Kurt Rosenwinkel solo

[whosOHW]

its really cool how it sound kind of like a piano having such low notes in there too. it really adds a whole other level!

[KurtVids]

This is just too amazing. This is how I would like modern, creative music to be like. Just close your eyes, and listen...

[evanmontgomerymusic]

5 people dislike awesomeness.

[jimmijune]

Hey Kurt , I love your playing and perspective and approach , more power to you . I would not worry but take as compliment some of those who are listening for " how ' you are doing something as apposed to what you are playing , ...and the sound coming from the speaker . It is fresh adventurous high integrity performance , I personally cant wait to hear much more . cheers !

[beatrio]

Una mente superiore..I love him!

[lrishmarine]

2:57-3:02  Heard Giant Steps in there...

[lidesnowi]

When you are improvising you are composing on the spot!

You Dig?

[Sandemose]

Its improvised...check out Kurts own comments on this video. Kurtr2 from about 1 year ago or so...will probably give some answers to your questions :)

Best, Sandemose

[slowphunk]

:57-1:01: Firebird suite?

[lanerant]

dang, I just hate #5 sounds. Beautiful performance but Aug chords just immediately like sterile fusion to me...

give me a flat 13 on a 7 chord anyday, but a #5 on a major 7...not for me: )

[freejazzfree]

so its just the association you have to overcome.. i'd say this is about as far from sterile fusion as you can get.

however what i fail to realize sometimes.. is that everyone hears intervals differently because of their own synaptic wiring.. some intervals can sound incredibly beautiful to some and completely ugly to others..

however this sounds like another aspect of your particular conditioning and not genetic/neurological.

[lanerant]

why y'all gotta thumbs down on this comment, it's a matter of taste, kurt's great, never said anything against that. jeeez!

it's not about associations, it's about preference and taste. we're all allowed to difer on that are we not?

[tkearn5000]

A  b13 is enharmonically the same as a #5.

[KurtVids]

He played like 1254 chords I've never heard before. A m a z i n g !

[kevinm4435]

1254 - interesting!

[TweIveToneMusic]

Is that a Twin Reverb or a CyberTwin?

[saln]

65 reissue twin reverb its all he uses these days

[ejmcclel]

Also (because i ran out of room), (and i have to defend kurt and enlighten at the same time because he's my favorite) music is supposed to be whatever you want it to be. Kurt is not Wes, Hendrix, or any other player who's sound defined a genre and influenced a generation of subsequent players. He's KURT!

His sound defined a genre and influenced a generation of subsequent players! Therefor it is a responsibility of his that he has taken on to constantly redefine himself.

[ejmcclel]

what happened to jonh harding? ever since kurt got on the board there were no more attempts to find fault with an obvious innovator.

I think, Mr. Harding, that your definition of melody would be: the pentatonic scale. No, I'm just kidding. ; ) If you are not hearing singable material here it is probably due to the fact that you have not spent a considerable amount of time (or enough time) utilizing all 12 tones. Kurt is clearly a visionary whose concept of melody is out of this world.

[FabianDaurat]

Yeah man! I think who ever does not hear the amazing lyricism, the ground and top less inspiration, the deep intelligence that puts all this together, who ever does not hear any of this, is just stupid.

[allegedartistlessons]

Funny thing is that so many of Kurt's lines are essentially pentatonic.

[ejmcclel]

totally...

[ModernSaxDotCom]

very nice......

I played at the Falcon a few years ago......great place to play......and the nicest people in the world to meet.

[bradleyjay1970]

Hello people who still love music! This is a cool thread KR even checkin' it out. As some one

who went to school in boston while he did. I have to attest to the 100% originality this cat brought! He appeared fully formed right out of the box. His playing and composition were/are awe inspiring from the first note I heard. He does what we are all trying to do (no matter what you play)and he does it"in cahoots with GOD" totally plugged in "...where does that cord go?...."

[bluesguy33]

What was Kurt studying at school? Jazz Comp? Performance?

[bradleyjay1970]

I believe Jazz Comp but i could be wrong....and lets not mince words here....he was TEACHING Jazz comp every time he picked up the guitar! I won't go on and on but i could...He's THE REAL DEAL!!

[bluesguy33]

Amen to that.

[bungNik]

gosh Kurt what about coming to Indonesia..???

