Thursday, July 21, 2011
1970 JOHNNY WINTER 1970
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T-BONE WALKER
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SOLAR CYCLE 23: A WARNING!!!
SOLAR CYCLE 23: A WARNING!!!
By John Rhodes, 1997
ROGUE SOLAR STORMS EXPECTED
As a forward, I wish to point out some relevant facts. By all indications, our sun in about to undergo major disturbances the likes of which have scientists excited and satellite owners worried beyond belief. According to all data reviewed to date, between now and the year 2003, we can expect increased lightening activity, thunderstorms, possible continent wide power black outs, weather shifts and even magnificent auroral displays ("signs in the sky".)
Satellites may be killed by approaching waves of highly charges particles. Communications (military, aviation, oceanic, television etc.) could be disrupted for an unknown period of time. Other phenomena that is associated with solar flare activity will occur that could, in ways not immediately noticeable, effect each and every one of us....living on the surface. Those people that are fortunate enough to be in an underground habitat, like FEMA, NORAD, etc. will be safe and secure from any disruptions. Everybody else, however, may have to fend for themselves if things get really bad.
The following is quoted directly from the Solar Web Site (July 4, 1997) Listed as: http://solar.uleth.ca/solar/. All comments of researcher John Rhodes are in WHITE text. This author has increased the font size and bold typed important quoted material.
Solar Cycle Status Report
STATUS OF THE CURRENT SOLAR CYCLE:
Everyone now agrees that we have finally observed the birth of solar cycle 23. We have probably been immersed within this new cycle for some time. According to sunspots, the minimum occurred in May 1996 with an as yet unofficial smoothed sunspot number of 8.1. Since then, we have observed a steady increase in the number of new-cycle sunspots having the proper new-cycle magnetic polarities. At the time of this writing, most of the new sunspots which are appearing are new-cycle spots.
According to the number of days in which no sunspots appeared, the cycle minimum (or maximum number of spotless days) occurred in October 1996 when there were 26 spotless days. This month also corresponds with the lowest monthly observed sunspot number of 2.3 (reported by SEC) and 1.8 (according to the International Relative Sunspot Number [RI]).
In addition, butterfly plots showing the emergence of new solar sunspot regions according to solar latitude indicates a clear separation in formation latitudes from old cycle 22 and new cycle 23. There are also many other parameters which have shown that new cycle 23 is now firmly in-progress.
This conclusion is a mixed-blessing for industry.
Radio communicators can now begin to look forward to an increasingly productive reign of ionospheric radio communications. In fact, higher-band high-frequency (HF) radio communications are already beginning to be observed. By July of 1998 (within the next 12 months), the observed sunspot number should almost triple in magnitude from a current predicted smoothed value of 40 for June 1997 (predicted through regression methods) to 109 (plus or minus 25) by July 1998. This will substantially increase the strength of the ionosphere. The next year will therefore be an exciting one for radio communicators.
The predicted smoothed sunspot number over the next 9 years is predicted to follow this pattern:
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1997 019 022 027 030 034 040 044 050 054 060 066 071
1998 077 082* 088 093 099 103 109 113 119 123 128 131
1999 136 139 142 146 148 151 153 154 156 157 158 159
2000 160 160 160 160 159 158 157 156 155 154 152 150
2001 148 146 142 140 137 134 131 128 124 121 118 114
2002 111 107 103 100 097 093 089 086 082 079 076 072
2003 069 066 062 060 057 053 051 048 046 043 041 039
2004 036 034 032 030 028 027 024 023 021 020 109 017
2005 016 014 013 012 012 011 010 009 009 008 *** ***
* Feb. 26, 1998 Solar Eclipse
(Note: These are the highest figures listed. Will planetary alignment increase effects?)
The predicted smoothed 10.7 cm solar radio flux values over the next 9 years is predicted to follow this pattern:
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
1997 077 080 084 087 091 096 100 105 109 114 119 124
1998 129 134 139 144 149 153 158 162 167 171 175 178
1999 182 185 188 191 193 196 198 199 201 202 203 204
2000 205 205 205 205 204 203 202 201 200 199 197 195
2001 193 191 188 186 183 181 178 175 172 169 166 163
2002 160 156 153 150 147 144 140 137 134 131 128 125
2003 122 119 116 114 111 108 106 103 101 099 097 095
2004 092 091 089 087 085 084 082 081 079 078 077 075
2005 074 073 072 071 071 070 069 068 068 67 0 ***
Satellite operators and users of satellite technology are less impressed with the onset of this new cycle of activity. The increased number of sunspots implies an attendant increase in the number of solar flares capable of spewing out particles that can charge and damage sensitive electronic components. The number of associated Earth-directed coronal mass ejections will also increase. This all means that users and owners of satellite technology will have to be increasingly aware of potential Earth-bound interplanetary disturbances. The death of the Telstar 401 satellite has been unofficially attributed to the arrival of such a disturbance, combined with the effects of higher-than-normal densities of energetically charged electrons. That particular interplanetary disturbance was about the size of a mouse when you think of what is yet to come over the next 4 to 6 years.
The largest interplanetary disturbances which we will observe during solar cycle 23 may be closer in size to an elephant than the small mouse we observed that may have contributed to the sudden death of Telstar 401. The overwhelming message which should be sent to users of satellite technology during this new solar cycle is....
"be cautious."
Electrical hydro operators have enjoyed several years of quiet conditions. Nothing similar in magnitude to the events of March 1989 have been observed, where almost the entire electrical grid of electricity supplied to the province of Quebec collapsed within less than 2 minutes due to powerful electrical currents that were induced into Hydro Quebec's electrical power lines during one of the strongest geomagnetic storms on record. Since most of the electrical power lines and companies interconnect their lines, this outage had impacts all across North America. The additional load drawn from other power companies to compensate for the loss observed during the Quebec blackout brought many other power companies close to similar failure conditions. If the situation was slightly worse, other blackouts across North America could have been observed - possibly making this a much larger continent-wide type of power blackout instead of a relatively localized province-wide Quebec blackout.
