I can not be more thankfull for Mr Russell's life, music, and all his life's work (band, writing, and concept). I send my deepest condolences to his family and friends.
I have lived with The Concept since 1968 when I was 16 studying Jazz.
I started out playing folk music and later Blues and some Rhythm and Blues. After taking up Jazz I left most other forms behind for a long time.
I used The Concept for everything.
I never studied C&W, RockNRoll, or Blues again. I found myself playing gigs for just about any kind of music for a while, thinking I should be out there playing anything I could get my hands on.
I used The Concept to crack the idiom since I was really unfamilar with some, but I had learned The Concept and knew how those sounds where represented in it. Applying The Concept as I went taught me the idiom too. I was truely amazed. I especially used it in the, ahhhhh Disco Era. How to play the idiom and survive your own solos without loosing your mind. It is amazing how hip some awful stuff can be.
I do not believe I could master the entire Concept in my life time any more than mastering my Guitar entirely. I continue to study it with practical application.
Mr Russell has truly made the largest contribution to the Music World in the history of music.
Thanks, Chris
Thanks to George Russell for all he's done
Moderators: bobappleton, sandywilliams
Forum rules
An open letter from Alice Russell. June 21, 2011, Brookline, Massachusetts. 1. DO NOT make insulting, mean spirited remarks about anyone or their work; there are a plethora of sites where you can rant unfettered. If you attack someone personally, your comments will be removed. You can post it, but I'm not paying for it. Go elsewhere, and let those artists who are actually interested in discussion and learning have the floor. 2. There will be NO posting of or links to copyrighted material without permission of the copyright owner. That's the law. And if you respect the work of people who make meaningful contributions, you should have no problem following this policy. 3. I appreciate many of the postings from so many of you. Please don't feel you have to spend your time "defending" the LCC to those who come here with the express purpose of disproving it. George worked for decades to disprove it himself; if you know his music, there's no question that it has gravity. And a final word: George was famous for his refusal to lower his standards in all areas of his life, no matter the cost. He twice refused concerts of his music at Lincoln Center Jazz because of their early position on what was authentically jazz. So save any speculation about the level of him as an artist and a man. The quotes on our websites were not written by George; they were written by critics/writers/scholars/fans over many years. Sincerely, Alice
An open letter from Alice Russell. June 21, 2011, Brookline, Massachusetts. 1. DO NOT make insulting, mean spirited remarks about anyone or their work; there are a plethora of sites where you can rant unfettered. If you attack someone personally, your comments will be removed. You can post it, but I'm not paying for it. Go elsewhere, and let those artists who are actually interested in discussion and learning have the floor. 2. There will be NO posting of or links to copyrighted material without permission of the copyright owner. That's the law. And if you respect the work of people who make meaningful contributions, you should have no problem following this policy. 3. I appreciate many of the postings from so many of you. Please don't feel you have to spend your time "defending" the LCC to those who come here with the express purpose of disproving it. George worked for decades to disprove it himself; if you know his music, there's no question that it has gravity. And a final word: George was famous for his refusal to lower his standards in all areas of his life, no matter the cost. He twice refused concerts of his music at Lincoln Center Jazz because of their early position on what was authentically jazz. So save any speculation about the level of him as an artist and a man. The quotes on our websites were not written by George; they were written by critics/writers/scholars/fans over many years. Sincerely, Alice