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Sonny Greenwich in 10 Clips

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Yesterday I received an email from Bob Miller in Canada. In his note, he mentioned Sonny Greenwich, a guitarist who is little-known in the U.S. but a favorite among musicians north of the border. Canada, of course, has produced its share of great jazz musicians, including Greenwich, multi-instrumentalist Don Thompson, saxophonist Moe Koffman, pianist Oscar Peterson and guitarists Lenny Breau and Ed Bickert, plus dozens of others.

Today I'm showcasing Greenwich, whose style has always been distinct and whose edgy approach in the 1960s foreshadowed jazz fusion. Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Greenwich lived in Toronto until the late 1960s and then moved to Montreal. In 1965 he performed in New York at the Village Gate with saxophonist Charles Lloyd and played with a wide range of Canadian and U.S. musicians, including American saxophonist John Handy. He's on Hank Mobley's Third Season (1967), Moe Koffman's Solar Explorations (1974) and Paul Bley's Outside In (1994) not to mention numerous leadership albums.

Here are 10 clips of Sonny Greenwich in action:

Here's Greenwich with the Don Thompson Big Band on Canadian television in 1964...



Here's Greenwich again with the Don Thompson Big Band...



Here's Greenwich in 1965 playing Mademoiselle de Paris, with a proto-fusion feel...



Here's Greenwich with Don Thompson on piano playing Cole Porter's I Love You...



Here's Greenwich with guitarist Ed Bickert playing Bill Evans's My Bells with an arrangement by Rob McConnell. This is one of the most beautiful interpretations of the Evans masterpiece...



Here's Greenwich with guitarists Lenny Breau and Ed Bickert playing the Beatles' Norwegian Wood...



Here's Greenwich with Don Thompson playing I Remember You...



Here's Greenwich with Don Thompson playing As Long As I'm Dreaming...



Here's Greenwich playing Elton John and Bernie Taupin's Your Song...



And here's Greenwich practicing his tune Fontainebleau...

Continue Reading...

This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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