Doug Raney early years gear

[neatomic]

doug raney..in stellar trio..with the great mads vinding on bass and his long time cohort billy hart on drums

cut in copenhagen 1985

guitar guitar guitar



cheers

[grahambop]

You can't beat Doug and Chet - For Minors Only, from 'Daybreak':

[neatomic]

You can't beat Doug and Chet -

tho ultimately heartbreaking

gods bless

cheers

[Fred Archtop]

With apologies to Fredarchtop, hoping this isn't considered off topic.

Absolutely no offense in turning this thread into Jimmy's elegy and Doug's hagiography. There are both amongst my top five players and Jimmy is definitely number 1 for me...

As for Jimmy Raney, in addition to pubylakeg selected masterpiece, I will add one of his later registration works such as this album he did for the CrissCross label.
This album, "the master", is just stellar.
Jimmy Raney

Here, Jimmy is supported by a wonderful rhythm section with the great pianist Kirk Lightsey. Piano/guitar interplay is just incredible between them. Listen to this version of Billie's Bounce and the way Jimmy passes the torch to Kirk after his chorus.

Jimmy's style is a lot different to the one heard in his 50's recording sessions. Less verticality, less abstraction in many ways, he is much more driven by the research of a singing headline.

As for Doug, I go crazy for his albums from the late 70's & 80's with Horace Parlan (pno) and Bernt Rosegren (ts). Just listen to this track, lean years (original from Pat Martino) you can find on the album "cuttin' loose". Doug's chorus is just...wow, and the break introducing his chorus...

Cheers.

[Fred Archtop]

Hello,

Back to the thread, I found thid picture on Jon Raney'site.



Doug seems to play a custom Barney Kessel model, ie an ES 350 previously equiped with CC pickup and retroequipped with a P90.

Cheers.

[oldane]

Hello,

Back to the thread, I found thid picture on Jon Raney'site.



Doug seems to play a custom Barney Kessel model, ie an ES 350 previously equiped with CC pickup and retroequipped with a P90.

Cheers.

That was the guitar he used in the 1990s (as I remember it). It had the CC when I first saw him with it. Later it got the P90.

[Klatu]

Not only did Jimmy's style change from the 50's to the 70's, but his tone also changed dramatically. It sounds to me as though he's playing through a Polytone in his later albums. Can anyone confirm this?

I'd also like to know which tube amps Jimmy preferred in his earlier recordings.

Of the two tones, which do you all prefer?

[pubylakeg]

Jimmy used a Gibson EH-150 on his earlier recordings. He's pretty clearly on record as saying he was looking to re-interpret Charlie Christian. The only later amp I'm certain about is a Yamaha G series solid state combo on the "Live In Tokyo" album. I get the impression Jimmy wouldn't have been very fussy about gear latterly.


Btw, does anyone want to speculate if Jimmy's amp in the above pic has been painted. Apparently Charlie Christian painted his amp with red paint.

[ChuckCorbis]

Not only did Jimmy's style change from the 50's to the 70's, but his tone also changed dramatically. It sounds to me as though he's playing through a Polytone in his later albums. Can anyone confirm this?

I'd also like to know which tube amps Jimmy preferred in his earlier recordings.

Of the two tones, which do you all prefer?

Late 70's when I would go to hear Jimmy live in New Jersey at Gulliver's and at Michael's in NYC, he had a Polytone with a 15 inch speaker each time.

[Fred Archtop]

Thanks a lot Chuck, that's a great info.

Cheers.

[Nils]

I think it's a byrdland, as has also been suggested earlier in this thread. True, Jimmy R had a Fender D'Aquisto, which Doug has used when visiting the US during the 1990s, but this is not it. (The Baker trio recordings predate the Fender D'Aquisto - I think they're all from around 1979-1980, so this picture would be from that period also.)

[neatomic]

dougs fender d'aquisto



cheers

[neatomic]

makes sense...jimmy died in may 95...and doug was probably able to hold on to it for awhile..backbeat was cut october 97

btw, there's a zoller pickup on it!!

inside booklet pic




btw backbeat is a great album..doug penned a track- jimmy james- for his dad

cheers

[wintermoon]

makes sense...jimmy died in may 95...and doug was probably able to hold on to it for awhile..backbeat was cut october 97

btw, there's a zoller pickup on it!!

inside booklet pic




btw backbeat is a great album..doug penned a track- jimmy james- for his dad

cheers

wasn't aware of this lp.
Joey was about 300 lbs lighter back then.

[jbucklin]

btw, there's a zoller pickup on it!!

Oh yeah! ;^)

[jbucklin]

Here's Jimmy and Doug playing, "I Should Care."

I was so moved by this performance, on which I'm sure features Doug playing the head and the only solo, that I bought the album from iTunes. The entire recording is beautiful, with a sweet, melancholy vibe. Also got one of the Chet Baker trio albums with Doug. Loving it!

[neatomic]

to think that doug raney was born in 1956...a nyc kid...in the rock era..and that by the time he was 20 was playing bop inspired jazz guitar with the best of them, is mind boggling...not fusion, not funk..straight ahead jazz...as a young man!

and he didn't get a lot of help from jimmy..except dna..he learned jimmys lines off the records...like the rest of us!! hah


he was really something!!

as for chet baker trio..have had the touch of your lips playing in the car...dougs comping behind chet is as good as his soloing!

rip doug raney

cheers

[jbucklin]

and he didn't get a lot of help from jimmy..except dna..he learned jimmys lines off the records...like the rest of us!!
rip doug raney

cheers

I'd like to know more about the dynamics of their relationship.

Seems like great stuff for a book and subsequent film.

this is pure speculation, but reflecting on this I can't help but think of when I played bass with Noel Haggard, one of Merle's many sons. Noel is a great, unrecognized talent, yet the fact that he grew up without his legendary father around was so obviously a heavy cross he had to bear his entire life. This is not something I learned firsthand, but it was easy to put 2 & 2 together, judging by the amount of Merle tunes on the set lists, the amount of alcohol he consumed as the night progressed, until his interpretations of the songs turned into parody. He was angry, and it was sad to see a man struggling as he lived, trying to make his way in the enormous shadow of his giant of a father.

BUT, at least Jimmy Raney recognized Doug's gift and made all those amazing records with him, something Noel Haggard never got to enjoy.

[jbucklin]

as for chet baker trio..have had the touch of your lips playing in the car...dougs comping behind chet is as good as his soloing!

rip doug raney

cheers

Just bought it and will be listening to it on my way to my gig in a few minutes!

[neatomic]

cool...that chet trio's sublime!

cheers

[jbucklin]

The other one I got is This is Always. I have some Doug on vinyl from 30 years ago. Always been a fan of his. His Pa too.

[Comeau]

So what's the verdict on the guitar in the Baker Trio photo? Byrdland?

[ChuckCorbis]

So what's the verdict on the guitar in the Baker Trio photo? Byrdland?

That's what was said. I can't tell by that shot. Love to know the date of the photo though. If you message Jon Raney on his website, he would know I bet.

[IbanezAS100]

Doug's chorus is just...wow, and the break introducing his chorus...

Cheers.

I've not slowed this down to check for accuracy, just listened to the track a couple of times....

Great line though...thanks for 'providing the lick of the day'!



Edit: The fourth note in bar 3 (shown as D) is actually an A-replace 12th fret on D with 12 fret on A string. Easier to play as a ghost note/hammer on form nowhere. The line also works well in 5th position.

[Comeau]

Lean years