Bill Connors' Best Solo?

**Rob MacKillop** · 03-01-2021, 04:47 AM

This guy thinks so, and I can't disagree:

Quite a groove. It's from Stanley Clarke's first solo album. With Jan Hammer and Tony Williams.

**Rob MacKillop** · 03-01-2021, 05:41 PM

Seems to have left you all speechless

**neatomic** · 03-01-2021, 07:41 PM

that stanley clarke album is one of my fave fusion albums ever...since it's original issue..all monster fusion players of that era..connors, clarke, hammer and tony williams...i listened to it last week! was huge bill connors fan

however stanley had a lesser known solo lp before that..so that's actually his 2nd lp

here's his actual first...its rtf core- clarke, corea and white..but with pat martino on guitar

cheers

**neatomic** · 03-01-2021, 08:18 PM

ps- that first lp was also recorded pre alembic bass (which he later featured on the cover of his next lp ^)...he was using a gibson eb-2 thinline semi-hollow...(which had a rather middy muddy sound)...but, a short scale...

so when alembic made him his custom bass it also had a short scale...and stanley was a tall lanky guy...he could really fly on it!!

cheers

**neatomic** · 03-01-2021, 08:58 PM

bill connors blasts off nicely on the final 1/3 of the rtf tune..captain senor mouse...his first lp wth the band

so much for "speechless"! haha

cheers

**citizenk74** · 03-01-2021, 09:44 PM

I have been hitherto ignorant of Mr. Connor's work. Rob and neatomic have corrected that oversight for me. Thank you, gentlemen!

**Rob MacKillop** · 03-02-2021, 05:37 AM

That's more like it!

There was more rock in his playing at times than jazz: "I always wanted to use the electric guitar in a sophisticated context, like with Chick [Corea]. I like to play jazz with that electric-rock sound. For me it's a lot closer to a horn than the traditional guitar, and that's what I love about it; I can sustain notes, get into different kinds of phrasing—do things other instruments do naturally, only the guitar does it with the aid of technology."

He didn't get on with Chick too well, with some saying the latter was quite abusive to him. "Chick had a lot of ideas that were part of his involvement with Scientology. He got more demanding, and I wasn't allowed to control my own solos. I had no power in the music at all. Then, we'd receive written forms about what clothes we could wear, and graphic charts where we had to rate ourselves every night – not by our standards, but his. Finally, we had to connect dots on a chart every night. I took all of it seriously because I had a lot of respect for Chick, but eventually I just felt screwed around. In the end, my only power was to quit."

I'm looking at his Wiki page where - to my surprise - I learn that he is still alive. For some reason I got it into my head he was no longer with us. He did go off into classical guitar (which is a death of sorts! LOL Only kidding) and was influenced by Julian Bream: "I was sitting with his album 20th Century Guitar—a real classic—and it has this piece by [German composer] Henze that I really loved. It was just getting to me, so I sat down for a couple of days and transcribed it—on my steel-string guitar, with my funny pick-and-finger technique [laughs]. When I got it, it gave me so much pleasure that I said, 'Okay, I'm going to be a classical guitar player.' And that's what happened."

Transcribing Henze's music is not easy!

He now (according to Wiki) teaches for a living.

**Rob MacKillop** · 03-02-2021, 05:47 AM

I had this album when I was about 16. I liked some of it, but not all. Listening to it again, a lot of it is great, though dated somewhat. Bill is featured a lot. He was clearly happy then.

**rictroll** · 03-02-2021, 06:55 AM

Wonderful musician. I love his ECM recordings.

**neatomic** · 03-02-2021, 01:38 PM

have followed connors through his whole career...from rock toned fusion, thru his acoustic (ecm) period, into his return to electric in the 80's..with 3 albums of decidedly holdsworth inspired legato-isms...to his last recording which was more traditional jazz based..he was using an archtop!! hah

here's an unusual setting

connors improvising with paul bley and the great jimmy giuffre

yeah guitar

cheers

**neatomic** · 03-02-2021, 01:45 PM

Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop

I had this album when I was about 16. I liked some of it, but not all. Listening to it again, a lot of it is great, though dated somewhat.

just focusing on tony williams kick drum and cymbal work, still gets me every time! what a master...why miles hired him when he was a young teen!!

i find the lp to stand up better to much of the fusion of that time...including rtf...chicks synth and production sounds much more dated to me than jan hammers fat moog lines

cheers

**jads57** · 03-02-2021, 01:49 PM

Bill Connors married the best of Eric Clapton and Pat Martino in one guitarist for me! I'm always surprised he didn't go on to bigger things in his musical career.
Taste, Tone, and Chops all in one!

**Flat** · 03-02-2021, 05:31 PM

I always liked this ECM album "Swimming With a Hole in my Body." All or mostly acoustic, as I recall.

Streaming on amazon music, btw...

https://music.amazon.com/albums/B005LX0YI4

Bill Connors' Best Solo?-41tj7atwm-l-_ux358_fmjpg_ql85_-jpg

Bill Connors' Best Solo?-41tj7atwm-l-_ux358_fmjpg_ql85_-jpg

**neatomic** · 03-02-2021, 07:25 PM

for those wanting to go down the bill connors rabbithole

Bill Connors Fan Page

cheers

**Average Joe** · 03-03-2021, 06:33 AM

I wouldn't want to rank his solos or claim some of his work superior, but an album that isn't talked about enough is Return. I like the blend of influences and the music as a whole

**Jimmy blue note** · 03-03-2021, 08:13 AM

Somehow always overlooked, I found his acoustic work understated. That's my favourite stuff:

Not even a trace of his recording Theme To The Guardian on YouTube. But worth finding IMHO

**maggles55** · 03-03-2021, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop

That's more like it!

He didn't get on with Chick too well, with some saying the latter was quite abusive to him. "Chick had a lot of ideas that were part of his involvement with Scientology. He got more demanding, and I wasn't allowed to control my own solos. I had no power in the music at all. Then, we'd receive written forms about what clothes we could wear, and graphic charts where we had to rate ourselves every night – not by our standards, but his. Finally, we had to connect dots on a chart every night. I took all of it seriously because I had a lot of respect for Chick, but eventually I just felt screwed around. In the end, my only power was to quit."

Pardon me if I have posted this story before. Back ~1974, I was a student at SUNY Stony Brook and with a group of friends that were crazy about RTF, especially "7th Galaxy". The university booked RTF for two concerts in one night and we quickly bought tickets to both shows. A pair of the guys were so fanatical, that they went to NYC a few days before to watch a club show. They returned with tales about how great Connors and the whole group performed. However, within ~7 days, when they appeared at Stony Brook, Connors was gone, replaced by Earl Klugh. Now Klugh is a great guitarist, but I think most of you can see the mismatch here. Klugh played a Les Paul finger style and you could see he was still woodshedding the RTF tunes. He was often lost and his solos were not right for the music. They clearly changed the concert format, spending about half the time on individual solo performances and some improvised duets. For these, Klugh switched to nylon guitar and was brilliant, but he played a few standards, no RTF. S Clarke played a lot of acoustic bass for these improvised segments. So, overall, the two concerts had periods of great musicianship and improv on display, but mostly a letdown for our group who wanted the electric stuff.
- maggles

**Piedaddy** · 03-03-2021, 12:08 PM

I was in high school and I saw Connors back ~'74 with RTF at Kennedy Center. Tremendous show that also had Larry Coryell and his band with Alfonse Mouzon playing drums....then Mahavishnu came to town......