Writing & Playing Tunes http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm Sat, 07 Apr 2012 20:44:59 GMT http://bandzoogle.com What is Jazz? http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=1957058 What is Jazz? I just finished an online class last week at Berklee College of Music in Jazz Arranging. One of the questions that the class made me think about is - What is Jazz? If there are no horns - is it Jazz? If it is simplistic - can it still be Jazz? If I use effects on my guitar - can I still be playing Jazz? Can I love playing Jimi Hendrix songs and still be a Jazz guitarist? Is Boney James a jazzy instrumentalist or an instrumental jazzist? If "Stella By Starlight" was a pop tune then why can't I do my Jazz version of "Whip It" by Devo? What's so weird about arranging "Back In Black" for a Jazz Orchestra? Here's a real question - can I break tradition and be original in my own way of playing instrumental music without worrying about what anyone thinks about it? I think the answer is yes! The answer is yes because that's the answer to the question "What is Jazz?" Jazz is freedom! The only limitation that Jazz has is that which you put upon it. If you want to sound like John Coltrane then John Coltrane is your limitation. If traditional jazz guitar is your thing then an arch-top guitar with no effects are your limitations. Is there anything wrong with limitations? Of course not! Clint Eastwood said it best as Dirty Harry "A man's got to know his limitations". I think the problem is when you impose your own limitations on someone else. If your limitations include the traditional Jazz guitar sound then you shouldn't impose that on me. After all I'm not you & you are not me. I like playing a Telecaster guitar with effects. I have chosen to not be limited be the tradition of Jazz guitarists using only arch-top guitars. Wes Montgomery & Joe Pass chose to not be limited by the tradition of using a guitar pick. Charlie Christian chose to not be limited by the tradition of playing without amplification. Eddy Lang chose not to be limited by the tradition of playing banjo in the rhythm section of the band and played the guitar instead of the tenor banjo. There were plenty of other musicians that went along with the tradition of their times, but choosing not to follow the tradition is a big part of the history of Jazz, and is quintessential to the development of the music. So that's the answer to the question - What is Jazz? Jazz is freedom! Freedom of choice. An American art form because - Jazz is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness! That's what it's all about right there!!! Peace, James Murrell http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com
I just finished an online class last week at Berklee College of Music in Jazz Arranging. One of the questions that the class made me think about is - What is Jazz?

If there are no horns - is it Jazz?
If it is simplistic - can it still be Jazz?
If I use effects on my guitar - can I still be playing Jazz?
Can I love playing Jimi Hendrix songs and still be a Jazz guitarist?
Is Boney James a jazzy instrumentalist or an instrumental jazzist?
If "Stella By Starlight" was a pop tune then why can't I do my Jazz version of "Whip It" by Devo?
What's so weird about arranging "Back In Black" for a Jazz Orchestra?

Here's a real question - can I break tradition and be original in my own way of playing instrumental music without worrying about what anyone thinks about it? I think the answer is yes! The answer is yes because that's the answer to the question "What is Jazz?" Jazz is freedom! The only limitation that Jazz has is that which you put upon it. If you want to sound like John Coltrane then John Coltrane is your limitation. If traditional jazz guitar is your thing then an arch-top guitar with no effects are your limitations.

Is there anything wrong with limitations? Of course not! Clint Eastwood said it best as Dirty Harry "A man's got to know his limitations".

I think the problem is when you impose your own limitations on someone else. If your limitations include the traditional Jazz guitar sound then you shouldn't impose that on me. After all I'm not you & you are not me. I like playing a Telecaster guitar with effects. I have chosen to not be limited be the tradition of Jazz guitarists using only arch-top guitars.

Wes Montgomery & Joe Pass chose to not be limited by the tradition of using a guitar pick. Charlie Christian chose to not be limited by the tradition of playing without amplification. Eddy Lang chose not to be limited by the tradition of playing banjo in the rhythm section of the band and played the guitar instead of the tenor banjo. There were plenty of other musicians that went along with the tradition of their times, but choosing not to follow the tradition is a big part of the history of Jazz, and is quintessential to the development of the music.

So that's the answer to the question -
What is Jazz?
Jazz is freedom!
Freedom of choice.
An American art form because -
Jazz is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness!
That's what it's all about right there!!!

Peace,

James Murrell
http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com]]> Sat, 07 Apr 2012 20:44:59 GMT EB0ECCAE502AE1DA39306E9F5B1007A5 To bebop or to rock? - That is the question! http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=1957049 To bebop or to rock? - That is the question! As a guitarist, that question is hard to answer. I have spent many years playing both jazz and rock music. I've also spent many years studying other styles such as country and blues guitar. I enjoy playing all those styles but jazz and rock have been the two styles I've enjoyed playing the most. To a non-musician, the question may seem ridiculous. After all music is music - right? So why not play all the styles of music? The problem is that each genre of music has it's own intricacies and music language. To truly master a style of music, one must commit themselves to that music style completely for a time until it is completely understood. One answer might be to play what they call fusion music. Fusion music is where different languages are combined from different genres within music. Like where you would use the sound of a rock 'n roll guitar with distortion, but the note choices you would use come from the jazz language. Almost all guitarists are fusion musicians to some degree because rock 'n roll primarily uses the guitar, and is the most popular form of music in the world. There's one problem with playing fusion music - in order to fuse together styles of music you must understand all the intricacies and the language of both styles. In other words, you must be the master of all the styles of music that you're fusing together. I think that the answer for me is to play jazz music, because it is the style that I have spent the most time mastering and that I understand the most. Of course the wild rock 'n roll beast in me will always exist and will come out in my playing. But if you listen to real jazz - that is in there - that rock 'n roll beast came directly from it. Swing era big band music made people go wild and made them dance. Bebop was the music of the underground current within America in the 1940s and 50s. The first popular political protest songs were written by jazz musicians. Jazz music is about rebellion and going against the grain of what is acceptable within main stream society. Jazz questions authority and asks of the audience to think about the music that they are listening to. Jazz asks of it's players to reach deep within themselves and to pull out that which would not normally come from them, because - Jazz is Freedom! Peace, James Murrell http://jamesmurrellgtr.com
To a non-musician, the question may seem ridiculous. After all music is music - right? So why not play all the styles of music? The problem is that each genre of music has it's own intricacies and music language. To truly master a style of music, one must commit themselves to that music style completely for a time until it is completely understood.

One answer might be to play what they call fusion music. Fusion music is where different languages are combined from different genres within music. Like where you would use the sound of a rock 'n roll guitar with distortion, but the note choices you would use come from the jazz language. Almost all guitarists are fusion musicians to some degree because rock 'n roll primarily uses the guitar, and is the most popular form of music in the world. There's one problem with playing fusion music - in order to fuse together styles of music you must understand all the intricacies and the language of both styles. In other words, you must be the master of all the styles of music that you're fusing together.

I think that the answer for me is to play jazz music, because it is the style that I have spent the most time mastering and that I understand the most. Of course the wild rock 'n roll beast in me will always exist and will come out in my playing. But if you listen to real jazz - that is in there - that rock 'n roll beast came directly from it. Swing era big band music made people go wild and made them dance. Bebop was the music of the underground current within America in the 1940s and 50s. The first popular political protest songs were written by jazz musicians.

Jazz music is about rebellion and going against the grain of what is acceptable within main stream society. Jazz questions authority and asks of the audience to think about the music that they are listening to. Jazz asks of it's players to reach deep within themselves and to pull out that which would not normally come from them, because - Jazz is Freedom!

Peace,

James Murrell
http://jamesmurrellgtr.com]]> Sat, 07 Apr 2012 20:40:00 GMT B6DD5519348BE2A2B1CB60A0FB665BB1 Records http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=1957047 I miss records. Those big 10 inch pieces of vinyl that we would put it on turntables and the needle would spin around the groove. I miss the aroma of when you would take the plastic off the cover and open it up and there would be these giant pictures of the artist. Sometimes the pictures were of the recording sessions for the album or of the band playing live. Other times the pictures were just shots of the band that were taken in photography studios to promote the artist. There was always an inner sleeve to protect the vinyl and on the inner sleeve was printed the lyrics to the songs and information about who produced & recorded the album. There usually were thank you notes to people who helped the artist with the album. There was also information about where and when the recordings were done. I would read this information on my records as a child and I would fantasize about what it would like to be in those places and to record my own album. I even went as far is planing a double record. One of the records would be called "Castle Of Dreams" and the second album would be called "Palace Of Love". It would be a concept album and it would recorded at Abby Road Studios in England with producer Sir George Martin or with the great American producer Phil Ramone In some fancy upscale recording studio in New York. The first record I ever owned was produced by Phil Ramone. It was called "Songs In The Attic" by Billy Joel. It was a live recording of songs that were minor hits for Billy Joel in the 1970's. I believe that the album was released in 1981. I got the record for Christmas that year and I remember seeing TV commercials for the album. There were pictures of Billy Joel throughout his entire musical career and also the lyrics to the songs and where they were recorded. Now I have that album in my iTunes and on CD. It's not as cool as having that big record with the cover and the giant pictures. Maybe someday I will be able to make my fantasy double album "Castle Of Dreams", "Palace Of Love" & I will be able to have it printed up on vinyl with a huge cover and have giant pictures on it. Until then I will just make do with tiny picture icons and 4 x 5 CD covers. Peace, James Murrell http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com
There was always an inner sleeve to protect the vinyl and on the inner sleeve was printed the lyrics to the songs and information about who produced & recorded the album. There usually were thank you notes to people who helped the artist with the album. There was also information about where and when the recordings were done.

I would read this information on my records as a child and I would fantasize about what it would like to be in those places and to record my own album. I even went as far is planing a double record. One of the records would be called "Castle Of Dreams" and the second album would be called "Palace Of Love". It would be a concept album and it would recorded at Abby Road Studios in England with producer Sir George Martin or with the great American producer Phil Ramone In some fancy upscale recording studio in New York.

The first record I ever owned was produced by Phil Ramone. It was called "Songs In The Attic" by Billy Joel. It was a live recording of songs that were minor hits for Billy Joel in the 1970's. I believe that the album was released in 1981. I got the record for Christmas that year and I remember seeing TV commercials for the album. There were pictures of Billy Joel throughout his entire musical career and also the lyrics to the songs and where they were recorded. Now I have that album in my iTunes and on CD. It's not as cool as having that big record with the cover and the giant pictures.

Maybe someday I will be able to make my fantasy double album "Castle Of Dreams", "Palace Of Love" & I will be able to have it printed up on vinyl with a huge cover and have giant pictures on it. Until then I will just make do with tiny picture icons and 4 x 5 CD covers.

