Rhythm Is My Beat

Jazz Guitar Great Freddie Green and the Count Basie Sound

Alfred Green

• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Year: 2015
• eBook ISBN: 9798881864118
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Music Biographies

In Rhythm Is My Beat: Jazz Guitar Great Freddie Green and the Count Basie Sound, Alfred Green tells the story of his father, rhythm guitarist Freddie Green, whose guitar work served as the pulse of the Count Basie Band. A quiet but key figure in big band jazz, Freddie Green took a distinct pride in his role as Basie's rhythm guitarist, redefining the outer limits of acoustic rhythm guitar and morphing it into an art form. So distinct was Green's style that it would eventually give birth to notations on guitar charts that read: "Play in the style of Freddie Green."

This American jazz icon, much like his inimitable sound, achieved stardom as a sideman, both in and out of Basie's band. Green's signature sound provided lift to soloists like Lester Young and vocalist Lil' Jimmy Rushing, a reflection of Green's sophisticated technique, that produced, in Green's words, his "rhythm wave." Billie Holiday, Ruby Braff, Benny Goodman, Gerry Mulligan, Teddy Wilson, Ray Charles, Judy Carmichael, Joe Williams and other recording artists all benefited from the relentless fours of the man who came to be known as Mr. Rhythm. The mystique surrounding Freddie Green's technique is illuminated through generous commentary by insightful interviews with other musicians, guitar professionals and scholars, all of whom offer their ideas on Freddie Green's sound. Alfred Green throughout demystifies the man behind the legend.

This work will interest jazz fans, students, and scholars; guitar enthusiasts and professionals; music historians and anyone interested not only in the history of jazz but of the African American experience in jazz.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Chronology
• CHAPTER ONE. God Said, “Let There Be Rhythm” and Freddie Green Heard the Call
• CHAPTER TWO. The Trail to Basie
• CHAPTER THREE. Finding the Groove
• CHAPTER FOUR. Building “The Wave”
• CHAPTER FIVE. On the Road
• CHAPTER SIX. You Don’t Screw with What Got You Here
• CHAPTER SEVEN. “You Don’t Have to Shout to Be Heard”
• CHAPTER EIGHT. Mr. Rhythm the Man
• APPENDIX A. The Quest of Freddie Green: From Ukulele to “Mr. Rhythm”
• APPENDIX B. The Dynamic Chord and Muted Notes (DCMN) Analysis of Freddie Green’s Rhythm Guitar Style: What’s in a “One-Note” Chord?
• APPENDIX C. For the Experienced Jazz Guitarist: Freddie Green Fundamentals
• APPENDIX D. Favorite Chord Voicings of Freddie Green
• APPENDIX E. The String Height of Freddie’s Guitar and How It Shaped His Unique Style
• APPENDIX F. Did Freddie Green Always Play the Guitar Chart “As Written”?
• APPENDIX G. Improvised Jazz Counterpoint: The Stylistic Characteristics of Freddie Green’s Rhythm Guitar Playing
• APPENDIX H. Freddie Green’s One-Note-Chord Technique: Supporting Evidence from Other Guitarists
• APPENDIX I. Chapter Transcriptions
• APPENDIX J. The Ultimate Transcription
• APPENDIX K. Freddie Green Compositions
• APPENDIX L. Freddie Green Recordings: A Selected Discography
• APPENDIX M. Freddie Green on Film and Video
• APPENDIX N. Freddie Green’s Non-Basie Recordings
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Index
• About the Author