(Note: "Continent -wide type of power blackout" = No alarm systems, no lights, no traffic signals etc. This will entice rioting, theft and total disorder in the inner cities. If the grid isn't put online ASAP, the government would HAVE to put troops on the streets to control the chaotic situations. The worse fears of the "paranoid" like us would become a reality.)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory studied the effects that a geomagnetic storm might have on the U.S. economy if the storm was only slightly larger than the one observed in March 1989. Their estimate of the impact of such a disturbance to the Gross Domestic Product alone put total economic costs in the U.S. in the $3 to $6 BILLION dollar range! This assessment, along with reviews conducted by the North American Electric Reliability Council placed the 1989 and 1991 geomagnetic storm events in a category equivalent to hurricane Hugo and the San Fransisco earthquake in its relative impact to the reliability of the electric power grids in North America. That's a sobering thought for hydro operators and everyone reliant upon electricity!
(Remarks: If a geomagnetic storm, only slightly stronger than that of 1989, cost approximately 6 BILLION dollars in damage, what would the predicted 23rd solar cycle flares and coronal discharges cost the nation? What effects would strong storms have on the Power grid? I tend not to be an alarmist, but I do suggest that people PREPARE for the worst case scenario! GET A GENERATOR AND FOOD SUPPLIES etc. [there may be a run on what few supermarkets are open and ATM machines would most likely be shut down due to satellite failures, so store small $bills e.g. 5's, 10's, 20',s])
The ability to predict conditions conducive to such large storm events will receive a considerable boost later this year when NASA's ACE satellite (Advanced Composition Explorer) is due to be launched. This satellite will provide near-continuous sampling of the space environment upstream of the Earth. It will provide as much as about 60 minutes of lead-time to the arrival of disturbances at the Earth. This should be sufficient time to allow hydro operators to prepare and watch for the damaging conditions that can follow interplanetary disturbances.
(Note: How can we access this down linked information? Is there anybody out there that can figure out how we can monitor this "Advanced Composition Explorer" data link, so we will call out a 60 minute alarm also? If anybody reading this knows how we can listen and interpret the incoming data from this satellite, please contact us with the information. )
Predictions of geomagnetic activity show that the number of minor, major and severe geomagnetic storms will steadily increase. The year with the maximum number of minor storm days is expected in the year 2005 during the decline of solar cycle 23 when the occurrence frequency of geoeffective coronal holes will reach a maximum. Over 40 minor storm days are expected in the year 2005. During the solar maximum year of 2000, coronal mass ejection induced minor storms should number at about 30 during the year. This is more than double the number of minor storm days expected during 1997. Major geomagnetic storming is expected to peak in the years between 1999 and 2002. Severe geomagnetic storming, which is very difficult to predict, should peak in frequency between the years 1999 and 2005 with the preferred year of peak severe storm frequency being 2002.
People interested in observing aurora's will be happy to know that we are well on our way to seeing larger events. Over the next 3 to 6 years, we will see many very significant auroral displays that should cover much of the U.S. and all of Canada. Activity observed during the last 3 years has been very miniscule compared to the events we can expect to observe during this new cycle. The largest of these events should be sufficiently intense to produce visible auroral activity from as far south as Florida! Although this is horrendous news for satellite users, radio communicators, navigators, surveyors and others, it is exciting news for those who love to watch for these awesomely powerful atmospheric displays of activity.
The frequency and magnitude of solar flares is also expected to increase considerably over the next 3 to 6 years. Over the last few years, most of the solar flares we have observed have been very small and insignificant. As we approach the new millenium, the influence and power output of solar flares could increase by several orders of magnitude. The largest solar flares of this new solar cycle will almost certainly be at least 10,000 times more powerful than the majority of smaller flares we have observed over the last couple of years. These rogue flares could begin to be observed as early as 1998 with a peak expected in the years between 1999 and 2003.
Broken down, the number of M-class flares observed during an entire year should follow a pattern similar to this:
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
15 40 220 530 370 540
The number of X-class flares observed during an entire year should behave similar to this:
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
1 5 15 40 30 50
Major proton flare events capable of increasing proton densities in the near-Earth space environment are expected to reach a maximum between the years 1999 and 2003 with a double-maximum predicted for the years 2000 and 2002. The number of predicted solar proton events is expected to increase slightly in 1998 and then more than triple between 1998 and 1999. There could be a fairly copious number of solar proton events during cycle 23. Estimates range from about 8 to as high as about 16 per year during the years of maximum proton flaring.
These are just a few of the events we can expect to observe during this new solar cycle.
The new millennium should be ushered in a BANG!
Periods of solar activity will be observed that will be capable of literally shaking space!
(Note: THESE ARE THEIR WORDS... NOT MINE!)
(Authors Remarks: To help accommodate the increased demand for information during solar cycle 23, we have redesigned our web pages to serve more as a central hub for information. Everything from current solar and geophysical indices to current auroral activity sighting reports, daily reports, alerts and warnings, and much more can now be found at: http://solar.uleth.ca/solar )
** End of Cycle Status Report **
SEE ALSO: Effects of Solar Shock Waves On Biological Systems.
http://mypage.direct.ca/g/gcramer/solar.html
By John Rhodes, 1997
ROGUE SOLAR STORMS EXPECTED
As a forward, I wish to point out some relevant facts. By all indications, our sun in about to undergo major disturbances the likes of which have scientists excited and satellite owners worried beyond belief. According to all data reviewed to date, between now and the year 2003, we can expect increased lightening activity, thunderstorms, possible continent wide power black outs, weather shifts and even magnificent auroral displays ("signs in the sky".)