Peace,

James Murrell
http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com]]> Sat, 07 Apr 2012 20:36:40 GMT 8C2E32994490B89F6EBE7CEAE6617C2C Playing The Changes http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=1957032 What does it mean to play the changes? Does it mean playing a series of tones that are within the chords to a song? Does it mean using guide tones between chords to complete the melody? Does it mean using a scale/mode that has a relationship to the chords of a song? Or, does the phrase "playing the changes" have a much deeper meaning? When I first heard the words "play the changes to the song", I had no idea what they were talking about. At first I thought they meant many of the things I mentioned in the first paragraph here such as using the chord tones from the song or the right scale with the chords from the song. Then I learned about motif development and super imposing melodic ideas in different keys over different chords. I also went on to study about avanced styles within jazz music such as the developments of saxophonists Ornette Coleman & John Coltrane. Many times these artists would play tones over chords that are outside of the chords and/or scales that went with the chords. This baffled me. In my mind I wonder exactly what do they mean when they say "play the changes to the song". I would ask several different persons what they meant by that and I would get several different answers. It seemed as if there was no answer to that question. And, that would become what I would except as being the answer to the question, "what does it mean to play the changes?". There isn't just one absolute answer to the question. It's according to what the music requires you to do. That is what playing the changes is. Knowing the chord tones to a song, the proper scale relationship to the chords of the song, and the guide tones between chords to a song, are only the very beginning of what it means to play the changes. You must know the song inside out as if you had written it. Every possibility - ascending & descending - inside & outside - to every chord within the song has to be known. To me, the tones that you play on the chords to a song are like shadings and colors on a painting. The tones bring about emotions in me. I try to learn the words to every song I am working on and I do research about the origins of the song. If a song is from a musical, I try to look at the song from the perspective and context that the song has within that musical's story line. When I write an instrumental song I always have lyrics that I have written for the song and I try to write a melody so that it contains the emotions from the lyrics. So playing the changes is a very deep thing to learn how to do. It takes a very very very long time to learn how to play the changes. It's a life long endeavor that never ends. This is the pursuit that I am after my life and, it keeps the music fresh to me. Every time I play a Blues or I play a standard like "The Autumn Leaves", it's as if it is the first time I am playing any of those songs. So go out there and play the changes to your song as best as you can. And, remember that there are no wrong notes. The first time I met my friend Wilbert Longmeire he told me "young man if you play a wrong note make sure that you play it loud!!!". I was 25 years old then & had been playing jazz for only a short time. When I saw him at the jam session I got nervous and hit a few sour notes. It took me many years to understand what he meant. He was trying to tell me that there are no wrong notes as long as you believe in the notes that you are playing. Peace, James Murrell http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com
When I first heard the words "play the changes to the song", I had no idea what they were talking about. At first I thought they meant many of the things I mentioned in the first paragraph here such as using the chord tones from the song or the right scale with the chords from the song. Then I learned about motif development and super imposing melodic ideas in different keys over different chords. I also went on to study about avanced styles within jazz music such as the developments of saxophonists Ornette Coleman & John Coltrane. Many times these artists would play tones over chords that are outside of the chords and/or scales that went with the chords.

This baffled me. In my mind I wonder exactly what do they mean when they say "play the changes to the song". I would ask several different persons what they meant by that and I would get several different answers. It seemed as if there was no answer to that question. And, that would become what I would except as being the answer to the question, "what does it mean to play the changes?". There isn't just one absolute answer to the question.

It's according to what the music requires you to do. That is what playing the changes is. Knowing the chord tones to a song, the proper scale relationship to the chords of the song, and the guide tones between chords to a song, are only the very beginning of what it means to play the changes. You must know the song inside out as if you had written it. Every possibility - ascending & descending - inside & outside - to every chord within the song has to be known.

To me, the tones that you play on the chords to a song are like shadings and colors on a painting. The tones bring about emotions in me. I try to learn the words to every song I am working on and I do research about the origins of the song. If a song is from a musical, I try to look at the song from the perspective and context that the song has within that musical's story line. When I write an instrumental song I always have lyrics that I have written for the song and I try to write a melody so that it contains the emotions from the lyrics.

So playing the changes is a very deep thing to learn how to do. It takes a very very very long time to learn how to play the changes. It's a life long endeavor that never ends. This is the pursuit that I am after my life and, it keeps the music fresh to me. Every time I play a Blues or I play a standard like "The Autumn Leaves", it's as if it is the first time I am playing any of those songs.

So go out there and play the changes to your song as best as you can. And, remember that there are no wrong notes. The first time I met my friend Wilbert Longmeire he told me "young man if you play a wrong note make sure that you play it loud!!!". I was 25 years old then & had been playing jazz for only a short time. When I saw him at the jam session I got nervous and hit a few sour notes. It took me many years to understand what he meant. He was trying to tell me that there are no wrong notes as long as you believe in the notes that you are playing.

Peace,

James Murrell
http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com]]> Sat, 07 Apr 2012 20:35:00 GMT DE09BB0D12F0BC7863FA621959FC9A68 My First Guitar http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=1957029 I remember my first guitar. It was Christmas day 1979. I was 10 years old and I had been begging my Mom & Dad for a guitar since I was 5. I woke up that morning early to go see what Santa Claus had brought me for Christmas that year. There were little packages scattered under the Christmas tree and a red wagon with an odd shaped big package. In my heart I hoped it was a guitar. My Dad passed out the presents starting with the small gifts and finally he got to the big present and handed it to me. I looked at the package and I remember the red gift paper. I waited about 3 seconds and ripped it open. There it was - my first guitar - a Honda II student body acoustic steel string guitar. It had a brown finish and even though it was completely out out of tune it sounded like heaven to me. My Mom still has that guitar stored away. The bridge has fallen off it and my dog chewed it up when it was stored in our garage but it's still around somewhere. I'll never forget the day I got my first guitar. It's like my second birthday! Peace, James Murrell http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com
Peace,

James Murrell
http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com]]> Sat, 07 Apr 2012 20:31:38 GMT AB8652BC00E4E4823C23009806528E1E The Secret http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=1957031 As a musician and music teacher, I see a growing trend in music that involves a lessening of actual musical ability & understanding. Music is a craft that has to be developed over time. Consistent practice and study of music is very important in order to obtain the skills that are necessary to be a good musician. Practicing music insures muscle memory and development. Study of music theory and music history develops the mind to be able to utilize the skills obtained in practicing to the fullest. What I see with some of the musicians that I interact with and many students is a search for the secret that will unlock the possibility for them without effort. When there is no secret. It is only through a consistent practice regiment and study regiment that you're able to obtain a level of proficiency in music. That's the secret! The problem with this answer is that many people do not have the time in their lives right now to be able to put forth the kind of regiments that are necessary in order to attain these goals. And so, many people are sucked into this kind of mentality that involves searching for an easy answer to this problem. This has brought forth a lot of different things in our world of music such as books on how to learn the guitar in one day or Internet sites to claim to teach you how to play the guitar in only a few weeks of training. An entire cottage industry of quick learning music education businesses have sprung forth from this. When someone asks me how long would it take for them to be able to play guitar as well as I do, I tell them about 31 1/2 years because that's how long I've been playing the guitar! I have never stops learning and/or practicing the guitar and, if I don't practice, my skill level goes down. All the greatest musicians that have ever lived have considered themselves to be a student until the day they died. Does this mean that you have to quit your day job and start practicing 8 to 10 hours a day? Not necessarily, not unless you want to be a concert violinist or the top studio guitarist in Nashville, Tennessee. But, if you were a concert violinist or the top studio guitarist in Nashville your day job would be to practice and study music continuously! All I am trying to say is that if you want to be a musician, you have to make practicing and studying music a priority in your life in someway. Even if it's only for a few minutes every day or even an hour if you have the time! Do that and you will find your abilities in music will become much better and that you will enjoy playing music so much more! Peace, James Murrell http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com
What I see with some of the musicians that I interact with and many students is a search for the secret that will unlock the possibility for them without effort. When there is no secret. It is only through a consistent practice regiment and study regiment that you're able to obtain a level of proficiency in music. That's the secret!

The problem with this answer is that many people do not have the time in their lives right now to be able to put forth the kind of regiments that are necessary in order to attain these goals. And so, many people are sucked into this kind of mentality that involves searching for an easy answer to this problem. This has brought forth a lot of different things in our world of music such as books on how to learn the guitar in one day or Internet sites to claim to teach you how to play the guitar in only a few weeks of training. An entire cottage industry of quick learning music education businesses have sprung forth from this.

When someone asks me how long would it take for them to be able to play guitar as well as I do, I tell them about 31 1/2 years because that's how long I've been playing the guitar! I have never stops learning and/or practicing the guitar and, if I don't practice, my skill level goes down. All the greatest musicians that have ever lived have considered themselves to be a student until the day they died.

Does this mean that you have to quit your day job and start practicing 8 to 10 hours a day? Not necessarily, not unless you want to be a concert violinist or the top studio guitarist in Nashville, Tennessee. But, if you were a concert violinist or the top studio guitarist in Nashville your day job would be to practice and study music continuously! All I am trying to say is that if you want to be a musician, you have to make practicing and studying music a priority in your life in someway. Even if it's only for a few minutes every day or even an hour if you have the time! Do that and you will find your abilities in music will become much better and that you will enjoy playing music so much more!

Peace,

James Murrell
http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com]]> Sat, 07 Apr 2012 20:30:00 GMT 645C448AEC2CA91365430B66B3842480 The Road Less Traveled http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=1957030 One of the most difficult things to do in music is to find your original voice. Originality doesn't just mean making up random noises that have no purpose. Originality is being so deep into the music that you find your own voice within to share with the world. This can be a difficult path to take. It is not always the road to popularity or affluence. It's not the path that music business executives would ever want you to take but, without original artists, there would be no music business for executives to capitalize upon. Originality is not always the path that leads to instant recognition for your hard work or efforts. Many people see originality as a threat to their inability to be original. They may see you as trying to upstage their abilities as musicians. This can caused a lot of friction in one's life with the people you work with in musical situations. Other musicians in the area that you live may not want to play music with you because of your originality. Club owners and proprietors of venues may not want to hire you to play in their business places because they are looking for an act that sounds just like another band or plays in the matter that is expected within a set genre. To me originality is the key to being a true artist. I can listen to just a few phrases from a recording and know it's Miles Davis playing the trumpet without ever having heard the recording before. Miles' originality comes through the speakers like a lightning bolt hitting me with 1000 volts of electricity. The melodies from the members of the band the Beatles are impossible to forget because of their simplicity in direct originality. Guitarists such as Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix forged into being their original guitar tones that we hear as being clichés today. In music, originality is the ultimate tradition. All these people have touched my life very deeply and I see it as being a mission of mine to find my own originality, like they did themselves, as the ultimate tribute to them. I have taken the road less traveled. Peace, James Murrell http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com
This can be a difficult path to take. It is not always the road to popularity or affluence. It's not the path that music business executives would ever want you to take but, without original artists, there would be no music business for executives to capitalize upon. Originality is not always the path that leads to instant recognition for your hard work or efforts.

