Artist Features
Rodney Jones: The Art of Jazz & The Craft of Guitar
JGT’s editor Bob Bakert interviews renowned jazz guitarist and former professor of Jazz Guitar Studies at The Juilliard School – Rodney Jones.
“Rodney Jones occupies a unique place in the jazz guitar world – kind of a Zen Master of the current active A-list players. You can count on one hand the guys who rose to the pinnacle of academia (former professor at Juilliard and Manhattan School), television (The Rosie show), toured and recorded with jazz icons (Dizzy Gillespie, Lena Horne, Chico Hamilton), and beloved by his family, students, and friends.” Howard Paul, President/CEO Benedetto Guitars
Photo above: Matthew Parrish
Rodney started playing the guitar at age 6. He recorded two records for Blue Note Records, “The Undiscovered Few” and “Soul Manifesto”. He has toured worldwide, performed, and recorded with a who’s who of the music industry including Dizzy Gillespie, James Brown, Lena Horne, Quincy Jones, Christian McBride, Stevie Wonder, Elvin Jones, Kenny Burrell, Stan Getz, and countless others. He was the house guitarist for the Apollo Theatre for nine years, and the staff guitarist for the Rosie O’Donnell Show for six years. He has written commercials and has more than 125 compositions recorded. He recently scored a documentary film for PBS about African American GIs in WW2. Rodney served as Musical Director/Producer for Lena Horne, Ruth Brown, Gloria Lynne, Ernestine Anderson, and others… He was a professor of Jazz Guitar Studies at The Juilliard School for 12 years and at The Manhattan School of Music for more than 20 years and has conducted clinics and workshops worldwide. Rodney remains at the forefront of modern jazz guitar and continues to break musical barriers with his music.
Jazz Guitar Today’s Bob Bakert Interviews Rodney Jones:
JGT: What ways have you found to navigate these turbulent times? The worldwide Covid-19 Pandemic has closed all of the clubs and festivals. How do you stay connected, and stay connected to your fans?
Rodney: My practice, my life’s work has been to place my attention on the present moment. I am always looking for the gifts and opportunities that life offers through challenges, and the journey through life.
My connection to the listeners, guitarists, friends, and everyone, has always been heart to heart. Nothing about these times has changed that. While I practice physical distancing I do not practice social distancing. People seek the same things that they always have sought from and human connection. They seek love, comfort, acceptance, authenticity, presence, awakening, awareness, fun, and validation. That is what I offer through my playing, through my music, face to face. I continue to offer that online through live broadcasts, and sharing the wisdom and experiences born of my musical journey and heart.
Rodney Jones is a legend among musicians especially guitarists. He is worthy of the ears of any music listener.” George Benson
Rodney: These days can be used as a time for reflection and I have done this. I have looked at my journey in music and asked, “What is truly important”? I am not so much concerned with what I can share, as I am with, what I should share. “What will offer the most to those who listen?” This changes, day to day, and week to week.
Now more than ever, the importance of the musician knowing their “Why” is important. Knowing “Why” gives purpose and meaning and strength for the journey through changing and difficult times. I am not so much interested in teaching this as I am modeling this through what I do and how I live my life. I share, “World” lessons not just “Word” lessons. I share the things that life has shown me to be true and that I have seen help others.
JGT: How can jazz guitarists use this time to actually get better as a player? What can they do to experience real progress?
Rodney: This is always a question that guitarists ask me. There are so many things to learn. There are so many methods. So many people competing for your attention and dollar. Are there any secrets? Are there any tips that actually will make a difference? I am happy to say that in my experience and journey, there are a number of things that can change the trajectory of a persons music journey, There are things that Master guitarists know, some intuitively, and some consciously, that they practice. Here is a summary of some of these “Master Guides” that can make a real difference when applied and practiced.
VIDEO ABOVE: Filmed at the New York jazz club Smoke, Rodney Jones enlightens us with his flavorful originals like “Groove Bone” and “One Turnip Green,” while he indulges us with the classics such as “Stella by Starlight,” and “Morning of the Carnival.” For Live at Smoke, his first DVD as a leader, Rodney Jones selected material from every stage of his career, including tunes he had not previously recorded.
The result is an exquisite juxtaposition of traditional and progressive works, including sultry ballads, floor-pounding grooves, and everything in between. Featuring: Brian Charette on organ, Lonnie Plaxico on bass and Ray Marchica on drums.
More on Rodney and the Art of Jazz >>>
“It is important to practice and develop the Art of Jazz and the Craft of the Guitar.” Rodney Jones
JGT: Rodney on ‘The Art of Jazz’
There are some amazing jazz musicians who are not guitar masters but who’s music transcends their instrument. The music comes first. When the music that is played is a genuine expression of the human spirit and enlivened by an inner connection to Soul, the result is magical and offers deep moments of connection between the artist and the listener. The listener is able to recognize themselves and their journey in the story that the artist shares through sound. The truer and deeper this connection to their deepest self, the more powerful and transforming is the music offered. The music and the moment bigger than chops, or interesting chords, or even a display of mastery. The music is a witness to the truth and heart. That reaches out and touches the listener and offers something beautiful and pure to each heart.
