The Life and Music Denton, TX: University of North
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
One Long Tune: The Life and Music of Lenny Breau. By Ron Forbes-Roberts. Denton, TX: University of North Texas PIZSS, 2006. $29.95. 325 p. ISBN 978-1-57441- 2 10-9 innipeg-born guitarist Lenny keep him on a straight path as he Breau (1 941 -1 984), a legend descended into chronic drug use and Wamong guitarists and non- financial and marital turmoil. In the end, guitarists alike, has long been neglected Atkins, who was seventeen years his in the literature on jazz and jazz senior, actually lived seventeen years musicians. This book, a thoroughly longer than Breau, who was tragically researched and comprehensive account murdered and found at the bottom of the of his life and music, unequivocally roofiop swimming pool of the decrepit addresses this neglect. Music journalist Los Angeles apartment building where and classical guitarist Ron Forbes- he lived. The case was never solved, Roberts has meticulously compiled although his wife at the time was cited as information and opinions from 115 a strong suspect. personally conducted interviews as well as numerous concert and recording Atkins' style of guitar playing may reviews. He weaves a stimulating and have been Breau's first inspiration and consistent mixture of biography and influence, but he quickly became musical commentary-perhaps with intrigued with jazz, and to a lesser more writing about Breau's life than his extent, flamenco guitar. In particular, music, but that is to be expected. For a Breau was captivated by Bill Evans' first book on the guitarist, there is much chord voicings after hearing the pianist's to learn and assimilate. work on Miles Davis's Kind of Blue through long-time friend and mentor Lenny Breau began his career Bob Erlandson, a jazz pianist from singing with his parents' vaudeville act, Winnipeg who had first hired Breau in "Lone Pine and Betty Cody," touring 1958 as a singer. (Like Atkins, mostly through Maine and ending up in Erlandson also continued to look after New Brunswick. He started playing Breau until the last years of his life in guitar at the age of eight, immediately Los Angeles.) For Breau, the incorpor- demonstrating a remarkable ability to ation of Evans' harmonically ambiguous memorize what he heard and replicate it. voicings (e.g., no roots, altered A key turning point in his development extensions, etc.) with his single-line was when he heard Chet Atkins on the playing was a natural fit. He was already radio in 1952, whose unique and using a finger style method of playing virtuosic picking was to b'ecome the with very light strings enhanced by his technical basis for Breau's style. When patented chordal harmonics-a method the two finally met in 1967 they of pinching the strings to produce established an instant rapport. Atkins overtones without actually striking them. became a father figure for Breau, arranging for his first major record, One could argue that Evans' procuring work for him, and eventually influence was not evident in the way getting caught up in a futile attempt to Breau structured his improvisations, but the sounds were there. Breau's easily pinpoint pages where Breau's astounding technical facility, his "development of guitar style," "attitudes lightning-fast runs and extended chords, towards improvisation," and his "interest his ability to effortlessly comp and play in flamenco music" occur, there also is melodic lines simultaneously, and his documentation on many aspects of his stylistic mastery of country, flamenco, personal life, including such peculiarities and jazz, all may have gotten in the way as "housekeeping arrangements with of his ability to deliver logical and Lenny Breau," under the entry of his coherent musical statements. He was wife, Valerie. The discography is simply too caught up in the moment by detailed and accurate, although I the technical and stylistic possibilities couldn't find information on an that present themselves in a tune. With intriguing recording made in 1962 for a the exception of such set pieces such as radio station that is mentioned several "The Claw," a solo guitar piece, most of times in the text. Breau plays bass, with Breau's improvisations were dazzling a solo that "was not simply a piece of but disjointed, in contrast to the highly astonishing technical work: its guitaristic controlled and stylized gestures of Bill concept presaged an approach to bass Evans. While Breau played and recorded that would become cutting edge ten with Atkins on several occasions, he years later and supports the great only ,managed once to sit in briefly with Canadian jazz bassistlpianist Don Evans during a club performance in Thompson's assertion that 'Lenny Breau Toronto in 1971. As documented in the was ahead of us all on bass"' (p. 74). book from Doug Riley's recollection, the encounter was not all that successfbl due Breau's recorded output was (and is) to the similarities in comping and uneven, some of it marred by the voicings-they simply got in each smorgasbord approach he took to other's way. I would guess that they also repertoire development and had radically different conceptions of improvisation, and some of it simply improvisation and that an aesthetic unsuitable for release. The album that divide may have played a role in their caught everyone's attention was The incompatibility. Velvet Touch of Lenny Breau: Live!, aptly named because "it really did look The book reads well and has been like he was just tapping his fingers on a rigorously documented, with a list of all piece of velvet, just stroking it. The of the interviews, a bibliography movements he would make with his (including references to radio and right hand were so small, so controlled television shows), a detailed disco- and so light" (p. 21 1). It was recorded in graphy, and an outstanding index, which 1969 at Shelly's Manne Hole in Los merits some comment. Through the Angeles during a three night engage- index one can trace Breau's musical ment that led one commentator to influences, his numerous guitars (listed exclaim, "If you had dropped a bomb on individually and under one heading), his the place that night you'd have wiped recordings, concerts, television and radio out all the guitar players of the world. appearances, his drug and alcohol use, They were all down there, from Howard and his wives. Not only is it possible to Roberts to George Van Eps to Joe Pass.. I remember Lenny and George commentary on Breau's music, with Van Eps meeting and 'George kept numerous informative technical saying to him, 'What a player, what a explanations and references. Given the player! "' (p. 135). Until fairly recently, tormented life and tragic death that it was this album through which most Breau led, it is at least satisfying that this people knew Breau's music. first biography will likely not be rendered obsolete any time soon. Forbes-Roberts has done a Combined with Randy Bachman's remarkable job in putting together this efforts to release all of Breau's music biography and has collected in one place through his Guitarchives record label, everything you need to know about there is much to savour. Lenny Breau, leaving you with a real sense of his genius and personal Rob van der Bliek struggles. He also provides insightful York University .