Many people see originality as a threat to their inability to be original. They may see you as trying to upstage their abilities as musicians. This can caused a lot of friction in one's life with the people you work with in musical situations. Other musicians in the area that you live may not want to play music with you because of your originality. Club owners and proprietors of venues may not want to hire you to play in their business places because they are looking for an act that sounds just like another band or plays in the matter that is expected within a set genre.

To me originality is the key to being a true artist. I can listen to just a few phrases from a recording and know it's Miles Davis playing the trumpet without ever having heard the recording before. Miles' originality comes through the speakers like a lightning bolt hitting me with 1000 volts of electricity. The melodies from the members of the band the Beatles are impossible to forget because of their simplicity in direct originality. Guitarists such as Jimmy Page and Jimi Hendrix forged into being their original guitar tones that we hear as being clichés today. In music, originality is the ultimate tradition.

All these people have touched my life very deeply and I see it as being a mission of mine to find my own originality, like they did themselves, as the ultimate tribute to them. I have taken the road less traveled.

Peace,

James Murrell
http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com]]> Sat, 07 Apr 2012 20:30:00 GMT 5A2087C1204AA2C4C1D8CF1D949A92D5 Who is the best guitarist? http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=1957009 My students often asked me who I think is the best guitar player or what kind of music is the best to listen to. My answer to them is that the best guitarist is the one that you think is the best and the best music is the kind of music that you like. I get a number of different reactions to this answer that I give them. Some students think that I am being politically correct and trying not to step on their toes and that I secretly hate their music and that's why I answered that way. Other students genuinely want to know what my favorite kind of music is so that we can gear their studies towards what I like the best. But the truth is that the answer I gave is the absolute truth. The music that you like is the best and the guitarists that you like are the best guitarists. It's only your opinion that matters in regards to what kind of music you like and also what kind of music you want to play. I have liked many different genres of music ever since I was young. In a given day I may listen to classical guitarist John Williams, the rock band Wilco, Pop Star Billy Joel, soft rock group the Carpenters, jazz legend Miles Davis, hard rock band Living Colour, guitar ace Danny Gatton, Brazilian artist Milton Nascimento, experimental & Americano guitarist Bill Frisell, 70's heavy metal legends Deep Purple, jazz guitarist Joe Pass, instrumental hard rock guitarist Joe Satriani, jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, blues guitarist Robert Cray, fusion legend John McLaughlin, 60s rock legends the Kinks, etc. etc. The common tie between all of these artists is their incredible originality and depth of performance. They lay down their heart and soul every time they pick up an instrument or sing a song. I try to have that level of commitment in my music and in my playing. So, remember that the best guitarist is the guitarist that you think is the best and, that the best music is the music that you like! Peace & happiness, James Murrell http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com
I have liked many different genres of music ever since I was young. In a given day I may listen to classical guitarist John Williams, the rock band Wilco, Pop Star Billy Joel, soft rock group the Carpenters, jazz legend Miles Davis, hard rock band Living Colour, guitar ace Danny Gatton, Brazilian artist Milton Nascimento, experimental & Americano guitarist Bill Frisell, 70's heavy metal legends Deep Purple, jazz guitarist Joe Pass, instrumental hard rock guitarist Joe Satriani, jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, blues guitarist Robert Cray, fusion legend John McLaughlin, 60s rock legends the Kinks, etc. etc. The common tie between all of these artists is their incredible originality and depth of performance. They lay down their heart and soul every time they pick up an instrument or sing a song. I try to have that level of commitment in my music and in my playing.

So, remember that the best guitarist is the guitarist that you think is the best and, that the best music is the music that you like!

Peace & happiness,

James Murrell
http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com]]> Sat, 07 Apr 2012 20:27:29 GMT C46304B013CC5AA3FD740D106713F0D8 Where does the music comes from? http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=1957010 I have written a lot of songs in my life. I've come to the conclusion that I am a discoverer of melodies and that my knowledge of music is only to provide harmony for those melodies. Those melodies come from God. I'm just the interpreter and it's a gift from Heaven. The melodies are already there - up in the air - ready for me to reach up and grab onto. The better a musician I am and the more knowledgeable I am of music, the better the interpretation of that melody is and, the better that I can put my personality into the music. It's hard for me to explain. When I set down to write the music, something comes over me and, I hear it all in my head at once. My hands glide over the guitar and I try to pick out the notes I hear. One note might be the beginning or a chord that I pick out on accident. There are times when the whole song comes out immediately and other times it takes week and maybe even years to complete. Sometimes the chords come first while I will hear the melody faintly in the background. Other times it's the melody that comes first and there are times when both the melody and chords come out at the same time. A lot of the songs start on the guitar but I have also written on the piano and the mandolin. I have also written out complete songs without any instrument at all and then had to learn the song like it was written by someone else. There is no pattern to how the song might come into being. After I have put a song together, I then use my knowledge of music to shape the song and to correct parts of the song that may have mistakes in them. I may change the song's key or I might change the chords. Then I will write the song out on paper. Sometimes it may be a simple chord charts and other times I might write out a complete score with drums, bass, guitar, & the melody. I may write it out by hand or I might put the song into a program on my computer. Then I work on arranging the music around the melody. Eventually I put every song into my computer. I add bass & drums to the melody & guitar parts. I'll use the computer to record a demo of the song to give to the real musicians and then record the song with the musicians. This is a long process but it is worth in the end. There are many other details to how I write songs but these are the basic steps that I take for writing music. Peace, James Murrell 6/10/2011 http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com
The melodies are already there - up in the air - ready for me to reach up and grab onto. The better a musician I am and the more knowledgeable I am of music, the better the interpretation of that melody is and, the better that I can put my personality into the music.

It's hard for me to explain. When I set down to write the music, something comes over me and, I hear it all in my head at once. My hands glide over the guitar and I try to pick out the notes I hear. One note might be the beginning or a chord that I pick out on accident. There are times when the whole song comes out immediately and other times it takes week and maybe even years to complete. Sometimes the chords come first while I will hear the melody faintly in the background. Other times it's the melody that comes first and there are times when both the melody and chords come out at the same time.

A lot of the songs start on the guitar but I have also written on the piano and the mandolin. I have also written out complete songs without any instrument at all and then had to learn the song like it was written by someone else. There is no pattern to how the song might come into being.

After I have put a song together, I then use my knowledge of music to shape the song and to correct parts of the song that may have mistakes in them. I may change the song's key or I might change the chords. Then I will write the song out on paper. Sometimes it may be a simple chord charts and other times I might write out a complete score with drums, bass, guitar, & the melody. I may write it out by hand or I might put the song into a program on my computer. Then I work on arranging the music around the melody.

Eventually I put every song into my computer. I add bass & drums to the melody & guitar parts. I'll use the computer to record a demo of the song to give to the real musicians and then record the song with the musicians.

This is a long process but it is worth in the end. There are many other details to how I write songs but these are the basic steps that I take for writing music.

