Pribek

Here’s a neat story; Tom Petty has put together a reunion with his original band, Mudcrutch (1970-1975), for a west coast club tour and record release.

The rhythm guitarist practicing today, Tom Leadon, quit Mudcrutch in 1972 while the band was still playing bars in Gainesville, taking a losing bet on making it in California. Now, however, he’s gearing up for his slot on a sold-out tour.

“I was driving home from getting groceries at Kroger’s, and my cellphone rang,” said Mr. Leadon, 55, who has taught at the same school for 17 years. “He said, ‘Hey, it’s your old pal Tom Petty.’ My first thought was that it was one of my friends pulling my leg. I wasn’t going to fall for that.” Once he was convinced that it really was his world-famous former band mate, Mr. Leadon pulled to the side of the road to chat, and Mr. Petty told him he wanted to get the group back together.

Tom Leadon’s brother is Bernie Leadon an original member of the Eagles, by the way.

I think it’s pretty cool for Petty to be doing this. I don’t think the musical connection goes away and, everybody develops as they go along. So, it would be a kick to see how it all comes together after all those years.

That is a photo of Freddie Green. He played with one of the most successful bands of all time (Count Basie’s Orchestra), from any genre, for over 50 years. He played on scores of records that sold millions, traveled the world and influenced every jazz guitar player that came after him. He did all of this without ever playing a guitar solo. Just rhythm, that was Freddie Green.

Count Basie said this…

“You know what I call Freddie Green? He’s a tie-up man, because he’s not only very steady for the rhythm section, but he actually holds the band together.”

It’s all about playing in a complimentary fashion. If you are in a band and you want it to have some success, play in a complimentary fashion. Your main focus should be to play in a way that inspires the other players to be their best.

Freddie Green said…

“Now I’ve played rhythm so long it’s just the same as playing solos as far as I’m concerned. The rhythm guitar, I’ve found, is very important, though I didn’t think that way in the beginning. For one thing, it kind of smooths the beat out. The rhythm of a performance has what I call a ‘rhythm wave’, and the rhythm guitar can help keep that wave smooth and accurate.

“As for whether I play altered chords or otherwise experiment harmonically, it depends. If I feel the other half of the rhythm section is getting out of the groove, I have to keep playing the basic rhythm to bring the waves back even again. Or if the drummer takes a break, there’s a tendency for the rhythm section to get out of the groove when he comes back in, so I have to keep the beat going.

“In general, being a rhythm guitarist, I have to concentrate on that beat from beginning to end, listening for how smooth it is. If the band is moving exceptionally smoothly, then I can play whatever comes to mind, but that doesn’t happen too often. Almost all the time I’m concentrating on the rhythm wave.

Here’s a little video that shows a bit of what Freddy was about.

Count Basie Quartet – “I don’t Know” – May 1968

Count Basie (piano), Freddie Green (guitar), Norman Keenan (bass), Sonny Payne (drums)

One thing that’s interesting is, when the bass solo and drum solo sections are going on; Freddy lays out and he’s stone faced. Freddy said that; “When you play rhythm, there isn’t time to smile”. Even when he’s not playing, he is still concentrating on the beat from beginning to end. Even when he lays out, he’s playing rhythm.

There is an excellent website called, freddiegreen.org. It’s a fantastic resource for musicians. There are lessons, transcriptions, photos and interviews. It’s just packed with content. Any music lover, anybody who swings or wishes to should check it out as well.