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John Ellard
Member Since: 2017 | Location: Dallas | Page Views: 523About Me
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My Jazz Story
My attraction to Jazz was based on multiple factors:
1. Having grown up singing traditional hymns and Handel's Messiah in
church choir, I quickly got bored playing 3-chord Rock `n' Roll;
2. The melodies in Jazz were like nothing else I'd ever heard;
3. The harmonies and chords were so rich in intervals, on an intellectual
and spiritual level; it's a lifelong study and challenge;
4. The clever lyrics are the most sophisticated of any genre of music I've
ever heard; the writers expressed emotion without wearing their hearts
on their sleeves;
5. Lastly, I saw Joe Pass in the early 70's playing alone on a small outdoor
stage in a field next to UCSD. Mr. Pass blew my mind with his virtuosity.
Watching him play Stevie Wonder's, 'You Are the Sunshine of My Life,'
with no accompaniment, yet I heard bass lines, chords, and the melody, I
was awe struck. In those days, we all thought Jimi Hendrix was 'the
bomb', but I knew I was witnessing something that even the great Jimi
Hendrix couldn't do. My life as a musician was changed that afternoon,
while sitting on the grass in a field watching an incredible 1-man band
demonstrate his mastery of the guitar.
My House Concert Story
Favorite Places to See Jazz
Contests
Win a copy of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown on Pumpkin-Shaped Translucent Orange Vinyl!
The Complete Freddie Hubbard Blue Note & Impulse Studio Sessions
Theme Song
Playlist
This page was last updated on 2024-11-20.
