Gretchen Menn - Minor Swing

AlexC

She really lets rip on this one - especially when she gets on electric. Brilliantly shot video too. Enjoy!

ourmaninthenorth

Have mercy. 

Vibetronic

I got her 'Abandon All Hope' album from iTunes a few weeks ago. Outstanding player/composer, and a lot different to most instrumental stuff out there nowadays.

AlexC

Vibetronic said:

I got her 'Abandon All Hope' album from iTunes a few weeks ago. Outstanding player/composer, and a lot different to most instrumental stuff out there nowadays.

Glad someone else likes her. I was worried I may have been shouting into the void there. 

Vibetronic

AlexC said:

Vibetronic said:

I got her 'Abandon All Hope' album from iTunes a few weeks ago. Outstanding player/composer, and a lot different to most instrumental stuff out there nowadays.

Glad someone else likes her. I was worried I may have been shouting into the void there. 

 I can't remember how I found out about her - I think it may have been a Facebook like from someone that I clicked on. I just thought her style was pretty unique - lots of orchestrated passages, and not just distorted guitar djenting or whatever on an 8-string. Plus writing a concept album based on Dante's Inferno is ambitious, and cool. 

Nitefly

Very impressive!

notanon

Neat neat neat, thanks for posting ;-)

english_bob

It's a nice video, but I was under the impression that playing a note for note copy of someone else's performance of a tune was pretty much exactly not the point of jazz. 

mgaw

didnt really do it for me sorry, love the tune but all seemed a bit pedestrian, take a way the expensive video, her "looks" and you are left with a competent but bland guitar performance

english_bob

mgaw said:

didnt really do it for me sorry, love the tune but all seemed a bit pedestrian, take a way the expensive video, her "looks" and you are left with a competent but bland guitar performance

Having heard her on the always excellent No Guitar Is Safe podcast (where you can't see what she looks like) I'm sure she's talented, and some of her other music is impressive. I just don't see the point in this particular piece.

"Getting in to jazz" seems to be a popular thing these days for the competent guitarist looking to expand their vocabulary, but learning a couple of solos from a classic recording note for note isn't learning jazz. 

mgaw

Philly_Q

That's a really odd coincidence.  I hadn't seen this thread until today, never seen her YouTube channel before, but....

[Insert Twilight Zone music here...]

I was watching those clips of her playing Deep Purple solos last night.

I really want to (finally) learn the Highway Star solo now, and her video's so clear I think it will help.  Which may not sound like a big deal, but I never learn anything new on guitar.

AlexC

I get what folk are saying that 'hey, she's just doing someone else's stuff' and I may have made a mistake posting that particular clip. But it's worth pointing out that the majority of what the late great Django did was versions of existing material - La Mer, Tea For Two, etc. Of course, that was the norm then anyway. 
However, although she rose to prominence in Zepparella, Menn does also compose her own stuff - which has been already said by other posters.

EricTheWeary

I feared the worst when it said about playing Minor Swing on electric but it was all good. Not sure it adds anything to the catalogue of versions but it's certainly fine playing. 

I think it was Gretchen who did that article in GP about stage 
levels that I quoted remorselessly for a year so I thought she had interesting things to say as well. 

AlexC

english_bob

AlexC said:

I get what folk are saying that 'hey, she's just doing someone else's stuff' and I may have made a mistake posting that particular clip. But it's worth pointing out that the majority of what the late great Django did was versions of existing material - La Mer, Tea For Two, etc. Of course, that was the norm then anyway. 

That's true, but it's not quite what I was saying. Having the same "head" was common, as was improvising on a pop song, but this video looks to be the entire performance from the Django Reinhardt version- the acoustic plays Django's solo, the electric is Stephane Grapelli's violin part. Copying an entire performance wasn't the norm back then- it was frowned upon in the same way soundalike supermarket muzak albums are today. 

english_bob

Also, is it just me or is she *really* short?

mgaw

she looks very much like mrs mgaw

merlin

I guess this is what happens when classical players work from the outside in. She's technically really good but her playing leaves me a little cold. She almost reminds of the famous Jazz pianist Hiromi, all learned, no risk, no real swing but great to watch, great skills and entertainment. 

Music has become more product than Art. The Music industry is more about Industry than Music. Keep up the good fight! 

AlexC

mgaw said:

she looks very much like mrs mgaw

Lucky man!

Winny_Pooh

She plays the notes but doesnt swing (insert facepalm) the rock stuff is better though.