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Phil Upchurch
Chicago-born guitarist and bassist Phil Upchurch has been backing jazz, blues, and pop stars for over 50 years. What magic formula has allowed him to record and perform with everyone from Otis Rush and Donny Hathaway to George Benson and Michael Jackson? Aside from Upchurch’s immense talent and versatility, it also has to do with the fact that the guitarist is very detail oriented"particularly when it comes to rhythmic and melodic phrasing. Whether comping or soloing, Upchurch thinks like a drummer and always plays with and not on top of the band. “If you listen to [drummer] Philly Joe Jones’ snare, you can get a lot of ideas for rhythmic comping on the guitar,” offers Upchurch, who also points to Miles Davis"with his masterful blend of sustained notes and silence"as essential listening for all aspiring jazzers. Upchurch says that, like Davis, a great soloist must practice mindful interaction with the band, knowing exactly when and when not to play.
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Phil Upchurch: Feeling Blue
by David Rickert
In 1967 many aspiring musicians picked up the guitar as their instrument of choice, but most were interested in becoming the next Bob Dylan rather than the next Wes Montgomery. It’s understandable, then, that Phil Upchurch’s debut as a leader got lost in the shuffle. At this point he had worked as a sideman with some of the best artists in the rhythm and blues field, like Otis Rush and B.B. King, and would later follow the fusion movement with ...
read morePhil Upchurch: Tell The Truth!
by AAJ Staff
If Phil Upchurch would unroll a list of albums on which he has played, ever since his start in the very early 1960's, it would be as long as his arm--and it would still dangle from his hand for at least the same length again. Always busy as a back-up guitarist, Upchurch's versatility and his ability to slip into any format obscure his true musical personality.Is he a blues guitarist, as he was with Muddy Waters and Buddy ...
read morePhil Upchurch: Tell the Truth!
by Dave Hughes
Phil Upchurch, who has been a highly in-demand session and touring guitarist and bassist for three and a half decades (and released twenty previous albums along the way), has now released one of his most personal and satisfying CDs yet, Tell the Truth. And the title is apt; Upchurch was able to make this album with his current working band performing the music of his choice, without having to comply with record company directives to use big-name guest stars or ...
read morePhil Upchurch: Tell the Truth!
by Dave Hughes
Phil Upchurch, who has been a highly in-demand session and touring guitarist and bassist for three and a half decades (and released twenty previous albums along the way), has now released one of his most personal and satisfying CDs yet, Tell the Truth. And the title is apt; Upchurch was able to make this album with his current working band performing the music of his choice, without having to comply with record company directives to use big-name guest stars or ...
read morePhil Upchurch: Tell The Truth!
by AAJ Staff
If Phil Upchurch would unroll a list of albums on which he has played, ever since his start in the very early 1960's, it would be as long as his arm--and it would still dangle from his hand for at least the same length again. Always busy as a back-up guitarist, Upchurch's versatility and his ability to slip into any format obscure his true musical personality.Is he a blues guitarist, as he was with Muddy Waters and Buddy ...
read moreJimmy Smith: Dot Com Blues
by Chris M. Slawecki
He's known as one of the founding jazz fathers of Hammond B-3 organ funk, but Jimmy Smith has always played the blues. Born in December 1928 in a suburb west of Philadelphia, Smith has been performing since he was 12, at that time in a song and dance act with his father. After a stint in the navy, Smith took advantage of the GI Bill to study bass, piano and music theory upon his service discharge. During this period Smith ...
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