Satellites may be killed by approaching waves of highly charges particles. Communications (military, aviation, oceanic, television etc.) could be disrupted for an unknown period of time. Other phenomena that is associated with solar flare activity will occur that could, in ways not immediately noticeable, effect each and every one of us....living on the surface. Those people that are fortunate enough to be in an underground habitat, like FEMA, NORAD, etc. will be safe and secure from any disruptions. Everybody else, however, may have to fend for themselves if things get really bad.
The following is quoted directly from the Solar Web Site (July 4, 1997) Listed as: http://solar.uleth.ca/solar/. All comments of researcher John Rhodes are in WHITE text. This author has increased the font size and bold typed important quoted material.
Solar Cycle Status Report
STATUS OF THE CURRENT SOLAR CYCLE:
Everyone now agrees that we have finally observed the birth of solar cycle 23. We have probably been immersed within this new cycle for some time. According to sunspots, the minimum occurred in May 1996 with an as yet unofficial smoothed sunspot number of 8.1. Since then, we have observed a steady increase in the number of new-cycle sunspots having the proper new-cycle magnetic polarities. At the time of this writing, most of the new sunspots which are appearing are new-cycle spots.
According to the number of days in which no sunspots appeared, the cycle minimum (or maximum number of spotless days) occurred in October 1996 when there were 26 spotless days. This month also corresponds with the lowest monthly observed sunspot number of 2.3 (reported by SEC) and 1.8 (according to the International Relative Sunspot Number [RI]).
In addition, butterfly plots showing the emergence of new solar sunspot regions according to solar latitude indicates a clear separation in formation latitudes from old cycle 22 and new cycle 23. There are also many other parameters which have shown that new cycle 23 is now firmly in-progress.
This conclusion is a mixed-blessing for industry.
Radio communicators can now begin to look forward to an increasingly productive reign of ionospheric radio communications. In fact, higher-band high-frequency (HF) radio communications are already beginning to be observed. By July of 1998 (within the next 12 months), the observed sunspot number should almost triple in magnitude from a current predicted smoothed value of 40 for June 1997 (predicted through regression methods) to 109 (plus or minus 25) by July 1998. This will substantially increase the strength of the ionosphere. The next year will therefore be an exciting one for radio communicators.
The predicted smoothed sunspot number over the next 9 years is predicted to follow this pattern:
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
1997 019 022 027 030 034 040 044 050 054 060 066 071
1998 077 082* 088 093 099 103 109 113 119 123 128 131
1999 136 139 142 146 148 151 153 154 156 157 158 159
2000 160 160 160 160 159 158 157 156 155 154 152 150
2001 148 146 142 140 137 134 131 128 124 121 118 114
2002 111 107 103 100 097 093 089 086 082 079 076 072
2003 069 066 062 060 057 053 051 048 046 043 041 039
2004 036 034 032 030 028 027 024 023 021 020 109 017
2005 016 014 013 012 012 011 010 009 009 008 *** ***
* Feb. 26, 1998 Solar Eclipse
(Note: These are the highest figures listed. Will planetary alignment increase effects?)
The predicted smoothed 10.7 cm solar radio flux values over the next 9 years is predicted to follow this pattern:
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec
1997 077 080 084 087 091 096 100 105 109 114 119 124
1998 129 134 139 144 149 153 158 162 167 171 175 178
1999 182 185 188 191 193 196 198 199 201 202 203 204
2000 205 205 205 205 204 203 202 201 200 199 197 195
2001 193 191 188 186 183 181 178 175 172 169 166 163
2002 160 156 153 150 147 144 140 137 134 131 128 125
2003 122 119 116 114 111 108 106 103 101 099 097 095
2004 092 091 089 087 085 084 082 081 079 078 077 075
2005 074 073 072 071 071 070 069 068 068 67 0 ***
Satellite operators and users of satellite technology are less impressed with the onset of this new cycle of activity. The increased number of sunspots implies an attendant increase in the number of solar flares capable of spewing out particles that can charge and damage sensitive electronic components. The number of associated Earth-directed coronal mass ejections will also increase. This all means that users and owners of satellite technology will have to be increasingly aware of potential Earth-bound interplanetary disturbances. The death of the Telstar 401 satellite has been unofficially attributed to the arrival of such a disturbance, combined with the effects of higher-than-normal densities of energetically charged electrons. That particular interplanetary disturbance was about the size of a mouse when you think of what is yet to come over the next 4 to 6 years.
The largest interplanetary disturbances which we will observe during solar cycle 23 may be closer in size to an elephant than the small mouse we observed that may have contributed to the sudden death of Telstar 401. The overwhelming message which should be sent to users of satellite technology during this new solar cycle is....
"be cautious."
Electrical hydro operators have enjoyed several years of quiet conditions. Nothing similar in magnitude to the events of March 1989 have been observed, where almost the entire electrical grid of electricity supplied to the province of Quebec collapsed within less than 2 minutes due to powerful electrical currents that were induced into Hydro Quebec's electrical power lines during one of the strongest geomagnetic storms on record. Since most of the electrical power lines and companies interconnect their lines, this outage had impacts all across North America. The additional load drawn from other power companies to compensate for the loss observed during the Quebec blackout brought many other power companies close to similar failure conditions. If the situation was slightly worse, other blackouts across North America could have been observed - possibly making this a much larger continent-wide type of power blackout instead of a relatively localized province-wide Quebec blackout.
