curly chaker

Gary Walker · Post by **Gary Walker** » 15 Oct 2003 9:52 pm

John, Curly was a horn player and a big fan of big band sound as reflected in his playing. He also would study from different jazz players, piano and jazz organists. There's a jazz organist by the name of Shirley Scott who is a monster player and a lot of her voicings on the B3 are similar to Curly's. Don't know which got which from who first. But he would study from whom he could get a different slant on jazz. He has been compared with Oscar Peterson of Jazz piano fame.

Mike Perlowin RIP · Post by **Mike Perlowin RIP** » 15 Oct 2003 10:31 pm

<SMALL>...he is my all time favorite hero.</SMALL>

Mine too. I'll go so far as to say his recording of "If" on Counterpoint is possibly the single greatest steel guitar recording of all time.

John McGann · Post by **John McGann** » 16 Oct 2003 5:30 am

Yes Mike, and thanks for steering me toward this recording, not to mention the AMAZING live video- As a top notch master musician, he makes it all sound easy!

I would nominate for the Desert Island Steel Performance Award the two solo tracks he did as bonus cuts for Tom Bradshaw's reissue of "Big Hits On Big Steel"- "Born to Lose" and "You Don't Know Me". They could make the jazz snobs lose their condescending attitude toward "country music"!

Jeff Lampert · Post by **Jeff Lampert** » 16 Oct 2003 9:12 am

Curly is my favorite. He stands out because of what he did to show the capability of playing jazz harmony on steel. As great as fast C6 picking sounds as played by a number of extraordinary players, it is jazz harmony that defines the idiom, and Curly did that like no other. Boy, do I wish he was still around.

Joan Cox · Post by **Joan Cox** » 16 Oct 2003 5:03 pm

Larry Harlan and Terry Bethel..check your emails. I sent you Curly's tuning and pedal set up chart.

Joan