Question and Answer

On this very moving song from BTMS, during C. Haden's bass solo you do some "backround" comping on acoustic guitar which had a sort of Django Reinhardt, "swing era" feeling. The passage I'm thinking of is kind of quiet, but very effective, and I can't think of any other playing of of yours that is in this style. Will you revisit that zone some time? There's one chord in this passage (I'm not a musician obviously) that sounds unexpected but incredibly appropriate. Everyone always focuses on solos, but I just thought I'd mention how much I enjoyed the above passage.

hi bob,

thanks for the compliment, i really appreciate it.

actually that is one of my favorite parts of that record - and one of my heroes is in fact freddie green, the master of the kind of playing that you are referring to.

it is kind of funny that in all the years of playing that i have done, it never really came up that that particular solution to a musical setting was appropriate - it is a way of playing that i love to do, even though it is hard to do.

the only guy i have ever heard who can REALLY do it that approaches the level of mr. green is jim hall, and he brings a harmonic sophistication to it that is really amazing (see "my funny valentine" on "undercurrent"). also, this is the highlight area for me of russell malones playing - he has got an incredible sense of motion when he does it and is simply great at it.