(Note: "Continent -wide type of power blackout" = No alarm systems, no lights, no traffic signals etc. This will entice rioting, theft and total disorder in the inner cities. If the grid isn't put online ASAP, the government would HAVE to put troops on the streets to control the chaotic situations. The worse fears of the "paranoid" like us would become a reality.)
Oak Ridge National Laboratory studied the effects that a geomagnetic storm might have on the U.S. economy if the storm was only slightly larger than the one observed in March 1989. Their estimate of the impact of such a disturbance to the Gross Domestic Product alone put total economic costs in the U.S. in the $3 to $6 BILLION dollar range! This assessment, along with reviews conducted by the North American Electric Reliability Council placed the 1989 and 1991 geomagnetic storm events in a category equivalent to hurricane Hugo and the San Fransisco earthquake in its relative impact to the reliability of the electric power grids in North America. That's a sobering thought for hydro operators and everyone reliant upon electricity!
(Remarks: If a geomagnetic storm, only slightly stronger than that of 1989, cost approximately 6 BILLION dollars in damage, what would the predicted 23rd solar cycle flares and coronal discharges cost the nation? What effects would strong storms have on the Power grid? I tend not to be an alarmist, but I do suggest that people PREPARE for the worst case scenario! GET A GENERATOR AND FOOD SUPPLIES etc. [there may be a run on what few supermarkets are open and ATM machines would most likely be shut down due to satellite failures, so store small $bills e.g. 5's, 10's, 20',s])
The ability to predict conditions conducive to such large storm events will receive a considerable boost later this year when NASA's ACE satellite (Advanced Composition Explorer) is due to be launched. This satellite will provide near-continuous sampling of the space environment upstream of the Earth. It will provide as much as about 60 minutes of lead-time to the arrival of disturbances at the Earth. This should be sufficient time to allow hydro operators to prepare and watch for the damaging conditions that can follow interplanetary disturbances.
(Note: How can we access this down linked information? Is there anybody out there that can figure out how we can monitor this "Advanced Composition Explorer" data link, so we will call out a 60 minute alarm also? If anybody reading this knows how we can listen and interpret the incoming data from this satellite, please contact us with the information. )
Predictions of geomagnetic activity show that the number of minor, major and severe geomagnetic storms will steadily increase. The year with the maximum number of minor storm days is expected in the year 2005 during the decline of solar cycle 23 when the occurrence frequency of geoeffective coronal holes will reach a maximum. Over 40 minor storm days are expected in the year 2005. During the solar maximum year of 2000, coronal mass ejection induced minor storms should number at about 30 during the year. This is more than double the number of minor storm days expected during 1997. Major geomagnetic storming is expected to peak in the years between 1999 and 2002. Severe geomagnetic storming, which is very difficult to predict, should peak in frequency between the years 1999 and 2005 with the preferred year of peak severe storm frequency being 2002.
People interested in observing aurora's will be happy to know that we are well on our way to seeing larger events. Over the next 3 to 6 years, we will see many very significant auroral displays that should cover much of the U.S. and all of Canada. Activity observed during the last 3 years has been very miniscule compared to the events we can expect to observe during this new cycle. The largest of these events should be sufficiently intense to produce visible auroral activity from as far south as Florida! Although this is horrendous news for satellite users, radio communicators, navigators, surveyors and others, it is exciting news for those who love to watch for these awesomely powerful atmospheric displays of activity.
The frequency and magnitude of solar flares is also expected to increase considerably over the next 3 to 6 years. Over the last few years, most of the solar flares we have observed have been very small and insignificant. As we approach the new millenium, the influence and power output of solar flares could increase by several orders of magnitude. The largest solar flares of this new solar cycle will almost certainly be at least 10,000 times more powerful than the majority of smaller flares we have observed over the last couple of years. These rogue flares could begin to be observed as early as 1998 with a peak expected in the years between 1999 and 2003.
Broken down, the number of M-class flares observed during an entire year should follow a pattern similar to this:
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
15 40 220 530 370 540
The number of X-class flares observed during an entire year should behave similar to this:
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
1 5 15 40 30 50
Major proton flare events capable of increasing proton densities in the near-Earth space environment are expected to reach a maximum between the years 1999 and 2003 with a double-maximum predicted for the years 2000 and 2002. The number of predicted solar proton events is expected to increase slightly in 1998 and then more than triple between 1998 and 1999. There could be a fairly copious number of solar proton events during cycle 23. Estimates range from about 8 to as high as about 16 per year during the years of maximum proton flaring.
These are just a few of the events we can expect to observe during this new solar cycle.
The new millennium should be ushered in a BANG!
Periods of solar activity will be observed that will be capable of literally shaking space!
(Note: THESE ARE THEIR WORDS... NOT MINE!)
(Authors Remarks: To help accommodate the increased demand for information during solar cycle 23, we have redesigned our web pages to serve more as a central hub for information. Everything from current solar and geophysical indices to current auroral activity sighting reports, daily reports, alerts and warnings, and much more can now be found at: http://solar.uleth.ca/solar )
** End of Cycle Status Report **
SEE ALSO: Effects of Solar Shock Waves On Biological Systems.
http://mypage.direct.ca/g/gcramer/solar.html
"Lizard People's Catacomb City Hunted
Los Angeles Times, January 29, 1934
"Lizard People's Catacomb City Hunted
Engineer Sinks Shaft Under Fort Moore Hill to Find Maze of Tunnels and Priceless Treasures of Legendary Inhabitants
By: Jean Bosquet
Busy Los Angeles, although little realizing it in the hustle and bustle of modern existence, stands above a lost city of catacombs filled with incalculable treasure and imperishable records of a race of humans further advanced intellectually than the highest type of present day peoples, in the belief of G. Warren Shufelt, geophysicist mining engineer now engaged in an attempt to wrest from the lost city deep in the earth below Fort Moore Hill the secrets of the Lizard People of legendary fame in the medicine lodges of the American Indian.
