Scott Henderson Discussion

countandduke · Joined: 17 May 2004 Posts: 197

I started this thread so it would have its own. I copied and pasted the comment and question regarding Ted. I know Scott has mentioned before and I believe Scott may have actually had a lesson with Ted and in that one lesson gave Scott material that would take several months to a year or even more to work through. I'm paraphrasing here so please no one take offense...

I know a thread for XTC isn't where I should bring him up but since you mentioned him I gotta comment and ask you Scott to talk about Ted Greene. Ted has got to be one of the most under appreciated talents on the guitar that I know of. I first purchased his "Solo Guitar" album when it first came out because I always love taking chances on guitarists that play solo guitar, especially jazz or blues standards. I'm interested in hearing the individual take/ideas done on the tried and true. I was so blown away by his playing that I kept waiting on a next album, which never came. Listening to Ted made me think that this guy was just staring at the fret board because his playing sounded so technical that he had to be constantly watching what he was doing. It wasn't until I saw a video of him that I was amazed at how laid back he was and played almost effortlessly. His Blues playing was just out of this world! Being on the East Coast I never got the chance to see him live as I always kept waiting for him to come around but never saw him near me. You guys on the West Coast and especially at MI were blessed to have him around. Scott, can you talk a little about Ted as a person, teacher and his influence on you, especially with your Blues playing. As with Lenny Breau, an amazing talent not exposed to the masses enough!

Scott can you also mention a few guitarists that might not be "household" names that we/I should check out. I'm always looking for new players to check out/listen to. They could be either current or even players from the past. I have a very large music collection but that doesn't mean I have 'em all! Thanks.

muddytrane · Joined: 18 May 2016 Posts: 55 Location: Herndon, VA

countandduke, thank you for doing what I should have done in the first place with my comment and question by starting it's own topic thread. Ted Greene definitely deserves to be discussed in his own thread and I hope that Scott gets the time to fully discuss this incredible guitarist. I'm sure Scott has talked about him in the past but I didn't catch his comments and Ted Greene is one that needs to be kept in everybody's conscience. Thanks again!

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

I got to hang out with Ted a few times when he taught at MI, and I also took a few lessons with him. It’s an understatement to say he was one of the best solo guitarists who ever lived. Not only did he have instant access to a huge harmonic vocabulary, he was able to voice-lead that harmony in the most extraordinary way I've ever witnessed. The only way I can think to describe it is to say he was improvising modern classical music, in the same way I've heard Keith Jarrett and Joe Zawinul do it. He could also explain what he was doing, though at times the explanations were too deep for me to understand.

That being said, I find it tragic that he did only one album in his career, and though it’s a good record, it’s shows about 10% of what Ted could do in his later years, since he never stopped growing as a musician. His real legacy lives on the video tapes of his students. He chose to teach rather than have a career, and I guess that's what made him happy, but from a selfish viewpoint I wish he had decided to play concerts and make more records because his genius deserved to be more widely recognized. I was walking back to my car after a lesson with him and I looked back at his apartment, which was buried anonymously in an apartment building a whole block long - I thought to myself, he should be living in a gold palace on top of a mountain.

Another true genius that I would recommend all guitarists listen to is Philip DeGruy. Like Ted, his harmonic vocabulary is off the charts, and not only does he play a 7-string, but also additional harp strings. His playing is orchestral to say the least, and I believe he’s the only solo guitarist who's mixed the influences of Ted Greene, Lenny Breau, Chet Atkins, and Jimmy Wyble, and brought it to a whole new level. I’ve seen him play many times, and the only word I can think of to describe his playing is otherworldly.

Kevin Thomas · Joined: 01 Apr 2016 Posts: 154 Location: France

Did TT call his tune "Sheik of Encino" because of him?

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

No, that tune was a jam in the studio, and we named it that to make fun of Kinsey because he lived in Encino and the last part of his solo on that tune sounds like a one-armed guy from Saudi Arabia - we wanted a solo with some out left hand comping/ a la Herbie, but what we got again was Joe.

tribalfusion · Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 45

What do/did you think of Joe Diorio's chordal playing? It always sounded to me like he used hipper voicings than Greene and other guys anywhere near his age.