[ziggynice]

Very good! You're great man! Kurt, if you read this post please give some advices to help developing the intuition. I play guitar and jazz too. Not easy to always ear and play what we ear. But always trying :) Cheers!

[kurtr2]

and to the person who thinks this is academic i just have to say you are wrong. this is really the opposite. if it can be called anything it would be shamanistic, or some other description of that nature. that is the internal state of mind, pure intuition. the theoretical level is all 2nd nature to me, it is just what i hear.

[Sandemose]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts Kurt. I think its the first time you ever comment on a youtube clipp, no? Great "deep interview" by the way I found on your homepage. Man, I really miss the board, so much knowledge and great discusions there...will it ever come back? Best wishes, Sandemose/Michael

[takauya]

I know what you mean, since I always

feel strong emotion "not theory" through your music.

By the way, Japanese fans are waiting for you coming and playing!

[jazzcat4on6]

Thanks so much for being who you are Kurt, you inspire all of us to pursue pure music, to allow ourselves to become a medium for the music to present itself through. Thank you.

[jazzlefty]

ZENGUITAR, isnt?

[djcuvcuv112]

i agree wholeheartedly with this and your other post, but when you say "the theoretical level is all 2nd nature to me," does that mean that you have learned and practiced the theoretical aspects to the point where it is so internalized that you can (internally) hear the colors, sounds, and concepts within the theoretical aspects and they just come out in your playing because of your deep familiarity with and understanding of them?

[codyru]

There is not really an answer to that question. At least not one where you're going to feel satisfied. If you are a player just keep playing and playing and playing and working on new things. Expose yourself to all kinds of music. You won't sound like KR but you will begin to sound like you.

[seanjazzguitar]

@djcuvcuv112 Good thoughts, I would have to say that the action by which one translates their thoughts onto the instrument is what the artist is striving for and Kurt is one of those special guys who's playing seems to live in this realm perpetually. The music is purely intuitive and free flowing. I've been making it a habit to sing what I play and begin to feel the filter between my ear and my instrument disappear. "You know the goddamn scales already, just play"-Joe Diorio

[julianflores82]

@kurtr2 One thing dosn't oposse the other. Can be both, academic and shamanistic, a person can't be separated inside by any mean. It's what it is. And anything that came out have to do with every part of that person. Anything he play have and will have an academic background,. But he has masterd it to this level. He can conect to something bigger than the structure of any ttheoretical standard (i.e. jazz) with it as a floor but not a celing. In my opinion.

[kurtr2]

interesting discussion here. for what its worth- for me this is all melody and harmonic texture. but it is all driven by internal intuitive melodic resonant impulse. its improvised. i disagree that melody has to have repetition in it. there are through composed songs that never repeat, yet have a melody going through the whole thing. for me melody has everything to do with the impulse to sing. so for me, since i am singing everything here, it is all melody.

[freejazzfree]

thats it!

thanks kurt.

[freejazzfree]

the sense of melody you are projecting is not wrong.. it is one thing a melody can be in a particular context. it is connotive. once again these distinctions are aroused by your particular conditioning.

[Jon00Wesley00Harding]

Yes... All of human experience depends on conditioning. However in eschewing terminology this way, we lose the ability to identify any specific constructs. And I'd argue as well that most music is built on those- just ask Kurt. But if you do not codify the devices, how then do you learn, experience, teach, or play any idiom that isn't free?

Semantically, my definition of melody may not fit your own, so I ask: what would you call my definition of melody? When you're sure, that's what I mean.

[freejazzfree]

"a rhythmic (or rubato, without meter, etc) succession of single tones organized as an aesthetic whole"

[Jon00Wesley00Harding]

That.

[primarydominant]

I think on this one i agree with Mr. Wesley Harding (hehe on the name). I'm a musician, and for me there's nothing for me there's in here that grabs me very hard. certainly it's great textures and he uses the guitar's natural aptitude toward texture brilliantly, but I find just a tad bit academic in terms of focus on harmonic mechanism rather than melody

[jazzlefty]

yust beatilful! meditacion. zen, buda picture, modern sound, open your mind, flow the flow, conect, chanelizing  the energy , is very clear , do you see it?

[ShiffronLandren]

Really really advanced noodling.