So firmly does Shufelt and a little staff of assistants believe that a maze of catacombs and priceless golden tablets are to be found beneath downtown Los Angeles that the engineer and his aids have already driven a shaft 250 feet into the ground, the mouth of the shaft being on the old Banning property on North Hill street, overlooking Sunset Boulevard, Spring street and North Broadway.
And so convinced is the engineer of the infallibility of a radio x-ray perfected by him for detecting the presence of minerals and tunnels below the surface of the ground, an apparatus with which he says he has traced a pattern of catacombs and vaults forming the lost city, that he plans to continue sending his shaft downward until he has reached a depth of 1000 feet before discontinuing operations.
LEGEND SUPPLIES CLEW
Shufelt learned of the legend of the Lizard People after his radio X-Ray had led him hither and yon, over an area extending from the Public Library on West Fifth street to the Southwest Museum, on Museum Drive, at the foot of Mt. Washington.
"I knew I was over a pattern of tunnels," the engineer explained yesterday, "and I had mapped out the course of the tunnels, the position of large rooms scattered along the tunnel route, as well as the position of deposits of gold, but I couldn't understand the meaning of it."
Then Shufelt was taken to Little Chief Greenleaf of the medicine lodge of the Hopi Indians in Arizona, who's English name is L. Macklin. The Indian provided the engineer with a legend which, according to both men, dovetails exactly with what Shufelt say he has found.
FIRE DESTROYS ALL
According to the legend as imparted to Shufelt by Macklin, the radio X-Ray has revealed the location of one of the three lost cities on the Pacific Coast, the local one having been dug by the Lizard People after the "great catastrophe" which occurred about 5000 years ago. This legendary catastrophe was in the form of a huge tongue of fire, which "came out of the Southwest, destroying all in it's path," (continued on Page 5, Column 2) "...the path being several hundred miles wide." The city underground was dug as a means of escaping future fires.
The lost city, dug with powerful chemicals by the Lizard People instead of pick and shovel, was drained into the ocean, where it's tunnels began, according to the legend. The tide passing daily in and out of the lower tunnel portals and forcing air into the upper tunnels, providing ventilation and "cleansed and sanitized the lower tunnels," the legend states.
Large rooms in the domes of the hills above the city of labyrinths housed 1000 families "in the manner of tall buildings" and imperishable food supplies of the herb variety were stored in the catacombs to provide sustenance for the Lizard folk for great length of time as the next fire swept over the earth.
CITY LAID OUT LIKE LIZARD
The Lizard People, the legends has it, regard the lizard as a symbol of long life. Their city is laid out like a lizard, according to the legend, it's tail to the Southwest, far below Fifth and Hope streets, it's head to the northeast, at Lookout and Marda streets. The city's key room is situated directly under South Broadway, near Second street, according to Shufelt and the legend.
This key room is the directory to all the parts of the city and to all record tablets, the legend states. All records were to be kept on golden tablets, four feet long and fourteen inches wide. One these tablets of gold, gold having been the symbol of life to the legendary Lizard People, will be found the record of history of the Mayans and on one particular tablet, the southwest corner of which will be missing, is found the "record of the origin of the human race."
TABLETS PHOTOGRAPHED
Shufelt stated he has taken "X-Ray pictures" of thirty-seven such tablets, three of which have their southwest corners cut off.
"My radio X-ray pictures of the tunnels and rooms, which are subsurface voids, and of gold pictures with perfect corners, sides and ends, are scientific proof of their existence," Shufelt said. "However, the legendary story must remain speculative unearthed by excavation."
The Lizard People, according to Macklin, were of a much higher type of intellectuality than modern human beings. the intellectual accomplishments of their 9-year-old children were of equal of those of present day college graduates, he said. So greatly advanced scientifically were these people that, in addition to perfecting a chemical solution by which they bored underground without removing any earth and rock, they also developed a cement far stronger and better than any in use in modern times which they lined their tunnels and rooms.
HILLS ENCLOSE CITY
Macklin said legendary advise to American Indians was to seek the lost city in an area within a chain of hills forming "the frog of a horses hoof." The contour of hills surrounding this region forms such a design, substantiating Shufelt's findings, he said.
Shufelt's radio device consists chiefly of a cylindrical glass case inside which a plummet attached to a copper wire held by the engineer sways continually, pointing he asserts, toward minerals or tunnels below the surface of the ground, and then revolves when over mineral or swings in prolongation of the tunnel when above the excavation. He has used the instrument extensively in mining fields, he said." END Quote
RETURN
"Lizard People's Catacomb City Hunted
Engineer Sinks Shaft Under Fort Moore Hill to Find Maze of Tunnels and Priceless Treasures of Legendary Inhabitants
By: Jean Bosquet
Busy Los Angeles, although little realizing it in the hustle and bustle of modern existence, stands above a lost city of catacombs filled with incalculable treasure and imperishable records of a race of humans further advanced intellectually than the highest type of present day peoples, in the belief of G. Warren Shufelt, geophysicist mining engineer now engaged in an attempt to wrest from the lost city deep in the earth below Fort Moore Hill the secrets of the Lizard People of legendary fame in the medicine lodges of the American Indian.
So firmly does Shufelt and a little staff of assistants believe that a maze of catacombs and priceless golden tablets are to be found beneath downtown Los Angeles that the engineer and his aids have already driven a shaft 250 feet into the ground, the mouth of the shaft being on the old Banning property on North Hill street, overlooking Sunset Boulevard, Spring street and North Broadway.
