Jazzin' On 4 Strings:
Hot Jazz in Chicago Tuning
for Tenor Banjo, Tenor Guitar,
Baritone Ukulele, Banjo Uke, and More
HOT OFF THE PRESS
in 2023 ... and still sizzlin'!
Jazzin' On 4 Strings:
Hot Jazz in Chicago Tuning
for Tenor Banjo, Tenor Guitar,
Baritone Uke, Banjo Uke,
and More
by Reginald W. Bacon
(a.k.a. "Mr. Slim");
(Newburyport, Mass.:
Variety Arts Press, 2023);
6x9 softcover, 288 pages;
with 300-plus photos,
diagrams, and charts;
225 recommended recordings;
100-plus endnotes;
20 hot jazz song standards with
notation, chord symbols, & lyrics;
and a comprehensive bibliography.
ISBN: 978-0-9977528-8-5
LOC: 2023937435
In service to 4-string uke players and 6-string guitarists curious about the exuberant hot jazz of the 1920s-30s, Jazzin' On 4 Strings is a guide to the application of DGBE Chicago tuning on 4-string instruments like the tenor banjo and tenor guitar --- for a more varied sonic palette.
What is "hot jazz"? It's the sizzling, effervescent jazz that you won't hear in an elevator, supermarket, or dentist's office. More words could follow here, but instead have a listen to the recording of "Everybody Loves My Baby" by Fats Waller and His Rhythm. At present, hot jazz may be a musical foreign language to many, but if this high-energy music resonates with you --- and you have an itch to play it --- then you just might need this book.
The roots of the guitar-like "Chicago tuning" for the 4-string tenor banjo and tenor guitar are tangled, but the real-world application of the tuning is long-validated by New Orleans jazz banjo pioneers like Johnny St. Cyr --- and rock-and-pop recording session masters like Tommy Tedesco.
In Jazzin' On 4 Strings, you'll learn about the hot jazz of the1920s-30s; the rationale for Chicago tuning; 4-string chords and progressions; 4-string and 8-string instruments suitable for Chicago tuning; and 20 notated arrangements of hot jazz standards --- all to welcome you into a world of fun, challenge, and musical discovery.
$30.00 (US) includes media mail shipping in the U.S.
(Inquire for additional international shipping cost.)
Payment accepted by PayPal (see "Buy Now" below).
To order by postal mail, send order details,
your shipping address, and payment by check to:
Variety Arts Enterprises, P.O. Box 489, Newburyport, MA 01950.
ALSO AVAILABLE:
Jazzin' On 4 Strings
Spiral-Bound Supplement
(Opens flat for music stand convenience!)
This supplement includes all 22 song arrangements in Jazzin' On 4 Strings enlarged and spiral bound for flat viewing and music-stand convenience.
- Musical notation
- Chord symbols
- Lyrics
- Recording information
- Original sheet music images
- 8.5"x11", 108 pages
- spiral-bound softcover
$16.00 (US) includes
media mail shipping in the U.S.
(Inquire for additional international shipping cost.)
Payment accepted by PayPal (see "Buy Now" below).
To order by postal mail, send order details,
your shipping address, and payment by check to:
Variety Arts Enterprises, P.O. Box 489, Newburyport, MA 01950.