Peace,

James Murrell
6/10/2011
http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com]]> Sat, 07 Apr 2012 20:25:00 GMT 943BD456468DC3C43DA95A219DA3F6E1 Interview with James Murrell by Shelley Simone http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=722556 Interview with James Murrell by Shelley Simone 1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What do you &ldquo;do&rdquo; in music? You teach, you compose, you play...? I perform and teach music in the Dayton, Ohio area, I have also taught in the Columbus, Ohio area and I have performed in Dayton, Columbus, and Cincinnati, Ohio. I also have several recordings of my music that I have composed over the years that I have put online through ReverbNation.com (<a target="_new" href="http://www.reverbnation.com/jamesmurrell">http://www.reverbnation.com/jamesmurrell) and on many other sites including Berkleemusic.com (<a target="_new" href="http://www.berkleemusic.com/members/12128219)">http://www.berkleemusic.com/members/12128219), MySpace Music (http://www.myspace.com/jamesmurrell), OurStage.com (<a target="_new" href="http://www.ourstage.com/epk/jamesmurrell">http://www.ourstage.com/epk/jamesmurrell), Unsigned.com (<a target="_new" href="http://www.unsigned.com/jamesmurrell">http://www.unsigned.com/jamesmurrell), SoundClick.com (<a target="_new" href="http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=1075622">http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=1075622), like Zebra (<a target="_new" href="http://www.likezebra.com/#profile/jamesmurrell/music">http://www.likezebra.com/#profile/jamesmurrell/music) &amp; commercially on Itunes (<a target="_new" href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/james-murrell/id327991317">http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/james-murrell/id327991317) + many more (<a target="_new" href="http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1266419172/ref=sr_nr_seeall_1?ie=UTF8&amp;rs=&amp;keywords=james%20murrell&amp;rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ajames%20murrell%2Ci%3Adigital-music">http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1266419172/ref=sr_nr_seeall_1?ie=UTF8&amp;rs=&amp;keywords=james%20murrell&amp;rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ajames%20murrell%2Ci%3Adigital-music, <a target="_new" href="http://www.rhapsody.com/james-murrell/songs-of-my-life">http://www.rhapsody.com/james-murrell/songs-of-my-life, <a target="_new" href="http://www.emusic.com/label/James-Murrell-INgrooves-MP3-Download/316002.html">http://www.emusic.com/label/James-Murrell-INgrooves-MP3-Download/316002.html, <a target="_new" href="http://music.napster.com/artist-music/tracks/12955665/?artist_id=12955665">http://music.napster.com/artist-music/tracks/12955665/?artist_id=12955665). I also promote myself through my website - <a target="_new" href="./home.cfm">http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com &amp; through my profiles at Facebook (<a target="_new" href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/James-Murrell/56724299963">http://www.facebook.com/pages/James-Murrell/56724299963) &amp; Tweeter (<a target="_new" href="http://twitter.com/jamesmurrellgtr">http://twitter.com/jamesmurrellgtr). I started doing this in August 2009 and so far I have; Fans: 525, Song Plays: 6780, Visits: 10802, Video Plays: 257, &amp; Widget Hits: 22640 at my ReverbNation profile. I have always composed music since I was very young. I started playing guitar when I was 10 Christmas 1979, &amp; wrote my first song when I was 13. 2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When did you first show interest in music? I showed interest as young as 3 years old. We would go to my Great Aunt&rsquo;s house &amp; she had an electric organ/keyboard. I would go over to the organ &amp; make up melodies. I grew up in Mount Orab, Ohio in Southern Ohio Brown County. On weekends, my Mom would take me to Georgetown, Ohio to shop and I would always beg to get the toy guitars at the stores there. I got my first guitar for Christmas in 1979 when I was 10. My first guitar teacher was Larry Unger the youth minister at Bible Baptist Church in Sardinia, Ohio. 3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What kind of music did you first find yourself listening to? The music I was first exposed to was Gospel music at my church (Bible Baptist Church in Sardinia, Ohio) which was old Hymns and Country/Bluegrass Gospel music. I was also exposed to popular music through my parents. My parents listened to the radio and they had a huge record collection of 1960&rsquo;s popular music that my brother &amp; I took from the attic where they had them stored. My parents had records by the Beatles, Beach Boys, the Kinks, and many others from that era. When I was about 11, I got my first record that was Billy Joel&rsquo;s &ldquo;Songs In The Attic&rdquo; and Chuck Berry&rsquo;s &ldquo;Greatest Hits&rdquo;. 4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Did you formally study music? At what age? I started lessons in 1979 with Larry Unger at age 10 for about 5 months. I did not start taking lessons again until I was 14 with Lloyd Hazlebaker in Bradenton, Florida. My family had moved to Bradenton, Florida after the Farm Crisis of the early 1980&rsquo;s because my Dad had sold farms for a living and he found work there in Florida. Lloyd was a Western Swing Steel Guitarist originally from Norwood, Ohio who taught me many Standards and Jazz chords. He looked at me one day &amp; said to me &ldquo;Jamie (my nickname), when you grow up you&rsquo;re going to be a Jazz Guitarist&rdquo; and I said &ldquo;What&rsquo;s Jazz?&rdquo; then he said, &ldquo;You&rsquo;ll find out&rdquo;. I did become interested in Jazz and I went to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (CCM) preparatory department &amp; Toedtman School of Music and took lesson with Phil Willis when I was 21 for 4 years. Then I went to Central State University (CSU) and studied Jazz Studies with James E. Smith (<a target="_new" href="http://www.jazzgt.com">http://www.jazzgt.com) when I was 25 until I was 30 years old. Recently, I went back to school online at the Berklee College of Music where I finished a certificate program in Advanced Guitar. I have also taken many lessons from other teachers including David Cousino (<a target="_new" href="http://www.reverbnation.com/davidcousino">http://www.reverbnation.com/davidcousino), Jim McCutcheon (<a target="_new" href="http://jim.mccutcheon.biz/">http://jim.mccutcheon.biz/), Mark Porcaro (<a target="_new" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/mdporcaro#p/a">http://www.youtube.com/user/mdporcaro#p/a), Dave Cliff (<a target="_new" href="http://www.davecliff.com/">http://www.davecliff.com/), Gene Bishop (deceased), &amp; Jeff Hufnagle (Jazz Composition). I have also studied hundreds of instructional books &amp; videos. 5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; You play guitar. Any other instruments? What styles do you play? I play Guitar, Bass Guitar, Mandolin, &amp; Vocals. I have also studied the Piano, String Instruments (Cello, Viola, &amp; Violin), Percussion (Steel Drums, Set, ect.), and Brass Instruments (Trombone &amp; Trumpet). I also studied Music Theory, Jazz Composition, &amp; Arrangement, so I would say that the pen is also one of my instruments. My main style of music is Jazz music but I have played almost every kind of music that you can think of including Rock, Pop, Contemporary Christian, Country/Bluegrass, Music Theater, Singer-songwriter, Classical, Folk, Blues, R&amp;B, Funk, and even Punk. My music reflects this lot, so that is why I have classified myself as an &ldquo;Other&rdquo; artist through my ReverbNation profile (<a target="_new" href="http://www.reverbnation.com/jamesmurrell">http://www.reverbnation.com/jamesmurrell). 6.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; You teach, what made you start teaching? When I went to college at CSU, I decided to teach private lessons because I became interested through the many teachers that I had through the years. They passed their knowledge down to me and I wanted to do the same. I had also had many teachers that I have not mention that I felt as though they didn&rsquo;t do a very good job so I wanted to give students a good teacher so I took some classes a CSU in Music Education. Teaching &amp; playing are two very different skills. Someone can be a great player but cannot teach. On the other hand, I feel that someone who cannot play very well, does not have the experience to teach well either. Therefore, it is like a balancing act. I need to play well &amp; teach well equally. I felt as though I had the right combination of playing skills&amp; teaching skills to offer students a good teacher so I started looking for a job teaching at a music store. I got my first teaching job when I was 29. Before then, I would teach lessons to friends causally. 7.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; When did you determine that music was literally &ldquo;your life&rdquo;? When I was young, I dreamed of playing Guitar for a living, as many young people do, but it was a fantasy. I lived in a community of farmers and factory workers that would commute from Mount Orab to Cincinnati. My friends &amp; family did not know of anyone who had done anything like making a living at Music except the Music teacher Mrs. Hawk at Western Brown School. In my family, I had third &amp; fourth cousins in Nashville, Tennessee that played with Country stars. They had a family band called The Murrell Family Singers that had recorded with regional Country star Jimmy Skinnard in the early 1960&rsquo;s. After their Father died, The Murrell Family Singers broke up and two of the boys, Jimmy &amp; Ricky Murrell, went on to play with modern Country stars. Jimmy Murrell played lead guitar for Tom T. Hall and lead guitar on the 1970 Television series &ldquo;Pop Goes the Country&rdquo; which was hosted by Tom T. Hall. Jimmy currently drives tour buses for many Country artists. Ricky Murrell played Bass for Tammy Wynette and currently plays Bass and is Music Director for Outlaw Country star Ricky Van Shelton. Ricky was on an episode of the 1980&rsquo;s hit Television series &ldquo;The Dukes of Hazard&rdquo; when Tammy Wynette appeared on the show. Speaking of Hazard, my Grand Father Lloyd Murrell grew up about 60 miles North West of Hazard, Kentucky in Booneville, Kentucky. During Prohibition, he ran moonshine to many of the small places that Bluegrass musicians would play and personally knew Bill Monroe (<a target="_new" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Monroe">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Monroe) the founding father of the Bluegrass movement. He would tell me stories about those days and about my cousins and that encouraged me. It was not until I went to college that I really felt that I might be able to do this. It is the hard road to take. I do not have health insurance or benefits that regular job provides. If a large percentage of my student were to stop taking lessons all at once, I would not have a way to pay bills. I have to be like a cat &amp; land on my feet every time I am tossed in the air. I can&rsquo;t imagine what I be doing if I wasn&rsquo;t in music and I can&rsquo;t remember a time when I didn&rsquo;t want to be doing this with my life. 8.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; You compose. Do you compose for others or just yourself? I compose mainly for myself but I have co-composed songs for Epiphany Lutheran Church in Centerville, Ohio (<a target="_new" href="http://www.epiphanylutheran.us/community/index.htm">http://www.epiphanylutheran.us/community/index.htm) including a liturgy called &ldquo;The Blues Liturgy&rdquo; (&quot;Hear My Prayer &lt;Murrell, Warrick, &amp; Castle&gt; - Free Download&quot; - <a target="_new" href="http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_5356004">http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_5356004) and two Christmas songs from their 2010 Christmas C.D. (&quot;Glory To The Lord Most High &lt;Murrell &amp; Scheusner&gt; - <a target="_new" href="http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_5243687">http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_5243687 &amp; &quot;You Have Found Me &lt;Scheusner &amp; Murrell&gt; - <a target="_new" href="http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_5410108">http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_5410108). In addition, when I compose I keep in mind the other musicians that are going to be on my recordings. Things such as the feel &amp; the style of the way John Toedtman plays Bass has had a big impact on the arrangements of the songs I&rsquo;ve recorded with him (Songs by James Murrell with John Toedtman: <a target="_new" href="http://www.reverbnation.com/playlist/view_playlist/1519436">http://www.reverbnation.com/playlist/view_playlist/1519436), as compared with Bassist Chris Berg (Songs by James Murrell with Chris Berg: <a target="_new" href="http://www.reverbnation.com/playlist/view_playlist/1519450">http://www.reverbnation.com/playlist/view_playlist/1519450). 9.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What is it like recording? In addition, they hearing yourself played back! Recording is a long process for me. To me it is like making a painting - you put one layer at a time until there is a complete picture, only you are painting the air. It can be painful to hear yourself back after recording. There is always a part of you that is saying &ldquo;I can do that better, I know I can!!!!!&rdquo; or &ldquo;Everything was good except that note - ugh!!!&rdquo;. It is a little bit different with me because I am the Composer, the Player, the Recording Engineer, the Producer, Music Arranger, the Mixer, Microphone Technician, and the Master Engineer. Therefore, when I am done playing my part I go into Producer mode and I try to listen to the sound quality and the overall feel of the performance. Then if the sound is not good, enough I tell the Engineer in me to change the mix &amp; equalization. If the feel of the performance is not good enough, I have to tell the Player in me to re-do the part. It becomes like have having spilt personalities! 10.&nbsp;&nbsp; Have you played with other local groups? (Other than noted on your website?) I have also played with the Epiphany Lutheran Church Praise Band in Centerville, Ohio off &amp; on for the last 10 years which was one of the first Lutheran Contemporary Christian Worship Praise music groups in Ohio. I have also played in other Praise &amp; Worship groups in the Dayton, Ohio area. 11.&nbsp;&nbsp; What is your favorite musical genre? I like all kinds of music but I tend to gravitate towards genres that involve improvisation such as Jazz, Blues, &amp; Rock - all rock bands were jam bands when I was growing up. I also love Classical &amp; Folk styles like Bob Dylan &amp; Peter, Paul, &amp; Mary. Music did not use to be as fragmented as it is today. Musicians should be able to see the beauty of every genre &amp; be able to recognize the masters of every genre. 12.&nbsp;&nbsp; Did you ever study music history? If so, is there a particular period that you found interesting? I took 2 years (6 quarters) of Music History at CSU and 2 years before that in Junior High School at Western Brown with Mrs. Hawk. I have also done a lot of study on my own. Especially about American Music. I specialize in American Music. My favorite period is the first half of the 20th Century in America. The rise of Jazz, Art Deco, Musical Theater, and Surrealism. The rise of Rock in the late 1950 and all the way until the 1980s is a fascination also. As far as the periods in European Classical Music, I would say that the Romantic Period is my favorite because of the passion in their music (I love the music of Ludwig Von Beethoven). 13.&nbsp;&nbsp; Who has influenced you most in your art? Many artists have influenced me. There are too many list completely but I will list a few key influences - Miles Davis, The Beatles, John Scofield, Pat Metheny, Thelonious Monk, U2, Jeff Beck, Wilco, Count Basie, The Police, Living Colour, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Django Reinhardt, John Melencamp, Rush, Yes, Jimmy Webb, Les Paul, Brad Paisley, Charlie Parker, John Lennon, John McLaughlin, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, Mike Stern, Bill Frisell, etc, etc. It is almost pointless after a while to make list like this. There is one common thread in this list - Mastery. 14. Who currently is your favorite artist? I&rsquo;ve been listening to a lot of different artist including Pat Metheny, the Beatles, John Scofield, John Coltrane, Wilco, Jimmy Webb, The Rolling Stones, The Police, Bill Frisell, Miles Davis, Eric Johnson, The Yardbirds, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Billy Joel, Miles Davis, Rush, &amp; R.E.M. 15.&nbsp;&nbsp; Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I have no idea! I hope that I will get more gigs (Music performances) and be able to share the music that God has given me with a lot more people. 16.&nbsp;&nbsp; Anything else you can think of regarding your profession? Not that I can think except that it is important to follow your heart &amp; not make unnecessary compromises, because there are many professions that you could do just to make money and, Music is not one of them. Music is a labor of love. If there is another thing that you want to do with your life that is equal in love that can make you more money, you should pursue that because Music is the hard road to success. Even if you are the greatest musician, it is hard to make a living at Music and there are not many benefits like vacations, insurance, 401K, etc. However, I would not trade even 1 moment of the experiences I have had in Music! It has been a great thing in my life. Thank you for the interview Shelley! Peace, James Murrell
1.       What do you “do” in music? You teach, you compose, you play...?