And so convinced is the engineer of the infallibility of a radio x-ray perfected by him for detecting the presence of minerals and tunnels below the surface of the ground, an apparatus with which he says he has traced a pattern of catacombs and vaults forming the lost city, that he plans to continue sending his shaft downward until he has reached a depth of 1000 feet before discontinuing operations.
LEGEND SUPPLIES CLEW
Shufelt learned of the legend of the Lizard People after his radio X-Ray had led him hither and yon, over an area extending from the Public Library on West Fifth street to the Southwest Museum, on Museum Drive, at the foot of Mt. Washington.
"I knew I was over a pattern of tunnels," the engineer explained yesterday, "and I had mapped out the course of the tunnels, the position of large rooms scattered along the tunnel route, as well as the position of deposits of gold, but I couldn't understand the meaning of it."
Then Shufelt was taken to Little Chief Greenleaf of the medicine lodge of the Hopi Indians in Arizona, who's English name is L. Macklin. The Indian provided the engineer with a legend which, according to both men, dovetails exactly with what Shufelt say he has found.
FIRE DESTROYS ALL
According to the legend as imparted to Shufelt by Macklin, the radio X-Ray has revealed the location of one of the three lost cities on the Pacific Coast, the local one having been dug by the Lizard People after the "great catastrophe" which occurred about 5000 years ago. This legendary catastrophe was in the form of a huge tongue of fire, which "came out of the Southwest, destroying all in it's path," (continued on Page 5, Column 2) "...the path being several hundred miles wide." The city underground was dug as a means of escaping future fires.
The lost city, dug with powerful chemicals by the Lizard People instead of pick and shovel, was drained into the ocean, where it's tunnels began, according to the legend. The tide passing daily in and out of the lower tunnel portals and forcing air into the upper tunnels, providing ventilation and "cleansed and sanitized the lower tunnels," the legend states.
Large rooms in the domes of the hills above the city of labyrinths housed 1000 families "in the manner of tall buildings" and imperishable food supplies of the herb variety were stored in the catacombs to provide sustenance for the Lizard folk for great length of time as the next fire swept over the earth.
CITY LAID OUT LIKE LIZARD
The Lizard People, the legends has it, regard the lizard as a symbol of long life. Their city is laid out like a lizard, according to the legend, it's tail to the Southwest, far below Fifth and Hope streets, it's head to the northeast, at Lookout and Marda streets. The city's key room is situated directly under South Broadway, near Second street, according to Shufelt and the legend.
This key room is the directory to all the parts of the city and to all record tablets, the legend states. All records were to be kept on golden tablets, four feet long and fourteen inches wide. One these tablets of gold, gold having been the symbol of life to the legendary Lizard People, will be found the record of history of the Mayans and on one particular tablet, the southwest corner of which will be missing, is found the "record of the origin of the human race."
TABLETS PHOTOGRAPHED
Shufelt stated he has taken "X-Ray pictures" of thirty-seven such tablets, three of which have their southwest corners cut off.
"My radio X-ray pictures of the tunnels and rooms, which are subsurface voids, and of gold pictures with perfect corners, sides and ends, are scientific proof of their existence," Shufelt said. "However, the legendary story must remain speculative unearthed by excavation."
The Lizard People, according to Macklin, were of a much higher type of intellectuality than modern human beings. the intellectual accomplishments of their 9-year-old children were of equal of those of present day college graduates, he said. So greatly advanced scientifically were these people that, in addition to perfecting a chemical solution by which they bored underground without removing any earth and rock, they also developed a cement far stronger and better than any in use in modern times which they lined their tunnels and rooms.
HILLS ENCLOSE CITY
Macklin said legendary advise to American Indians was to seek the lost city in an area within a chain of hills forming "the frog of a horses hoof." The contour of hills surrounding this region forms such a design, substantiating Shufelt's findings, he said.
Shufelt's radio device consists chiefly of a cylindrical glass case inside which a plummet attached to a copper wire held by the engineer sways continually, pointing he asserts, toward minerals or tunnels below the surface of the ground, and then revolves when over mineral or swings in prolongation of the tunnel when above the excavation. He has used the instrument extensively in mining fields, he said." END Quote
RETURN
Monday, February 21, 2011
BARNEY KESSEL NOT SELF TAUGHT
I had been exposed to music in public school, through singing and music appreciation. However, I was not really a good music student. I didn't sing well, and I didn't concentrate too much on the academic side of music in school. When I started playing the guitar at 12, I played cowboy music for about a year. But by the time I was 14, I was making my living at music—most of it jazz music. I left home and left school at the age of 14 to become a professional musician.
=====================================================================================
====================================================================================
It was quite by accident, really, that I became a guitarist. I was a newsboy, selling papers on a business corner, and there was a store there that had some guitars in the window. The look, the shape of them kinda fascinated me. I saved up enough money to buy a very modest—priced guitar. It had a little book with it, that I believed at the time—" How To Play The Guitar In Five Minutes." I really thought I could.
For the most part, I've been self—taught on the guitar from the beginning. With the exception of when I first started; there was a Federal Music Project, sponsored by the Franklin D. Roosevelt government. They had a music grant which allowed certain teachers to devote time to under—privileged children; that is, those from poor families. Right after I bought the guitar, we entered a summer vacation, and I was able to study for about four hours a day, six days a week, with an instructor through the summer term.
.
================================================================================
================================================================================
As I was learning those very first chords, I played the country—type music. But a fellow that I went to school with had an extensive jazz record collection; his name was Johnny Bernay, Johnny was a Swing Piano Player. This was about 1935, and he had records by bands like Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Lunceford, Duke Ellington, Count Basie. They didn't have guitar prominently featured on them; there were hardly any electric guitar players, and very few people aspiring to play guitar solos at the time. Even so, I was interested in the ensembles and the various tenor men and trumpet players. So it was through the bands, and not through any guitar players, that I became absorbed with jazz.