[Jon00Wesley00Harding]

...Where's the melody? C'mon Kurt. Seriously.

[Sandemose]

Haha, what is that supose to mean? There are some gorgeus melodies in there. Not "the" melody. Its an improvisation, not a tune (would be so funny find out this is Autumn Leaves or something). Love this clip, one of my favorites...

Sandemose

[Jon00Wesley00Harding]

To me, melody is a musical phrase that is thematic through rhythmic or melodic predictability. In other words, the part of the music the nonmusician will latch on to.

I certainly agree that Kurt has some warped and delicious ideas, but it's a rare breed that wants to listen just to harmonic concepts. If you find yourself playing those, you're demonstrating more than you are playing.

I don't know, maybe he IS playing to a room of musicians. But is there melody? Nope, just scales n changes

[Sandemose]

Is there really implied when defining a melody that it should reach a quality level to call it a melody? If just play random stuff with closed eyes, there will still be melodies. I know were you going with it, but I feel that there are great melodies in this clip. I can recall them in my head (some of them) and I can sing them to myself. And speaking of rare breed: Kurt plays what he hears and what he loves, if only one like it, fair enaugh, if no one does,same thing. So, is there melody? YES:)

[Jon00Wesley00Harding]

I would argue that recollection does not confirm status as a melody. I remember many jokes; they are not melodies.

These are phrases. I remember phrases, everybody remembers phrases. And as individual ideas, they're pretty neat. But they do not underpin any singular attention- I am aroused as a musician only. If I thought of these phrases as melody, they would be of a boring and esoteric contour.

That being said, Kurt is still a genius. I just find this a little self-indulgent.

[Sandemose]

I can agree on the previous, about melodies, I guess you are about right. But this music is still just one of many tunes Kurt played that evening, he played some standards and some improvisations. So this one, out of context maybe feels as you said self-indulgent, but seen as a part of a concert, I just might feel revealing and sothing? You see my point? I like the way you talk about music, very intresting...

Best, Sandemose

[Jon00Wesley00Harding]

Yes, I see what you mean. And I agree. I still think Kurt is a unique voice in modern jazz, and I think he's great. I wouldn't sit through an entire concert of this, but as you say, Kurt just ups and gos for a looong time. I wish I had that kind of stamina. As a contrast, this is probably nice, but I'd rather hear him play other music

[Sandemose]

I know, but thats the cool thing with Kurt, he can do so much (play traditional, composewonderful music, improvise freely), its just to follow it or leave it. Its like Jarrett, so strong in building beautiful moments when improvising (solo intros and such) its unreal, but I dont like listening to him playing classical music with an orchestra.Some like that more perhaps which makes it cool. Same thing with Kurt, his latest record kicks ass by the way. His best since The Next Step IMHO

Sandemose

[jazzcat4on6]

Dude, this particular tune is impressionistic, it's about the color, not the line, the sound he is using is the natural sound of the guitars open strings and super imposing the augmented scale and diminished scales over it. It's extemporanious, like a fantasia in classical music.

[Jon00Wesley00Harding]

Jeez, it's a good thing you explained that to me, otherwise I might not have liked what he was playing when he played it. Oh, wait...

No, I don't mean to be a tool. I understand what you mean, and I can appreciate the whole sheets of sound thing, but something that out needs context.

[freejazzfree]

there are no boundaries.. only the ones we create and delineate. there is no sheet of sound aspect to this performance because there is a relation to speed of execution. the performance here really isnt that 'out'. theres defintely alot of modulation going on but so do most bebop tunes. phrases and melodies can't be seperated. you are making the divisions between 'exoteric' and 'esoteric', 'melody' and 'phrase'.. these distinctions are aroused by your specific conditioning.

[Jon00Wesley00Harding]

My bad on the sheets of sound thing. But Melody and Phrase are two seperate entities.

Without getting too classical (and please believe me when I say that I'm not) melody has a very specific function in music. A phrase does not serve that same function. I'm not quite sure what you mean by "exoteric." o__o

On a side note, I'm glad we're having sensible discourse on the thing in front of us, as opposed to screaming and shit-flinging. Youtube will surely collapse soon.

