Showing posts with label Bruce Hector. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bruce Hector. Show all posts

Thursday, December 14, 2017

Bruce Hector - Three's A Crowd

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:45
Size: 157.4 MB
Styles: Guitar jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[4:29] 1. Do Nothin Til You Hear From Me
[3:45] 2. Snowfall
[6:12] 3. Fotografia
[5:53] 4. A Song For You
[4:18] 5. Robbins Nest
[3:49] 6. Theme From The Pink Panther
[4:54] 7. Nuages
[4:03] 8. A Child Is Born
[6:31] 9. Willow Weep For Me
[4:52] 10. Slow Hot Wind
[4:09] 11. In A Mellow Tone
[5:02] 12. The Folks Who Live On The Hill
[4:36] 13. If I Had You
[4:07] 14. Change Partners
[1:57] 15. Come Sunday

This album is Bucky Pizzarelli’s fault. I first met him at a guitar workshop at the Cape May Jazz Festival in 2000. 39 players showed up with Martin dreadnoughts (!), but I showed up with a Gibson hollowbody and a small amp. When Bucky found I knew some standards, he asked me to comp for him while he taught. When we were done, to my delight, after finding I lived near him, he said, “you’re not bad – give me a call.”

A month later, I did. Bucky had me over and, in the course of an hour, did a virtual data dump of guitar knowledge, the first of many. It wasn’t long before Bucky said, as he does to so many other guitar players, “you gotta get a 7-string”. My wife insisted that I was having a John Nash “Beautiful Mind” moment, and didn’t actually know Bucky, but just wanted another guitar - she graciously relented anyway.

I found that Bucky wasn’t just incredibly generous with his knowledge, but with the bandstand as well. When I asked him to play at my son’s school, he said “on one condition – that you play a number with us at the end.” (“Us” by the way, turned out to be Howard Alden and Frank Vignola). When I went to see him at local gigs after that, Bucky would sometimes spot me and say, “you bring your guitar?”, and invite me up. So, based on that encouragement, in 2014, I summoned up the nerve to ask Bucky if he would record some tunes with me, and, incredibly, he said yes. The result is the six tunes you will hear on the album.

Since then, I had been telling myself I needed to build on these cuts for a full record, continuing with duets, but somehow life got in the way until now. How hard could it be? All I had to do was pick great tunes, and play them with great partners. Finally, with the aid of the likes of Ellington, Kern, Django, Mancini, Jobim, Thad Jones, and Leon Russell writing the tunes, and Bucky, Joe and Earl doing the playing, I hope we have done that here. But it all started with you, Bucky! Thank you.

Three's A Crowd

Saturday, June 14, 2014

Bruce Hector, Richard McCrae & Don Williams - Moonrise

Size: 145,6 MB
Time: 62:41
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Jazz: Guitar/Hammond Organ
Art: Front

01. Close To You (5:59)
02. Playing Hooky (4:03)
03. Street Of Dreams (5:34)
04. Cat Walk (4:33)
05. Chant Of The Orient (4:17)
06. Song For Carol (Ann) (3:47)
07. Moonrise (4:50)
08. Down Here On The Ground (4:54)
09. Theme From 'Mr. Lucky' (3:35)
10. If You Could See Me Now (5:51)
11. Two Left Feet (4:36)
12. Drivin' Stick (4:46)
13. Saving All My Love (5:48)

My love affair with the guitar started in the early 60's, with the folk music craze. But when I got to college, two things happened -- I heard my first Wes Montgomery record, and I met a guy who had just traded in his accordion for a Hammond B-3. We spent the rest of our college years trying to play jazz on club dates, and one great night had the chance to open for the great Jimmy Smith. After college and law school, I "took the day job", but still played at home and decided to study with a teacher, since up to that point I had played by ear. I started with Ted Makler in NYC for a brief time, followed by Joe Carter (a great player who focuses on Brazilian music) for many years. About 15 years ago, I ended up playing with the great Bucky Pizzarelli at a guitar workshop, and have since had the privilege of learning from him. More recently, Dave Stryker has also been sharing his vast jazz savvy with me. Playing out at jam sessions gave me the opportunity to meet Don Williams, who in turn introduce me to Richie McCrae. With them, I finally have the opportunity to pursue that jazz Holy Grail -- the fat sound of a Gibson hollowbody with an organ trio, a goal I've been chasing ever since I first heard Wes play!

Moonrise