When I began to play with local bands in my home town,
I knew, even at the age of 14, that if I was going to be really serious about playing, I would have to leave Oklahoma and move to either Los Angeles or New York. And I finally decided upon Los Angeles, where I have spent the greater part of my professional life.
Actually, my first engagement away from the local scene was in a road band headed by Chic0 Marx of the Marx Brothers, whose musical director was Ben Pollack. There were many traditional musicians in there. Marty Marsala played trumpet and Marty Napoleon (who is now with Louis Armstrong) was the pianist. Mel Torme was my roommate; he sang on the band and played relief drums. The drummer was George Wettling. It was a combination of several older musicians and a few younger ones; not many in the middle—age bracket.
This was how I started. Chico Marx was a comedian, of course, and he presented a show; the orchestra was a backdrop for him. He responded to the direction of Ben Pollack, who shaped the band.
Later, having moved to Los Angeles and become a regular member there, I worked on radio shows and did radio commercials, phonograph records, motion picture calls. Occasionally a band would come through and what I would do, for the most part was just play or record with them while they were in Los Angeles; I would not leave. I worked with Hal McIntyre and Les Brown that way. The first time I moved away was when I went with Artie Shaw, committing myself for a year.
=================================================================================
=================================================================================
On the road with the Artie Show band, it was under very different circumstances from the way it had been with Chico Marx. It paid a lot more money; there was a lot more prestige, personally and for the band itself.
I thought Artie was really exemplary as a leader. Many people rebelled at his strictness; they thought he was a task—master. But actually, he wanted a good band, and he knew, that it took rehearsals. And he probably put forth a little more effort than most people do put, or want to put, or expect to put. He was an excellent musician, also.
I don't think he related to the people very well: he just didn't feel their vibrations. He never really gave of himself in the way that they wanted: I think he wanted to give them something that they didn't want from him. So there wasn't any great communication that way.
There was another mystery. He would hire several arrangers—people like Eddie Sauter—to write beautiful arrangements. But then, although we would rehearse them, we would hardly ever play them. We'd end up playing these old war—horses: "Begin The Beguine", "Summit Ridge Drive" and such. However, we did record the Eddie Sauter arrangements.
But Artie was a wonderful leader, the kind that bands really need. Where you know that the man is in charge, and that he can pick up his horn and out—play anybody in the band. A real leader. That's very inspiring.
And he gave all of us opportunities. I feel that he really gave me a big start. I got to take s olos with the band and record them. With the little band, too—the Gramercy Five. There were several Gramercy Fives; mine was the one that was right after World War Two, with Dodo Marmarosa and Roy Eldridge. We recorded things like "The Sad Sack" and "Grab Town".
Following my year with Artie, I came back to Los Angeles. During the course of time I worked with Benny Goodman. But there again, I worked with him only in Los Angeles, made a few records; then the record ban came on and they never did issue them. More recently I made an album for Parkway with Benny. Leroy Vinnegar was on bass, Andre Previn and Russ Freeman alternated on piano.
As I look back, there's always been a pattern; wanting the security and convenience of staying in one place, having it for a great length of time, then really wanting to play. Which involves going out of town and travelling, really liking that, until I finally get the feeling I want to come home.
I left Los Angeles four times to play with Charlie Barnet. In 1947 I left to be a part of Jazz At The Philharmonic; I played with Charlie Parker's group, and Sarah Vaughan was on it for the first time.
That was very hectic; I had not really evolved enough as a person to be able to cope with it all. I was very disturbed and bothered by the frantic atmosphere off the stand, although I enjoyed it on the stand.
Today I just adopt a philosophical attitude about it. Everyone's going to do what they do, and you just have to keep your eye on the ball. All I want to do is play: I'm not concerned about their personal habits.
No one was really a bad person at the time; it's just that many of them were rather immature in certain ways. as we all are at times. Going through different problems of all sorts, not showing up on time, and so forth.
Then in 1952 I left for a year with the Oscar Peterson Trio. Which was very much of an exposure for me. It was demanding, it involved much fun and growth, and it was financially rewarding. I feel that that particular experience was a real break—away. There've been several—I guess you could call them small or large rungs up a ladder. I'd say that the Peterson Trio was a pretty large rung. It lifted me into another area not only in terms of achieving what needed to be done with the group.
It showed people a different side of my playing. People can only respond to what they see and hear, and they might have thought of me as a good soloist, but in a big band. In a trio you're much more exposed, and able to show your frailties as well as your positive contributions. Of course, Oscar and Ray are both beyond belief as far as technical prowess goes, just dynamic musicians; so it demanded a lot from me.
I was with them ten months in all, and we did a tour for Norman Granz, when we had the pleasure of being the first American musicians in a long time to play in London. That was on the Flood Relief Fund concert.
There was nothing set as to how long I should stay with the trio. I stayed as long as I felt it was the experience I wanted. But I had two young children, and with the normal complexities that come up when a father's been away for a while, it seemed to me that my place was at home. Not from a musical standpoint, but for many other considerations, I felt that I had absorbed about as much out of it as was there for me. In many ways it was a reluctant decision, but nevertheless I had to accept that it was time to move on.
Yes, about then was the beginning of the era of West Coast Jazz. They were starting to have the Lighthouse concerts, Shorty Rogers was doing a lot of writing, and musicians like Bud Shank and Bob Cooper began to evolve. And Bob Enevoldsen, Frank Rosolino, Hampton Hawes, Teddy Edwards—I worked with all of them through the mushrooming period. It was a kind of a quiet, dainty, precise way of swinging, but it was still different; it was not Dixieland, traditional or bebop. I would say it was a diminutive emotion, yet a pleasant one.
