(AP) Jazz composer George Russell, a MacArthur fellow whose theories influenced the modal music of Miles Davis and John Coltrane, has died.

His publicist says Russell, who taught at the New England Conservatory, died Monday in Boston at age 86 of complications from Alzheimer’s.

Russell was born in Cincinnati in 1923 and attended Wilberforce University. He played drums in Benny Carter’s band and later wrote “Cubano Be/Cubano Bop” for Dizzy Gillespie’s orchestra. It premiered at Carnegie Hall in 1947 and was the first fusion of Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz.

Russell developed the Lydian Chromatic Concept of Tonal Organization in 1953. It’s credited as the first theoretical contribution from jazz.

Russell is survived by his wife, his son and three grandchildren. A release says a memorial service will be planned.

Above: NGW students Zack, Bruce, Pete, and Philippe pose with Buddy Guy!

National Guitar Workshop’s Chicago campus was another fantastic experience. At this campus I taught a blues core class which means that I have now taught every core class that NGW offers: rock, blues, jazz, and acoustic. This was also the first time that I had a class comprised entirely of of adult students. The guys in the class were all of similar abilities and interests and they bonded quickly and were a fun and easy group to work with.
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How to Play the Music of Stevie Wonder by Adam Rafferty is a fantastic new release aimed at fingerstyle guitarists wanting to hone their chops and add some R&B and funk to their repertoire with arrangements of the Stevie Wonder hits “Superstition”, “I Wish”, “Overjoyed”, and “Sir Duke.” The DVD/booklet sells for $34.97 at www.adamrafferty.com.

The DVD lasts just under two hours and Adam spends between 20 to 30 minutes teaching each arrangement. The video begins with a short introductory segment in which Adam encourages guitarists not to be intimidated or frustrated with the complex material presented in the video. He then briefly talks about what he calls “learning how to learn” and describes four specific stages of the learning process that students will encounter while working through the pieces. Adam adds that he continues to practice these pieces often and that he too is still fine tuning his performances!
Continue reading 'DVD Review: Adam Rafferty Teaches Stevie Wonder'

A very cool video! It really puts Michael Jackson’s dance moves into historical perspective.