50 Jazz Blues Licks is an exclusive series of video guitar lessons by David Hamburger covering the jazz blues styles of historically great guitarists like Geoge Benson, Kenny Burrell, Joe Pass, and many others. A new lick will be released each week, so be sure to subscribe and check back often!
The first time someone played me a recording of the Oscar Peterson Trio, the thing I noticed, of course, was the guitar player – which happened to be Joe Pass. Pass and Peterson went on to make about a jillion records together for Norman Granz’ Pablo label, but that was much later in Pass’ career. For the most part, the classic early Peterson trio records all featured Herb Ellis, which was certainly not a drag either. But my favorite Oscar Peterson playing is on a pair of LPs he made with the Ellis version of the trio (including Ray Brown on bass) with the toweringly great tenor saxophonist Ben Webster, often reissued on Verve as a set titled Soulville. I love all the tracks on these albums, but there are a pair of blues which feature both Peterson and Webster grooving away at their most relaxed and inventive, and these two tunes – “Soulville” and “Late Date” – are alone worth the price of admission. Although if you stick around to check out their version of Harold Arlen’s “Ill Wind,” you won’t be sorry.
Read on for the full guitar lesson…
Video Guitar Lesson
If you like these guitar lessons, be sure to also check out Frank Vignola’s Jazz Up Your Blues, which showcases essential jazz blues vocabulary and techniques, Mark Stefani’s Jazzed Blues Assembly Lines, which takes you on a sonic learning tour through the funky rhythm and blues stylings and fretboard concepts of top jazz blues players, and of course all of David Hamburger’s courses.