I perform and teach music in the Dayton, Ohio area, I have also taught in the Columbus, Ohio area and I have performed in Dayton, Columbus, and Cincinnati, Ohio. I also have several recordings of my music that I have composed over the years that I have put online through ReverbNation.com (http://www.reverbnation.com/jamesmurrell) and on many other sites including Berkleemusic.com (http://www.berkleemusic.com/members/12128219), MySpace Music (http://www.myspace.com/jamesmurrell), OurStage.com (http://www.ourstage.com/epk/jamesmurrell), Unsigned.com (http://www.unsigned.com/jamesmurrell), SoundClick.com (http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=1075622), like Zebra (http://www.likezebra.com/#profile/jamesmurrell/music) & commercially on Itunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/james-murrell/id327991317) + many more (http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1266419172/ref=sr_nr_seeall_1?ie=UTF8&rs=&keywords=james%20murrell&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Ajames%20murrell%2Ci%3Adigital-music, http://www.rhapsody.com/james-murrell/songs-of-my-life, http://www.emusic.com/label/James-Murrell-INgrooves-MP3-Download/316002.html, http://music.napster.com/artist-music/tracks/12955665/?artist_id=12955665). I also promote myself through my website - http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com & through my profiles at Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/James-Murrell/56724299963) & Tweeter (http://twitter.com/jamesmurrellgtr). I started doing this in August 2009 and so far I have; Fans: 525, Song Plays: 6780, Visits: 10802, Video Plays: 257, & Widget Hits: 22640 at my ReverbNation profile.

I have always composed music since I was very young. I started playing guitar when I was 10 Christmas 1979, & wrote my first song when I was 13.

2.       When did you first show interest in music?

I showed interest as young as 3 years old. We would go to my Great Aunt’s house & she had an electric organ/keyboard. I would go over to the organ & make up melodies. I grew up in Mount Orab, Ohio in Southern Ohio Brown County. On weekends, my Mom would take me to Georgetown, Ohio to shop and I would always beg to get the toy guitars at the stores there. I got my first guitar for Christmas in 1979 when I was 10. My first guitar teacher was Larry Unger the youth minister at Bible Baptist Church in Sardinia, Ohio.

3.       What kind of music did you first find yourself listening to?

The music I was first exposed to was Gospel music at my church (Bible Baptist Church in Sardinia, Ohio) which was old Hymns and Country/Bluegrass Gospel music. I was also exposed to popular music through my parents. My parents listened to the radio and they had a huge record collection of 1960’s popular music that my brother & I took from the attic where they had them stored. My parents had records by the Beatles, Beach Boys, the Kinks, and many others from that era. When I was about 11, I got my first record that was Billy Joel’s “Songs In The Attic” and Chuck Berry’s “Greatest Hits”.



4.       Did you formally study music? At what age?

I started lessons in 1979 with Larry Unger at age 10 for about 5 months. I did not start taking lessons again until I was 14 with Lloyd Hazlebaker in Bradenton, Florida. My family had moved to Bradenton, Florida after the Farm Crisis of the early 1980’s because my Dad had sold farms for a living and he found work there in Florida. Lloyd was a Western Swing Steel Guitarist originally from Norwood, Ohio who taught me many Standards and Jazz chords. He looked at me one day & said to me “Jamie (my nickname), when you grow up you’re going to be a Jazz Guitarist” and I said “What’s Jazz?” then he said, “You’ll find out”. I did become interested in Jazz and I went to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (CCM) preparatory department & Toedtman School of Music and took lesson with Phil Willis when I was 21 for 4 years. Then I went to Central State University (CSU) and studied Jazz Studies with James E. Smith (http://www.jazzgt.com) when I was 25 until I was 30 years old. Recently, I went back to school online at the Berklee College of Music where I finished a certificate program in Advanced Guitar. I have also taken many lessons from other teachers including David Cousino (http://www.reverbnation.com/davidcousino), Jim McCutcheon (http://jim.mccutcheon.biz/), Mark Porcaro (http://www.youtube.com/user/mdporcaro#p/a), Dave Cliff (http://www.davecliff.com/), Gene Bishop (deceased), & Jeff Hufnagle (Jazz Composition). I have also studied hundreds of instructional books & videos.

5.       You play guitar. Any other instruments? What styles do you play?

I play Guitar, Bass Guitar, Mandolin, & Vocals. I have also studied the Piano, String Instruments (Cello, Viola, & Violin), Percussion (Steel Drums, Set, ect.), and Brass Instruments (Trombone & Trumpet). I also studied Music Theory, Jazz Composition, & Arrangement, so I would say that the pen is also one of my instruments.
My main style of music is Jazz music but I have played almost every kind of music that you can think of including Rock, Pop, Contemporary Christian, Country/Bluegrass, Music Theater, Singer-songwriter, Classical, Folk, Blues, R&B, Funk, and even Punk. My music reflects this lot, so that is why I have classified myself as an “Other” artist through my ReverbNation profile (http://www.reverbnation.com/jamesmurrell).

6.       You teach, what made you start teaching?

When I went to college at CSU, I decided to teach private lessons because I became interested through the many teachers that I had through the years. They passed their knowledge down to me and I wanted to do the same. I had also had many teachers that I have not mention that I felt as though they didn’t do a very good job so I wanted to give students a good teacher so I took some classes a CSU in Music Education. Teaching & playing are two very different skills. Someone can be a great player but cannot teach. On the other hand, I feel that someone who cannot play very well, does not have the experience to teach well either. Therefore, it is like a balancing act. I need to play well & teach well equally. I felt as though I had the right combination of playing skills& teaching skills to offer students a good teacher so I started looking for a job teaching at a music store. I got my first teaching job when I was 29. Before then, I would teach lessons to friends causally.

7.       When did you determine that music was literally “your life”?

When I was young, I dreamed of playing Guitar for a living, as many young people do, but it was a fantasy. I lived in a community of farmers and factory workers that would commute from Mount Orab to Cincinnati. My friends & family did not know of anyone who had done anything like making a living at Music except the Music teacher Mrs. Hawk at Western Brown School.

In my family, I had third & fourth cousins in Nashville, Tennessee that played with Country stars. They had a family band called The Murrell Family Singers that had recorded with regional Country star Jimmy Skinnard in the early 1960’s. After their Father died, The Murrell Family Singers broke up and two of the boys, Jimmy & Ricky Murrell, went on to play with modern Country stars. Jimmy Murrell played lead guitar for Tom T. Hall and lead guitar on the 1970 Television series “Pop Goes the Country” which was hosted by Tom T. Hall. Jimmy currently drives tour buses for many Country artists. Ricky Murrell played Bass for Tammy Wynette and currently plays Bass and is Music Director for Outlaw Country star Ricky Van Shelton. Ricky was on an episode of the 1980’s hit Television series “The Dukes of Hazard” when Tammy Wynette appeared on the show. Speaking of Hazard, my Grand Father Lloyd Murrell grew up about 60 miles North West of Hazard, Kentucky in Booneville, Kentucky. During Prohibition, he ran moonshine to many of the small places that Bluegrass musicians would play and personally knew Bill Monroe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Monroe) the founding father of the Bluegrass movement. He would tell me stories about those days and about my cousins and that encouraged me.

It was not until I went to college that I really felt that I might be able to do this. It is the hard road to take. I do not have health insurance or benefits that regular job provides. If a large percentage of my student were to stop taking lessons all at once, I would not have a way to pay bills. I have to be like a cat & land on my feet every time I am tossed in the air. I can’t imagine what I be doing if I wasn’t in music and I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be doing this with my life.

8.       You compose. Do you compose for others or just yourself?

I compose mainly for myself but I have co-composed songs for Epiphany Lutheran Church in Centerville, Ohio (http://www.epiphanylutheran.us/community/index.htm) including a liturgy called “The Blues Liturgy” ("Hear My Prayer <Murrell, Warrick, & Castle> - Free Download" - http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_5356004) and two Christmas songs from their 2010 Christmas C.D. ("Glory To The Lord Most High <Murrell & Scheusner> - http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_5243687 & "You Have Found Me <Scheusner & Murrell> - http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_5410108).

In addition, when I compose I keep in mind the other musicians that are going to be on my recordings. Things such as the feel & the style of the way John Toedtman plays Bass has had a big impact on the arrangements of the songs I’ve recorded with him (Songs by James Murrell with John Toedtman: http://www.reverbnation.com/playlist/view_playlist/1519436), as compared with Bassist Chris Berg (Songs by James Murrell with Chris Berg: http://www.reverbnation.com/playlist/view_playlist/1519450).

9.       What is it like recording? In addition, they hearing yourself played back!

Recording is a long process for me. To me it is like making a painting - you put one layer at a time until there is a complete picture, only you are painting the air. It can be painful to hear yourself back after recording. There is always a part of you that is saying “I can do that better, I know I can!!!!!” or “Everything was good except that note - ugh!!!”. It is a little bit different with me because I am the Composer, the Player, the Recording Engineer, the Producer, Music Arranger, the Mixer, Microphone Technician, and the Master Engineer. Therefore, when I am done playing my part I go into Producer mode and I try to listen to the sound quality and the overall feel of the performance. Then if the sound is not good, enough I tell the Engineer in me to change the mix & equalization. If the feel of the performance is not good enough, I have to tell the Player in me to re-do the part. It becomes like have having spilt personalities!

