened to a lot of country music.

By: expat

expat — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 20:50:25 +0000

My hometown is about 50 minutes north on I81 from Winchester. Patsy Cline was like a local girl to us.

By: FOAF

FOAF — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 19:32:05 +0000

Griffin, glad to see you mention Lefty Frizzell, he is a favorite of mine. I didn’t grow up with country music other than pop crossovers – lots of those in the early 60s like Cline, Johnny Horton and others – but when I started listening to it in the 70s someone came out with a song “Hank and Lefty Raised My Country Soul”. I figured if he was being mentioned in the same breath as Hank Williams he must be pretty good and discovered a lot of great recordings by him.

By: Jeff+Brokaw

Jeff+Brokaw — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 18:49:37 +0000

Since we’re on the topic of country music, Neo (and others who like harmony) may want to do a deep dive into the Statler Brothers. I did this last March after their legendary bass singer Harold Reid (what a voice on that guy!) passed away.

Ever since that time — coincidentally this was just after the “Country Music” doc had finished, and that is definitely a factor — I’ve found myself going to old school country and “roots” music like this as a default.

By: FOAF

FOAF — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 18:15:54 +0000

Rufus, I hadn’t thought it through but it makes sense for the horns in a big band to tune to Bb. Of course playing bass, electric and upright, I tune to the open strings.

“Especially fretless instruments”

I think I have pretty good intonation but no I would not trust myself tuning upright bass except on open strings lol

By: Rufus T. Firefly

Rufus T. Firefly — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 17:56:07 +0000

FOAF,

Do you know the reason big bands tune to Bflat? It’s home position for the trombones and an open, non-valved, position for the other brass (sometimes, except trumpet and cornet players sometimes prefer different keyed instruments).

All brass instruments have at least one tuning slide that is moved in to “sharpen” the tone or out to “flatten” it. Since the trombone has a slide instead of valves, one can only tell it is in tune by playing a note in 1st position, when the slide is pushed against the stop at the lead end, by the lips. It’s also best to play an open note on the other, non-slide brass since each of their three valves can also be out of whack. By playing a note that does not require a slide position or valve one can truly tell if the tuning slide itself is in the right position*.

For a similar reason you want to tune stringed instruments to something “open,” requiring no fingering, to truly judge if the strings themselves are properly tuned at the pegs. Especially fretless instruments.

*In clarifying I think I just made it more confusing.