[freejazzfree]

as long as were in the realm of intellectual discourse anything/everything is divisible.. however in its unisolated real context nothing is seperate. even in the act of 'perceiving' you are indivisble from whats happening.

i just listened to this 'composition' of kurts and its INCREDIBLY melodic. i mean hes singing the whole line.

in a real context the phrase is just a smaller component of the melody.. or the way a melody is 'phrased'.

[Jon00Wesley00Harding]

So you treat this entire performance as an extended melody composed of several phrases? That's an interesting take on it actually. However, it's still not melody.

Melody as it is recognized is a musical phrase that becomes thematic through repetition. The listener latches onto it and derives pleasure from the rewarding and violation of his musical expectation of what he recognizes as the melody.

I'm not saying that doesn't happen with other musical devices, but it is a grounding force.

[freejazzfree]

"a rhythmic succession of single tones organized as an aesthetic whole"

[jazzcat4on6]

Coltrane changes at 2:57

[khantaricha]

Kurt is one of the best guitar player and jazzman on this world!

[blueshotgun017]

His concept of harmony is incredible and the tome is stunning. I also love his use of the diminished scale, whereas most modern jazz players have shyed away from unaltered diminished voicings, he utilizes them, which gives his modern method a unique old school undertone, like lester young or something. Brilliant!... and dig 3:50 with the triads descending in major thirds, gotta love that augmented scale sound.

[nemesekernyo]

Ez már egy fokkal jobb. Én is az erősítőmnek szoktam gitározni, de az nem tapsol.

[hakanozelguitarist]

Sounds a bit like John Stowell check his vids if u dont know him he's amazing.

This guy could do with working a bit on his audience interaction! Still thats jazz i guess! If Miles did it...!

[jcksnparsons]

my guitar teacher went to college with kurt!

[subjulio]

Kurt is great!!!

[Apricator]

Interesting take on Perdido. Nice.

[Sandemose]

Whats Perdido? Think this one is improvised...does it sound like anything you´ve heard?

Sandemose

[jazzmaster3000]

Kurt's solo and chord/melody style is incredibley unique. He doesent sound like Joe Pass ,Wes Montgomery,Metheny or any of the really emulated guitarists. That's why he is one of my all time favorites.

[leadcatpress]

Dig.

[Sandemose]

He is playing with a pick, right? Or is it both fingers and pick? Love his way strum chords with pick, and at the same time play wide voicings. This is music that could have been written by Oliver Messian. Love this guy! best, Sandemose

[handdancin]

thats a beautiful #9 esque chord at 4:03-4:04... the whole thing is ear-heroin...

[Sandemose]

Yeah, you´re right, never heard it until you said it. Is it a x-7-6-5-3-3 (strings E,A,D,G,B,E) He uses a octava pedal (new) that can be triggered to specific strings without effetcting the other. Would be cool to try one :)

[chairlike]

hi, i've been watching your dialogue..... not sure what your referring to here with the x76533 above..... harmonic movement? please enlighten.

[chairlike]

hi, never mind to my question earlier..... you were referring to fingering for the supposed #9 esque thing. best

[chairlike]

funny how most of us that went to the same school at the same time sound the same. i remember a group of us that had the same sound.... for me, i studied with charlie banacos as did others ( not sure for kurt ). we all had either 335s or ibanez artist ( ala. sco. )

[Sandemose]

About the fingering Im not sure at all, but it just sounded like that voicing. Still this is my favorite performance of Kurt on youtube, just breathtaking. About sound: your description of the sound of all you guitarist from the same school is really intresting. One other thing is that everyone I know that study music on a higher level here in Sweden, sound much like Kurt, or seems to have his sound as an ideal. Polytone amps, 335s, and Lexicon LXP-1s.

Best, Sandemose

[pack1101]

Thanks for that beauty, i love kurt

[hc4zrr324]

the microcosm of jazz guitar would not be the same without those fingers and that mind.

[freejazzfree]

also.. ben monder

[Frekiasdf]

he uses hermeto pascoal kind of tension

[davejazz]

hey!! amazing video. kurt is one of the best musicians today..

[fixingahole2]

I was at this show, and if someone taped more pieces, please, share them, they were so good...

[estibass]

i love him

[denjz]

Super!Thanks for posting.

[patfreecat]

yeh for sure cheers for this, unreal!!!!

[vividorrrr]

Amazing!!! thanks

[davens99]

Thanks for posting this.