10.   Have you played with other local groups? (Other than noted on your website?)

I have also played with the Epiphany Lutheran Church Praise Band in Centerville, Ohio off & on for the last 10 years which was one of the first Lutheran Contemporary Christian Worship Praise music groups in Ohio. I have also played in other Praise & Worship groups in the Dayton, Ohio area.

11.   What is your favorite musical genre?

I like all kinds of music but I tend to gravitate towards genres that involve improvisation such as Jazz, Blues, & Rock - all rock bands were jam bands when I was growing up. I also love Classical & Folk styles like Bob Dylan & Peter, Paul, & Mary. Music did not use to be as fragmented as it is today. Musicians should be able to see the beauty of every genre & be able to recognize the masters of every genre.

12.   Did you ever study music history? If so, is there a particular period that you found interesting?

I took 2 years (6 quarters) of Music History at CSU and 2 years before that in Junior High School at Western Brown with Mrs. Hawk. I have also done a lot of study on my own. Especially about American Music. I specialize in American Music. My favorite period is the first half of the 20th Century in America. The rise of Jazz, Art Deco, Musical Theater, and Surrealism. The rise of Rock in the late 1950 and all the way until the 1980s is a fascination also. As far as the periods in European Classical Music, I would say that the Romantic Period is my favorite because of the passion in their music (I love the music of Ludwig Von Beethoven).


13.   Who has influenced you most in your art?

Many artists have influenced me. There are too many list completely but I will list a few key influences - Miles Davis, The Beatles, John Scofield, Pat Metheny, Thelonious Monk, U2, Jeff Beck, Wilco, Count Basie, The Police, Living Colour, Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Django Reinhardt, John Melencamp, Rush, Yes, Jimmy Webb, Les Paul, Brad Paisley, Charlie Parker, John Lennon, John McLaughlin, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, Mike Stern, Bill Frisell, etc, etc.
It is almost pointless after a while to make list like this. There is one common thread in this list - Mastery.

14. Who currently is your favorite artist?

I’ve been listening to a lot of different artist including Pat Metheny, the Beatles, John Scofield, John Coltrane, Wilco, Jimmy Webb, The Rolling Stones, The Police, Bill Frisell, Miles Davis, Eric Johnson, The Yardbirds, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Billy Joel, Miles Davis, Rush, & R.E.M.

15.   Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

I have no idea! I hope that I will get more gigs (Music performances) and be able to share the music that God has given me with a lot more people.

16.   Anything else you can think of regarding your profession?

Not that I can think except that it is important to follow your heart & not make unnecessary compromises, because there are many professions that you could do just to make money and, Music is not one of them. Music is a labor of love. If there is another thing that you want to do with your life that is equal in love that can make you more money, you should pursue that because Music is the hard road to success. Even if you are the greatest musician, it is hard to make a living at Music and there are not many benefits like vacations, insurance, 401K, etc. However, I would not trade even 1 moment of the experiences I have had in Music! It has been a great thing in my life.


Thank you for the interview Shelley!

Peace,

James Murrell

]]> Wed, 26 Jan 2011 04:20:00 GMT A2CAF3FC55AAC5D489A7EE28BE940AFF James Murrell: Biography http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=662865 Biography: James Murrell James Murrell is a guitarist, composer, and singer from the Dayton, Ohio area. He plays Jazz, Rock, Pop, and other styles of American music. James grew up in Mt.Orab, Ohio about 40 miles east of Cincinnati. Most of the music that he was exposed to in his youth was Classic Rock, Country, Gospel, and Bluegrass. James started playing guitar when I was 10 years old in 1979. James had a teacher named Lloyd Hazelbaker when he was 13 who had been a western swing steel guitarist that had been featured on the hit 1950&lsquo;s TV show &ldquo;The Midwestern Hayride&ldquo; and a featured artist in the first Fender Musical Instruments catalog. Lloyd told James that he was going to be a Jazz guitarist when he grew up but, at that time, James had no idea what Jazz was. Lloyd went on to teach James a lot of old standards like &quot;the Autumn Leaves&quot; and &ldquo;All Of Me&ldquo;. Later, when James was 19, he decided to go to college for music. He went to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music Preparatory Department and studied with Phil Willis. Then James went on to study with James E. Smith at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio near Dayton, Ohio. James then started teaching and performing through out the Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus areas. James then found out about the Berklee College Of Music online school (www.berkleemusic.com) and started classes in the winter of 2009 and finished a Specialist Certificate in Advanced Guitar in May, 2009. James has performed at most of the establishments in the Dayton, Ohio and Cincinnati, Ohio areas including the Schuster Center, the Victoria Theater, Pacchia restaurant, the Nite Owl, Jazz Central, and the Brown Dog Cafe. James has also performed at the Guitar Fest in Centerville, Ohio for the last 6 years and at the Lancaster Festival. James recorded &quot;Blue Sky Park&quot; in 2004, &quot;Look For Hope&quot; in 2006, and &quot;After Hours&quot; in 2008. He has also recorded many demos through out the years. James took all of the originals from these recordings and released them as one digital release called &quot;Songs Of My Life&quot; through ReverbNation.com. James&rsquo; latest music release is the album &quot;The Source&quot; which he recorded and played all the music on. Both &quot;Songs Of My Life&quot; and &quot;The Source&quot; are available at all major online music retailers.
James Murrell is a guitarist, composer, and singer from the Dayton, Ohio area. He plays Jazz, Rock, Pop, and other styles of American music. James grew up in Mt.Orab, Ohio about 40 miles east of Cincinnati. Most of the music that he was exposed to in his youth was Classic Rock, Country, Gospel, and Bluegrass. James started playing guitar when I was 10 years old in 1979.
James had a teacher named Lloyd Hazelbaker when he was 13 who had been a western swing steel guitarist that had been featured on the hit 1950‘s TV show “The Midwestern Hayride“ and a featured artist in the first Fender Musical Instruments catalog. Lloyd told James that he was going to be a Jazz guitarist when he grew up but, at that time, James had no idea what Jazz was. Lloyd went on to teach James a lot of old standards like "the Autumn Leaves" and “All Of Me“.
Later, when James was 19, he decided to go to college for music. He went to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music Preparatory Department and studied with Phil Willis. Then James went on to study with James E. Smith at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio near Dayton, Ohio. James then started teaching and performing through out the Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus areas. James then found out about the Berklee College Of Music online school (www.berkleemusic.com) and started classes in the winter of 2009 and finished a Specialist Certificate in Advanced Guitar in May, 2009.
James has performed at most of the establishments in the Dayton, Ohio and Cincinnati, Ohio areas including the Schuster Center, the Victoria Theater, Pacchia restaurant, the Nite Owl, Jazz Central, and the Brown Dog Cafe. James has also performed at the Guitar Fest in Centerville, Ohio for the last 6 years and at the Lancaster Festival.
James recorded "Blue Sky Park" in 2004, "Look For Hope" in 2006, and "After Hours" in 2008. He has also recorded many demos through out the years. James took all of the originals from these recordings and released them as one digital release called "Songs Of My Life" through ReverbNation.com. James’ latest music release is the album "The Source" which he recorded and played all the music on. Both "Songs Of My Life" and "The Source" are available at all major online music retailers.
]]> Mon, 27 Dec 2010 22:05:00 GMT 8687166FB2DDE636347DE2737C12404D "The Source" Album & "Goodbye Girl" Song. http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=397128 <!--Session data--> I started on &ldquo;The Source&rdquo; in the early fall of 2009. I wanted to record the album with a full band and talked to many of my friends about playing on the album but they were not available at the time. Another opinion was for me to hire a band to play the music but at the time I could not afford it. So I decided to start working on the album by myself. The original idea was to record the album on acoustic guitar, bass, &amp; mandolin using overdubs and that the album was going to be all instrumental. At about this time I got in contact with an old girl friend of mine from High School. I loved her dearly when we were young. I went into the Navy right out of High School. The first time I came home on leave I found out she had a boyfriend. It broke my heart and I wrote the song &ldquo;Goodbye Girl&rdquo; but I never had played or sang it for her. When she &amp; I recently got in contact through email, I updated her about what I was doing and the online marketing I was doing for my music. I sent her a link so that she could hear my music. Most of the music I have done in the past has been instrumental Jazz &amp; Fusion. She told me that she enjoyed the music but asked if I played any Rock and if I ever sing on any of my songs. I have not sang in years in public. I had spent a large portion of my adult life developing my guitar playing and compositions. At the moment that I read that question I knew I had to record &ldquo;Goodbye Girl&rdquo; and that it had to be in the style that I would have played when I wrote the song. So I recorded &ldquo;Goodbye Girl&rdquo; that night and sent it to her. She liked it and it gave me some closure on our relationship. After recording &ldquo;Goodbye Girl&rdquo; I felt like I had gone back to the source of my music and I started remembering little riffs and song ideas from back then. I updated those ideas and also wrote some new songs. I was completely inspired to go back to this well inside of me that I had covered over for so long. I have a band now that is playing these songs and covers of Pop/Rock songs that I haven&rsquo;t played in years and, now I sing at every concert. This music is &ldquo;The Source&rdquo; of my musical being. I bare my soul with each song. I hope that you will enjoy the songs on &ldquo;The Source&rdquo;! Peace &amp; happiness, James Murrell 08/13/2010 <a href="http://www.jamesmurrellgtr.com" target="_new">www.jamesmurrellgtr.com &nbsp;
I started on “The Source” in the early fall of 2009. I wanted to record the album with a full band and talked to many of my friends about playing on the album but they were not available at the time. Another opinion was for me to hire a band to play the music but at the time I could not afford it. So I decided to start working on the album by myself.

The original idea was to record the album on acoustic guitar, bass, & mandolin using overdubs and that the album was going to be all instrumental. At about this time I got in contact with an old girl friend of mine from High School. I loved her dearly when we were young. I went into the Navy right out of High School. The first time I came home on leave I found out she had a boyfriend. It broke my heart and I wrote the song “Goodbye Girl” but I never had played or sang it for her.

When she & I recently got in contact through email, I updated her about what I was doing and the online marketing I was doing for my music. I sent her a link so that she could hear my music. Most of the music I have done in the past has been instrumental Jazz & Fusion. She told me that she enjoyed the music but asked if I played any Rock and if I ever sing on any of my songs.