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

Joe is amazing and I learned a lot of voicings from him. He has short fingers but is able to make huge stretches and pull off some seriously hard to play stuff, and he's brilliant at chord substitutions. I spent many hours in his room listening to him play solo guitar.

countandduke · Joined: 17 May 2004 Posts: 197

Just in case you all don't know or haven't been to Ted's site... It's AMAZING!!! TONS of Ted's lesson sheets are available for download. His students have posted cleaned up sheets too...

Anyways... I've heard stories about teachers at GIT that would play on stage for the entire class time and then say, "That was your lesson". I think Joe Pass and Joe Diorio did that? Scott, can you corroborate that? I love Joe's videos but his humming can get distracting... 😃

Best,
Chris

tribalfusion · Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 45

tribalfusion · Joined: 10 Aug 2009 Posts: 45

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

Joe was very laid back and down to earth in his teaching approach. He liked to get to know his students and even remembered their names, which is more than I can say for myself. I could tell he enjoyed the sharing of knowledge, especially when he knew the student was gong to work hard. The one thing I have in common with Joe is very little patience for students who seem interested but don't have what it takes to sit down and do the work.

muddytrane · Joined: 18 May 2016 Posts: 55 Location: Herndon, VA

Scott,
Thanks for the insight on Ted Greene. I agree that from a selfish standpoint I wish he would have done more recording and concerts so that more would have been left for his legacy for the world to hear. Yes his only album I love but you are right in that from the videos I have watched it only touched on his genius. He just amazes me watching him play so effortlessly like the guitar is his third arm! What an amazing talent that left us too soon. As countanduke mentioned, be sure to visit and donate to Ted's website. Keeping his music and anything associated with him is well worth it!

I just love Phillip DeGruy also, what a true genius! As you said, not only does he play a difficult instrument but his vocabulary is amazing. You hit it right on the head with his mixes of influences (I love all four you mentioned) but he takes their playing and ideas to a new level. I've never seen Phillip live but am hoping to because he is one of those unique players that you know will just blow you away live. I was lucky enough to see Lenny Breau live a few times, once with Danny Gatton that was just an amazing show, so seeing Phillip live would be an amazing experience for me. I recommend that everybody get a copy of the tribute that Phillip and others did to Ted Greene, "Remembering Ted Greene." It is an amazing tribute to a great genius!

Just to add that I just finished watching on PBS a segment on Infinity Hall Live with guitar greats with the amazing Tommy Emmanuel, who is also on the Ted Greene tribute recording. Every time I see Tommy play he is another that just makes my jaw drop! Don't think I have ever seen or listened to someone make an acoustic guitar come alive like an electric as Tommy does. Just another example of how complex the blues, known as the "easiest form of music" can be when played by a master of his instrument. If you want to add some comments about Tommy and his influence and playing, please do Scott!

Scott Henderson · The Man Joined: 20 May 2004 Posts: 2135

About Joe Diorio, as I said before, he knew a lot of his students were lazy, and I don't think some of his teaching was very inspired because of that. I don't blame him and I'm the same way myself. If he did play for the whole duration of a class and then say "that's your lesson", it's like saying "for those of you who were recording this, transcribe it, and for those of you who didn't, too bad." When a student asks to play a tune with me and I notice he's not recording it, I don't take him seriously at all - it's like telling me that he doesn't care what I play and isn't going to transcribe anything from it. My attitude toward a student like that is apathetic at best.

About Tommy Emmanuel, what can I say? That's a bad dude right there! Off the chain chops and the musicality to back them up - and also really great tone! Most guys with chops on acoustic sound like they're playing very light strings and picking hard. Nothing against their playing, but the tone can sound "plinky" for lack of a better word. Tommy's tone is huge sounding, and it sounds like he's using big strings, although if he is, I have no idea how he does what he does with them. Incredible finesse and taste on the instrument - just a great all-around player.