Being willing to play the notes that “want to be played” is a higher expression than playing the “notes that can be played”. It takes humility and maturity to let the music shine more than the instrument shines. The development of the Art of Jazz requires steady and practice and a commitment to that musical ideal. Important parts of the practice are:
Listen to the ‘Masters’ of the music
Listen to Charlie Parker one thousand times, and John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, Bucky Pizzarelli, Barney Kessel, Grant Green, George Benson and countless asters. There is always the balance of going wide, and going deep. Listening to a piece of music reveals new layers of joy, and insight with each hearing. Too often, players go wide, they listen to something a couple of times and then move on. They miss the treasures that are hidden beneath the surface waves.
Practice Music
If you want to play music, you must practice music. Rather than spend countless hours with exercises that are not sources of musical inspiration, spend time playing tunes, soloing as you would in performance. Practicing the way that you want to play will make the transition from the woodshed to the bandstand all the easier. It will eliminate the common experience of playing so much better at home than on the bandstand. You become what you practice most. If you want to play music on the bandstand, you should practice music. If you want to play exercises on the bandstand, then you should practice exercises. Water the plant that you want to grow!
Rinse and Repeat
My experience is that most guitarists do not practice enough, or they do not practice in a focused way with intention. must be done over and over and consistently. Would you want to live in a house that was built with the care that you are building your musical house? Would you want to drive a put together with the level of care that you give to your craft and artistry? If you can practice just 1% more each week, one year from now you will be practicing 52% more! How about that?
JGT: Rodney on ‘The Craft of the Guitar‘
The guitar is hard to master. Period! The End! To really master the guitar it is going to take some work and some effort – a lot of work and effort.
- You must work on your picking. Whether you use alternate, sweep, economy, legato, thumb, fingerstyle, or hybrid picking. You must work on it. Consistent effort and practice will yield consistent results.
- You must work on your sound. Does your guitar sound the way that you would like it to sound? This is one of the first steps to consider. Spend some time with the guitar, your left and right hands, the amp sound, the strings that you use. Do all of these add up to what you like to hear? Show your sound, your tone, some love.
- Get your sight-reading together but not so together that it messes up your playing. The notes are not on the paper. The notes are in the air when you play them. Read the notes and them bring them to life. Play them with feeling and intention and connect them to your heart. Great readers do this and you cannot tell they are reading!
- Practice playing with other musicians. This will allow you to work on listening to the music around you as well as develop your comping skills and how to interact the music the moment.
JGT: You have taught for many years at The Juilliard School and The Manhattan School of Music. Does jazz education really work? What have you learned?
Rodney: Teaching at Juilliard and The Manhattan School of Music was a wonderful experience. I got to hear, and share, with some of the finest young jazz musicians in the world. In virtually every case, those students who excelled and really grew as did those things I was just talking about. In general, they were driven to see how far they could go, how deep they could grow their roots, and how they could keep growing? The best students ask the best questions. They inquire of the teacher, they research the music, they embrace the social context of the music that they are learning and they apply that to their studies and performances. This is true of students in the USA, Australia, Europe, Asia, Africa everywhere else. A Master is a Master Student. A Master knows how to learn, and how to study. A student is a Student Master. He is learning how to study. Interesting isn’t it.
Jazz education works and it works whether you are in school or self taught. Commitment, effort, repetition, and love make all the difference in the result. The best students don’t just “go through things”, they “grow through things”. This attitude, and perseverance, and learning is usually the determining factor in how much and how soon a musician will grow.
NEXT – Rodney’s Guitar and Equipment Picks >>>
JGT: What are the guitars and equipment that you use?
Rodney: Well…I am a real guitar guy! Having said that, I am not a collector. The instruments that I have all serve a musical purpose, and give voice to a particular sound and perspective.
The guitar that I used for many years as my “go-to” instrument is a Heritage 535. I bought it in 1997 and have used it with artists as diverse as Lena Horne, Maceo Parker, Jimmy Smith, and on TV shows, and commercials.
I also use and used a Fender Strat, Pensa Strat, 1966 Gibson L5, Guild Artist Award, Gibson Super 400, Gibson ES 175, Gibson 335, Gibson Gibson Les Paul, Martin Acoustic, Blade, Mortoro, Lehman, and many others. At my guitar peak I had 51 guitars!
Now I use a Benedetto Bambino Deluxe for much of my playing. It is a thin-line guitar but has a rich full sound like a large archtop. The quality of Benedetto guitars is legendary, and for good cause. I use D’Addario CG 26 Electric Flat Wound strings.