I have not sang in years in public. I had spent a large portion of my adult life developing my guitar playing and compositions. At the moment that I read that question I knew I had to record “Goodbye Girl” and that it had to be in the style that I would have played when I wrote the song. So I recorded “Goodbye Girl” that night and sent it to her. She liked it and it gave me some closure on our relationship.

After recording “Goodbye Girl” I felt like I had gone back to the source of my music and I started remembering little riffs and song ideas from back then. I updated those ideas and also wrote some new songs. I was completely inspired to go back to this well inside of me that I had covered over for so long. I have a band now that is playing these songs and covers of Pop/Rock songs that I haven’t played in years and, now I sing at every concert. This music is “The Source” of my musical being. I bare my soul with each song. I hope that you will enjoy the songs on “The Source”!

Peace & happiness,

James Murrell 08/13/2010
www.jamesmurrellgtr.com
 
]]> Sun, 15 Aug 2010 09:09:20 GMT 349B022058FB0040E4581F34EBF9B12C Winter Nights http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=155797 <!--Session data-->Winter Nights I wrote Winter Nights the winter of 2003 during the holiday season. I was thinking about the soldiers in Iraq and what their families might be going through. I teach in a area where there are a lot of military families and a lot of my students have parents that have done tours in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. It is very hard on these kids. I pray for them and hope that their family members will return safely. I wrote the introduction, then the melody and chords just poured out of me instantly. The song took about 10 minutes to write. I recorded the song two times. Both versions are very good. I also have an arrangement of Winter Nights for solo guitar. I plan to record this arrangement in the near future. Here is the original lyric I had in mind for Winter Nights: Snow so white Christmas lights A winter night so clear Snow falls down Not a sound How I wish you were here And all I want For Christmas this year Is to hold you in my arms once again To feel your heart beat As you lay next to me And know that our love will never end To see your face In the morning sun And to hold you Till the morning comes All I want For Christmas this year Is for you to come home And love me once again <!--Session data--> &nbsp; Winter Nights

I wrote Winter Nights the winter of 2003 during the holiday season. I was thinking about the soldiers in Iraq and what their families might be going through. I teach in a area where there are a lot of military families and a lot of my students have parents that have done tours in Iraq and/or Afghanistan. It is very hard on these kids. I pray for them and hope that their family members will return safely.

I wrote the introduction, then the melody and chords just poured out of me instantly. The song took about 10 minutes to write. I recorded the song two times. Both versions are very good. I also have an arrangement of Winter Nights for solo guitar. I plan to record this arrangement in the near future.

Here is the original lyric I had in mind for Winter Nights:

Snow so white
Christmas lights
A winter night so clear

Snow falls down
Not a sound
How I wish you were here

And all I want
For Christmas this year
Is to hold you in my arms once again

To feel your heart beat
As you lay next to me
And know that our love will never end

To see your face
In the morning sun
And to hold you
Till the morning comes

All I want
For Christmas this year
Is for you to come home
And love me once again
 
]]> Fri, 08 Jan 2010 06:25:00 GMT 510CF64312D917AB014EBBF04407A405 Alive & Kickin' http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=69925 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I wrote the song Alive &amp; Kickin&rsquo; in the spring of 2006. I keep a folder of music ideas that come to me. I was going through the folder and found the basic motif that makes up the beginning of the melody. I then developed the rest of the first 8 measures (A section) based on some chromatic ideas that I was working on at that time. The song is in AABA form (A=basic melody, A=same basic melody, B=different melody, &amp; then A=basic melody from the beginning). Then I wrote chords for the A section that I had just finished. After playing the A section over and over, which is in the key of G minor, I decided to use the subdominant chord (iv) of G minor, (C minor), as the key of the B section. The B section has a lot of melodic ideas from classic jazz and is influenced a lot by Duke Ellington and Dizzy Gillespie&rsquo;s tunes in minor keys. I also feel as though the whole tune is reminiscent of Wes Montgomery&rsquo;s tunes like 4 on 6 and The Road Song. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; At the time I was playing in an organ based group and we called ourselves Alive &amp; Kickin&rsquo;. So that is where I got the name for the tune. A lot of my students like playing Alive &amp; Kickin&rsquo;; it has a cool vibe about it that makes it fun to play at up-tempos. The first recording of this song that I did was recorded slowly because it was a new tune and the band wasn&rsquo;t used to it. In 2006, I finally recorded it the way I heard it in my head with Jeff Hufnagle on piano, Jim Leslie on drums, Chris Berg on bass and myself on guitar. I hope you enjoy listening to it! <!--Session data--> &nbsp;      At the time I was playing in an organ based group and we called ourselves Alive & Kickin’. So that is where I got the name for the tune. A lot of my students like playing Alive & Kickin’; it has a cool vibe about it that makes it fun to play at up-tempos. The first recording of this song that I did was recorded slowly because it was a new tune and the band wasn’t used to it. In 2006, I finally recorded it the way I heard it in my head with Jeff Hufnagle on piano, Jim Leslie on drums, Chris Berg on bass and myself on guitar. I hope you enjoy listening to it!

 
]]> Mon, 31 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMT 90F2AC16F7540B4E31D57D1730574893 Blues For T. (Thelonious & Lester) http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=69454 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I wrote Blues For T. the summer of 2006. The T. stands for Thelonious as in Thelonious Sphere Monk who was one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time. Thelonious&rsquo; friends called him T. I was told this by the greatest jazz musician that I ever met - Lester Bass. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I met Lester Bass at Central State University when he was playing bass at my friend Brian Winguard&rsquo;s senior recital. I had heard of Lester before then. He was a legend in my eyes. I had heard that he had played with and knew a lot of famous jazz musicians and that he even got to play with Thelonious Monk. I was in awe of Lester&rsquo;s presence. Here was a man who actually knew Thelonious my hero. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; After the recital, I got my courage up and went over to meet Lester. I was asking him questions about his bass and the songs that they played. I didn&rsquo;t want to ask him about Thelonious and all the musicians that he knew for fear of intruding on his personal life. Lester had on this crazy hat that I thought was so cool, so I told him that I liked it a lot. He said &ldquo;Oh, that&rsquo;s my Thelonious hat. I got that from T.&rdquo; I didn&rsquo;t understand what he meant by that so I said &ldquo;It sure looks like something Thelonious would wear.&rdquo;, and then Lester said &ldquo;He did wear it. He gave it to me.&rdquo; Then I said &ldquo;So who is T.&rdquo;, and he said &ldquo;Oh, that was what Thelonious&rsquo; friends called him - T.&rdquo; So, that&rsquo;s how I found out about that. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I have to say this about Lester. He was the kindest, most gentle, and supportive person that I think I have ever met. After that first meeting, Lester ended up doing some gigs with me. He always wanted to practice for the gig even if it didn&rsquo;t pay well. I got to know him and he told me many stories about different musicians that he knew through the years. He told me about rooming with Wes Montgomery in Lionel Hampton&rsquo;s big band and watching Rashaan Roland Kirk grow up in Columbus, Ohio where Rashaan Roland Kirk was at the School for the Blind. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Eventually Lester told me about playing with Thelonious Monk. He was a sub for one week as a bass player in Thelonious&rsquo; band. When he got the gig, Thelonious said that he needed a decent hat, so he took Lester up to his apartment in New York and went into his bedroom, opened up the closet and in the closet were hundreds of hats. He picked one out and gave it to Lester. That&rsquo;s how he got his Thelonious hat. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; He went on to tell me that Thelonious told him to be at the club at 2 o&rsquo;clock for rehearsal. When Lester got there, no one was there. Later that night, at the gig, Lester asked Thelonious, &ldquo;Where was everybody for the rehearsal?&rdquo; Thelonious looked at him with puzzlement and then said, &ldquo;Oh, we didn&rsquo;t need to practice, you did.&rdquo; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Another friend of mine, Don Hinkey, told me a story that Lester would never tell. Don said that Lester contributed to the history of jazz as being the only man to ever beat up Charles Mingus. Charles Mingus was in a big band with him (I have no idea which one) and Charles was known to harass people into trying to do heroin with him. Lester stayed away from drugs his whole life and his favorite hobby was boxing when he was a young man. After several weeks of being tormented by Charles Mingus, Lester beat him up. Before I knew about this incident, I would ask if we could play some of Charles Mingus&rsquo; songs. Lester would always say no sternly, but I didn&rsquo;t understand why. Now I know. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In the weeks before Lester died, he was in great pain. He had edema from complications of diabetes, but he still wanted to do gigs with me. I had one last gig scheduled with him and I found out that he was sick and I couldn&rsquo;t find him. My teacher, James E. Smith, subbed for Lester that day. I miss Lester a lot. I used to go to his house near my teaching studio and watch BET Jazz when I had breaks from teaching. When I wrote this song, I thought about Lester a lot. His week with Thelonious was one of the highlights of his musical career. I dedicate this song to both Thelonious and Lester. I hope you enjoy listening to it!     I met Lester Bass at Central State University when he was playing bass at my friend Brian Winguard’s senior recital. I had heard of Lester before then. He was a legend in my eyes. I had heard that he had played with and knew a lot of famous jazz musicians and that he even got to play with Thelonious Monk. I was in awe of Lester’s presence. Here was a man who actually knew Thelonious my hero.
    After the recital, I got my courage up and went over to meet Lester. I was asking him questions about his bass and the songs that they played. I didn’t want to ask him about Thelonious and all the musicians that he knew for fear of intruding on his personal life. Lester had on this crazy hat that I thought was so cool, so I told him that I liked it a lot. He said “Oh, that’s my Thelonious hat. I got that from T.” I didn’t understand what he meant by that so I said “It sure looks like something Thelonious would wear.”, and then Lester said “He did wear it. He gave it to me.” Then I said “So who is T.”, and he said “Oh, that was what Thelonious’ friends called him - T.” So, that’s how I found out about that.
     I have to say this about Lester. He was the kindest, most gentle, and supportive person that I think I have ever met. After that first meeting, Lester ended up doing some gigs with me. He always wanted to practice for the gig even if it didn’t pay well. I got to know him and he told me many stories about different musicians that he knew through the years. He told me about rooming with Wes Montgomery in Lionel Hampton’s big band and watching Rashaan Roland Kirk grow up in Columbus, Ohio where Rashaan Roland Kirk was at the School for the Blind.
    Eventually Lester told me about playing with Thelonious Monk. He was a sub for one week as a bass player in Thelonious’ band. When he got the gig, Thelonious said that he needed a decent hat, so he took Lester up to his apartment in New York and went into his bedroom, opened up the closet and in the closet were hundreds of hats. He picked one out and gave it to Lester. That’s how he got his Thelonious hat.
     He went on to tell me that Thelonious told him to be at the club at 2 o’clock for rehearsal. When Lester got there, no one was there. Later that night, at the gig, Lester asked Thelonious, “Where was everybody for the rehearsal?” Thelonious looked at him with puzzlement and then said, “Oh, we didn’t need to practice, you did.”
     Another friend of mine, Don Hinkey, told me a story that Lester would never tell. Don said that Lester contributed to the history of jazz as being the only man to ever beat up Charles Mingus. Charles Mingus was in a big band with him (I have no idea which one) and Charles was known to harass people into trying to do heroin with him. Lester stayed away from drugs his whole life and his favorite hobby was boxing when he was a young man. After several weeks of being tormented by Charles Mingus, Lester beat him up. Before I knew about this incident, I would ask if we could play some of Charles Mingus’ songs. Lester would always say no sternly, but I didn’t understand why. Now I know.
    In the weeks before Lester died, he was in great pain. He had edema from complications of diabetes, but he still wanted to do gigs with me. I had one last gig scheduled with him and I found out that he was sick and I couldn’t find him. My teacher, James E. Smith, subbed for Lester that day. I miss Lester a lot. I used to go to his house near my teaching studio and watch BET Jazz when I had breaks from teaching. When I wrote this song, I thought about Lester a lot. His week with Thelonious was one of the highlights of his musical career. I dedicate this song to both Thelonious and Lester. I hope you enjoy listening to it!

