Freddie Green

Freddie Green ( born Frederic William Green, born March 31, 1911 in Charleston, South Carolina, USA, † March 1, 1987 in Las Vegas ) was an American jazz guitarist. His feature was particularly the refined rhythm guitar work in big bands, especially the Count Basie Orchestra, where he was part of the " All-American Rhythm Section " with Basie on piano, Jo Jones on drums, and Walter Page on bass.

Life

Freddie Green came early into contact with the music and learned banjo before he came to the guitar as a teenager.

A friend's father, Sam Walker, the young Freddie taught to read music and encouraged him to play guitar. Walker gave Freddie his first engagement, so to speak, by letting him play in one of the bands of the local orphanage, which he headed, and as Jenkins Orphanage band nationally occurred and were known nationwide. Interestingly, another member of this group of young William " Cat" Anderson, who later became known as a trumpet player in the band of Duke Ellington.

Unfortunately, died at this time Green's parents and he moved to New York City, where he lived with his aunt and continued his education. In New York, Freddie discovered a new musical world. Still a teenager, he began to variously to play in the city's clubs. During one of these performances he fell on John Hammond, who recognized the possibilities in greens game and introduced him to Count Basie. Basie was initially reluctant to a gig of Green (according to another version, he heard him in his dressing room !), But immediately recognized his potential and offered him a place in his band, where he replaced Claude Williams, whose playing Hammond did not like.

Greens Technology on the unreinforced acoustic guitar was to play only a few important notes of every chord. The notes should be sounded, he lowered the fingers of his left hand. This technique resulted in a " plucked " sounding " fat" rhythmic sound without harmonic pushing to the foreground, which should not have with the sounds of other orchestra members must always tolerated. Throughout his career, Green has rarely melodic (single note ) played solos.

The rhythm section worked so that no instrument was louder than the other and pretending Basie rhythm. Once it was clear, took over and held him the other. Green oversaw the rhythm in the later bands with not so reliable musicians. The precise rhythm and his work earned him the nickname Mr. Rhythm.

Green was a pioneer of playing the guitar in the rhythm section of a big band. Solos he did not play in the Basie band from isolated exceptions (eg, The Elder / 1962) usually.

After Basie's death Green worked among others in the Basie band, and with Manhattan Transfer.

Recordings were sporadically over the years with other musicians about, like Benny Carter, Lionel Hampton, Kenny Burrell, Billie Holiday, Sonny Stitt, Big Joe Turner (Boss of the Blues, 1956) or Lester Young.