I often use a D’Angelico EXCEL-SS guitar. For the money, there is no better value I have found. It sounds and plays great and is versatile in the tonal variations that are possible.
I have two Taylor acoustic guitars that I love, an 814ce DLX and – N. They are the best acoustic guitars that I have ever played.
My amplifiers are a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 3, Rivera Jazz Supreme, and a Quilter Micropro. When I play larger venues with backline, I request a Fender Twin Reverb 65 Reissue. They are readily available and have a rich sound with enough power for any hall.
JGT: You do a lot of teaching online. Tell us about that.
I have been teaching online now for many years dating back to the early days of Skype. The technology has really changed for the better. I now teach courses on Facebook and Zoom in private groups as well as private lessons online through my group Jazz Guitar Scholars
Rodney Jones Reflections
Dizzy Gillespie:
Dizzy taught me about playing yourself.
I asked Dizzy why he still played the same lines that he had played for years. Without missing a beat, he looked at me and said, “Why mess with perfection”. I got it and never asked him again. LOL.
Lena Horne
Lena taught me about deep listening and the importance of knowing the lyrics and story of a song.
While rehearsing the standard, “I’m Glad There Is You”, Lena kept asking me to play the intro over and over. Each time she got more and more frustrated. I was playing it perfectly, I thought. she asked me, “Are the chords that you are playing for the intro reflect the meaning of the lyric? they me into my first breath? Do they express the heart of the Or are they just chords?”
I got it. She was hearing a whole other level into the music. I closed my eyes and played with as much heart and soul as I could. She looked at me, smiled, and said, “Now got it.”
I never forgot that lesson.
Bucky Pizzarelli
Always another step
Was in the recording studio with a bunch of jazz legends. I was playing Green style. I thought that I had done great.
, I went into the control room and asked the engineer, Jim Czak, how did it sound?
He said, “You sounded good. It wasn’t Bucky, but it was good.” I laughed. He was right.
Kenny Burrell
Priorities
was a member of Kenny Burrell’s Jazz Guitar Band with Kenny and Bobby Broom, we were reading a difficult arrangement. Kenny read it really well, I was struggling. I remarked to Kenny that he read really well. He said, “Thank you. I read OK, but not good enough to mess up my playing!”
Music first, Reading second.
James Brown
Context is everything
While recording with James Brown I played a funky solo over one of the songs. Out of habit, I played a couple of Octaves. Later, I asked the Musical Director if Mr. Brown liked my playing, He told me that Mr. Brown said, “He plays good funk, for a smooth jazz guitar player.”
The octaves were smooth jazz to him.
NEXT – Rodney: Education, Courses, Books, Videos, etc. >>>
The Blues can mean many things. This is an exploration of the blues with modern jazz vocabulary while swinging hard. For information on jazz guitar lessons and the Jazz Guitar Scholars program.
Rodney Jones’s Courses:
How to Play Jazz Guitar – An A-Z going from beginner to intermediate. Over 24 hours of video and more than a hundred pages of instruction. It is the summary of what I have learned, and seen, as a guitar teacher for more than 40 years.
Picking Masterclass – Exactly what is says. I cover different styles of picking, the pros, and cons. I offer a template and tools that any guitarist can use to resolve their picking issues.
The Master Keys of Funk Guitar – In this course I share the secrets and lessons that I have learned playing with James Brown, Fred Wesley, Pee Wee Ellis, Maceo Parker, and so many others.
The Five Master Keys to Playing Jazz Guitar – A short concise guide to making rapid improvement. It is a quick study with lots of depth.
The Blues – A Different Look, A Different Sound – This course offers a window and practice to expand your blues vocabulary. You learn how to make the blues modern while still retaining the essence, and heart of the blues.
Advanced Blues 2.0 – Another look at the Blues. Going deep and expanding outward. Students who have taken this course notice an immediate shift in what they hear, and what they play.
Launching soon:
Tune World – An in-depth exploration of popular standards. Learn the “good” changes, the “Hip” arrangements, and new solo ideas for those tunes that everyone plays.
How To Play Jazz Guitar in the Modern World – Learn the hippest, and most modern sounds used today. Expand your musical vocabulary and improve your time and feel.
For information about these courses and other programs offered go to Rodney Jones – or search for them on Facebook.
Rodney Jones’s “The Guitar Hip Lines Book” published by Mel Bay in May of 2020.
The Hip Guitar Lines book is a window and a gateway into learning and applying advanced jazz vocabulary on the guitar. It is intended to be a resource a jazz guitarist of any level can use to take another step. Each line is laid out clearly with its application and TAB fingering.
Rodney continues to teach online to students around the world – check out his courses on Facebook and the new Zoom course starting in June 2020.
Jazz Guitar Today thanks Rodney, the people at Mel Bay, and Benedetto Guitars for their help with this article.