]]> Sun, 30 Aug 2009 03:35:00 GMT 689133E9FF7D3543CF8FC48DC043941E The Island Song http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=69104 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I wrote The Island Song as an assignment for a jazz composition class with my teacher James E. Smith in 1999. The song's chord structure is based on George Gershwin&rsquo;s &quot;I Got Rhythm&quot; which is in a rounded binary form (AABA) and is 32 measures long (without the verse). My assignment was to write a bebop/hard-bop melody based on Gershwin's tune. I made the song twice as long (64 measures) so that the chords would last twice as long also. I then wrote the melody. The melody is influenced a lot by two songs - St. Thomas by Sonny Rollins and Christopher Columbus by Chu Berry. I also added in devices from bebop like the use of diminished arpeggios and tritone substitutions. The bridge (B section) of The Island Song is an improvised solo over the chord changes (the easy way out). The feel of the song is a Calypso-Jazz feel similar to the way St. Thomas is played by a lot of jazz musicians. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I tried to record The Island Song&nbsp;3 times before I had a band that could play it right. Maybe that was because of the form being longer or the song having so many different elements to it. I don't know why. To me it's just a simple tune but that is probably because I wrote it. I found the right team of players in 2006. I had John Toedtman on bass, Jeff Hufnagle on piano, Jim Leslie on drums, and myself on guitar. This group was able to interpret exactly what I heard in my head when I wrote this song. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Kids really love The Island Song a lot (but they don't like playing it because it is hard to play). I have a lot of fun playing this tune and I always get a big response from the audience when I play it live. I hope that you enjoy listening to the recording of The Island Song!     I tried to record The Island Song 3 times before I had a band that could play it right. Maybe that was because of the form being longer or the song having so many different elements to it. I don't know why. To me it's just a simple tune but that is probably because I wrote it. I found the right team of players in 2006. I had John Toedtman on bass, Jeff Hufnagle on piano, Jim Leslie on drums, and myself on guitar. This group was able to interpret exactly what I heard in my head when I wrote this song.
     Kids really love The Island Song a lot (but they don't like playing it because it is hard to play). I have a lot of fun playing this tune and I always get a big response from the audience when I play it live. I hope that you enjoy listening to the recording of The Island Song!

]]> Sat, 29 Aug 2009 03:30:00 GMT 56E5B9900DD5B07C751ADE09056BBB61 Look For Hope http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=68636 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I wrote the song &quot;Look For Hope&quot; the summer of 2004. It is a song that is hard to describe or even explain. I was thinking about the events that took place after September 11, 2001. I remember that day so clearly. I lived in Hilliard just outside of Columbus, OH at that time. I was driving up Broad St. and the news of the first airplane hitting the Trade Center in New York came on the radio. They thought that maybe it was an accident. I went home and turned on my television. At that moment the second airplane hit the Trade Center. I watched the live broadcast for several hours. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Maybe I was in shock but I decided to go ahead with my day. I went back up Broad St. towards downtown Columbus. When I got downtown, they had it all blocked off with National Guard soldiers with guns. I turned back around and then got on I-70 to go to the store where I was teaching at the time. The road was bare with no cars hardly at all. The sky was bare with no planes or helicopters. I got to my work place which was open but none of my students came in that night. I was trying to pretend like nothing was wrong, but I also had a lot of things wrong with my life at that time and that was how I dealt with it. I got home and saw the news about the other terrorist attack on the Pentagon and the attempt to attack the White House. I cried myself to sleep that night. It changed my life that day and I decided to move back to Dayton, OH where I had left so many of my own problems behind me. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; There was a shift in the way things were in this country that day, some for the better and some for the worst. But, more than anything, it seemed as if people lost their hope and became distant from each other. Politics became more segregated and divided. It used to be us - the people, and them - the politicians. We all took sides but when it came down to it we were one people and now that is gone. It died with all those victims on September 11, 2001. It died inside me that day. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; That is why I had to write Look For Hope. I have no idea where the chords came from and to this day I don't quite understand how it is that they work together. I thought about the way I, and my country had become and it poured out of me like water onto the ground. I was a conduit for this message and it poured out of my guitar and into the air. I immediately got out my cassette recorder and recorded the song. It was about 95% complete. I got some new ideas from my friend David Cousino for some of the chords and another friend, Jeff Hufnagel, helped me edit the melody. I then wrote the end part of the song. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; It is by far the most complicated song I have ever written. I am so blessed by this song coming through me. I think I now know what the great masters such as Bach and Beethoven felt all the time - truly blessed by God to be the vessel. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I met Peter Thomas the Cellist around the time that I recorded Look For Hope. He was always practicing after hours at McCutcheon's Music where I teach. He asked to see some of my music and he played Look For Hope for me on his cello. I immediately asked Peter to play the melody in unison with my guitar on the recording. The cello along with the guitar really made this track sound great. That along with the extra percussion that Jim Leslie overdubbed, the wonderful piano of Jeff Hufnagel, John Toedtman's fretless bass, and David Ferrara's great rhythm guitar made Look For Hope magical. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; By far this is the song that I am most proud of. I want to record Look For Hope again in the future with the guitar featured more on it, but this is a great recording that I have of it for now. I hope that you enjoy listening to it!     Maybe I was in shock but I decided to go ahead with my day. I went back up Broad St. towards downtown Columbus. When I got downtown, they had it all blocked off with National Guard soldiers with guns. I turned back around and then got on I-70 to go to the store where I was teaching at the time. The road was bare with no cars hardly at all. The sky was bare with no planes or helicopters. I got to my work place which was open but none of my students came in that night. I was trying to pretend like nothing was wrong, but I also had a lot of things wrong with my life at that time and that was how I dealt with it.
I got home and saw the news about the other terrorist attack on the Pentagon and the attempt to attack the White House. I cried myself to sleep that night. It changed my life that day and I decided to move back to Dayton, OH where I had left so many of my own problems behind me.
    There was a shift in the way things were in this country that day, some for the better and some for the worst. But, more than anything, it seemed as if people lost their hope and became distant from each other. Politics became more segregated and divided. It used to be us - the people, and them - the politicians. We all took sides but when it came down to it we were one people and now that is gone. It died with all those victims on September 11, 2001. It died inside me that day.
    That is why I had to write Look For Hope. I have no idea where the chords came from and to this day I don't quite understand how it is that they work together. I thought about the way I, and my country had become and it poured out of me like water onto the ground. I was a conduit for this message and it poured out of my guitar and into the air. I immediately got out my cassette recorder and recorded the song. It was about 95% complete. I got some new ideas from my friend David Cousino for some of the chords and another friend, Jeff Hufnagel, helped me edit the melody. I then wrote the end part of the song.
    It is by far the most complicated song I have ever written. I am so blessed by this song coming through me. I think I now know what the great masters such as Bach and Beethoven felt all the time - truly blessed by God to be the vessel.
    I met Peter Thomas the Cellist around the time that I recorded Look For Hope. He was always practicing after hours at McCutcheon's Music where I teach. He asked to see some of my music and he played Look For Hope for me on his cello. I immediately asked Peter to play the melody in unison with my guitar on the recording. The cello along with the guitar really made this track sound great. That along with the extra percussion that Jim Leslie overdubbed, the wonderful piano of Jeff Hufnagel, John Toedtman's fretless bass, and David Ferrara's great rhythm guitar made Look For Hope magical.
    By far this is the song that I am most proud of. I want to record Look For Hope again in the future with the guitar featured more on it, but this is a great recording that I have of it for now. I hope that you enjoy listening to it!
]]> Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:00:00 GMT DC9369535C13CE823624532D238F5B67 Urban Skies http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=68466 I wrote &quot;Urban Skies&quot; in early 2006. I live in a part of Dayton, OH that is near a hospital and at night you can hear helicopters and sirens. I was lying in bed one night and the noise was especially loud outside of my home so I looked outside my window at the urban skies and then I wrote this song. Originally I recorded the song as a Bossa Nova with cello and a jazz band but, last summer I recorded it the way I heard it in my head when I wrote it, with crazy electric guitars and a strong back-beat. Both recordings are great and the fact that the song works both ways shows that it's a great tune! ]]> Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:15:00 GMT 323EEABDAF8F628C5375890FC8687A82 Upon the Ocean Blue http://jamesmurrellgtr.com/musicblog.cfm?feature=882392&postid=66237 I'm going to write a tune based on this poem that I wrote a few year ago. Upon the Ocean Blue I&rsquo;ve seen the sky fall down From the top of the ocean blue As I looked in awe Searching for you I didn&rsquo;t know then what I know now That within the vastness of our lives The ocean would lead me to you And I thank God For each and every moment Every day and every month The long years The laughing sighs The darkness that we face In this journey that we have come to I pray will clear And again I will find you The sky will fall down again and again And the truth will find it&rsquo;s way Upon the ocean blue - James Murrell &nbsp;
Upon the Ocean Blue

I’ve seen the sky fall down
From the top of the ocean blue
As I looked in awe
Searching for you
I didn’t know then what I know now
That within the vastness of our lives
The ocean would lead me to you

And I thank God
For each and every moment
Every day and every month
The long years
The laughing sighs

The darkness that we face
In this journey that we have come to
I pray will clear
And again I will find you

The sky will fall down again and again
And the truth will find it’s way
Upon the ocean blue

- James Murrell
 
]]> Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:07 GMT B811A63A4A7D401EC932635820B1CA21