Amazingly, Billy Bean sounds a lot like Pat Martino. That's not because Billy studied Pat a lot. On the contrary. In the 1950s Billy was already playing like that. Pat listened to him! One of Billy's best albums is the drummerless trio album that he recorded in 1961 with Hal Gaylor and Walter Norris, simply called "The Trio." This is one of the greatest drummerless trio recordings ever made, on a par with Tal Farlow's 1950s trio recordings with Eddie Costa and Vinnie Burke. Essential Bean listening. Fantastic boppin'. Here's "Grooveyard" from that album. The second one is from a different album "The Trio Rediscovered." Anyway, both albums are superb.
OMG, that is AMAZING!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dick!!
ReplyDeleteBean's sound on this cut - his tone and melodic ideas - remind me of one Martino cut in particular: Close Your Eyes, on East! Also, reading a bit on Mr. Bean, he was a Philly native, as was Martino.
ReplyDeleteHe apparently played a Gretsch Electromatic and "a Premier Model 88N amp before 1960, after which time he switched to a 1x12 Ampeg combo amp (the model of which he does not recall)." Perhaps a Jet or a Gemini I.
ReplyDeletehttp://gretschpages.com/forum/vintage-gretsch-guitars/what-teh-heck-is-that-gretsch-billy-beans-guitar/35790/page1/
Héhé I'm the one who created this topic on gretschpages :D fun to see it here! Thanks a milluion times roger for having me listen to east! again, what I hadn't for a couple years. WHAT A SOLO ON MINOR CHANGES!
ReplyDeleteAnd of course billy is the shit. The best guitar player of his era alongside with Wes and jim hall in my opinion. His playing is beyond the other players to my sense. there is an inner beauty in it, and especially on this record.
To be accurate, He used a 1953 Gretsch electro II.
If you are interested in learning more about Billy, you should contact Philly based guitar player seth greenberg.
Billy Died last year, and seth did write a 500 pages autobiography about billy, and it's printed this week!! alongside with the bio, there is a facsimile of billy manuscritps !! (compositions, notes, work...!)
thanks Duck for publishing about Billy ;)
Just seeing your reply now. I don't have this (wonderful) blog set up to bump me when there is an entry on a topic that commented on. So, thanks for the reply and the information. Cheers, Roger
DeleteJust seeing your reply now. I don't have this (wonderful) blog set up to bump me when there is an entry on a topic that commented on. So, thanks for the reply and the information. Cheers, Roger
DeleteDick O,
ReplyDeleteHi, I remember you from the jazz guitar forum. I think I've got the complete trio album. Do you know which cut you are missing?
Steve Gallagher