===================================================================================
My direct benefit from this phase of activity was in the jazz recording field. I had been unable to have anyone sign me to record until I met Les Koenig of Contemporary Records. Not only would he sign me, but he was very enthusiastic about what could be done.
He just gave me so much freedom: we weren't really concerned with whether the records were a hit, but that they were done well. And Les is so meticulous and immaculate in what he wants on the record; he really has very high standards about the production of them. It was a complete pleasure to work with him.
At the time my thought was: since I was not working with a set group around the States, but working in the studios.
it would be more fun for me and more variety for the listener if in each album that I did I presented myself and the guitar in a diversity of contexts.
Now, this proved to be of interest as far as the jazz listening public was concerned. But commercially speaking, it was not a good business move, in that people do tend to become confused when they hear you with various combinations.
Had I picked a set group, like a Shearing sound or a Red Norvo Trio, something where each album brought out the same sound, I probably could have followed up all the records with a tour presenting that kind of a group.
The motive I had in mind was simply to make good records and to use different musicians according to the idea of any given album. There were very definite underlying feelings behind "To Swing Or Not To Swing". This, in my way, was my reaction to having absorbed the Lester Young/ Count Basie small group idiom as originated in Kansas City, in even pre—Basie band days; also Charlie Christian and the Benny Goodman Sextet.
So it was more that kind of loping swing. I tried to play in that manner; that's why I got Harry Edison and Georgie Auld. I wanted it to sound like a kind of latter—day Goodman Sextet, to create something that had evolved from that. Other albums presented other avenues.
On the track called "Salute To Charlie Christian" on the "Easy Like" album, as best my memory serves me, I deliberately introduced many Christian quotes within this framework.
As a very young man I copied Charlie Christian; but through a couple of incidents, I realised that you must find yourself. So I sought to do that. I don't copy him any more, but I do feel that, even today, his influence on me is quite apparent. It's almost like a son that bears a resemblance to his father. Even though he cuts his hair different, he still has the same eyes and nose and bone structure.
We're all influenced by something, unless we're living in a vacuum. I don't deny it; in fact, I'm rather proud of it, because if you're going to be influenced by someone—he's pretty good.
I'm told I have a very recognisable sound. And I think that, while I have not consistently had a group or played just one style of music, the sound that I produce on records has stayed consistent. People hearing me live have remarked that they're amazed that the sound—when my amplifier is working correctly, I might add—is just like it is on the records.
Now I don't know why it shouldn't be, but it must be that some artists record and sound one way, they play and sound another way.
It's a personal sound; it's the way I believe it should be and the way I like to hear it. I think that just every musical experience you have has a profound influence on your playing. I listen to everything I can in music, and I guess what I think is good stays with me.
Having studied orchestration. arranging and various other areas of music—these I have studied with teachers—they work their way into your playing. Many times I will improvise something with a group and people will almost want to argue that these are set arrangements. But they're not, they're improvised off the top of my head. However, I guess that as I do it there is a certain adherence to form, through my study of arranging. Arranging is form—it's the laying out of something, developing it, building it to a climax. This must take over in my mind to a degree, even when I improvise, so that there does seem to be a structure.
I have my own shop in Hollywood. It's called Barney Kessel's Music World and it's predominantly a guitar shop.
We sell them, we have an excellent repair man and several teachers. I don't teach myself; I give what I call 'consultation', which is speaking with people at one or two meetings, to direct them as best I can towards what their goals are. Kind of vocational guidance, in a way, with regard to the guitar.
As to the guitarists in the pop field, I think they've contributed. Out of all they've done, they'll be a few valid things that will weave themselves into the general pattern of music. They deserve a lot of credit for trying to find their own voice, However, I don't think it's by any means one of our greater contributions. I see a great lack of discipline, a lack of really getting into music and learning the terminology and the craft. It's kind of a self—indulgence in a small area. But it can be exciting.
Copyright © 1969, Les Tomkins. All Rights Reserved.
=====================================================================================
====================================================================================
It was quite by accident, really, that I became a guitarist. I was a newsboy, selling papers on a business corner, and there was a store there that had some guitars in the window. The look, the shape of them kinda fascinated me. I saved up enough money to buy a very modest—priced guitar. It had a little book with it, that I believed at the time—" How To Play The Guitar In Five Minutes." I really thought I could.
For the most part, I've been self—taught on the guitar from the beginning. With the exception of when I first started; there was a Federal Music Project, sponsored by the Franklin D. Roosevelt government. They had a music grant which allowed certain teachers to devote time to under—privileged children; that is, those from poor families. Right after I bought the guitar, we entered a summer vacation, and I was able to study for about four hours a day, six days a week, with an instructor through the summer term.
And that gave me such a good foundation, because what he taught me was so valid that I even refer to it and use it today. I find that I cannot improve on that information I received, and I more or less pass this along to other people who start out. So I was fortunate that it was as valid as it turned out to be
.================================================================================
================================================================================
As I was learning those very first chords, I played the country—type music. But a fellow that I went to school with had an extensive jazz record collection; his name was Johnny Bernay, Johnny was a Swing Piano Player. This was about 1935, and he had records by bands like Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Lunceford, Duke Ellington, Count Basie. They didn't have guitar prominently featured on them; there were hardly any electric guitar players, and very few people aspiring to play guitar solos at the time. Even so, I was interested in the ensembles and the various tenor men and trumpet players. So it was through the bands, and not through any guitar players, that I became absorbed with jazz.
When I began to play with local bands in my home town,
Muskogee, Oklahoma,
it was for dances and private parties. In the course of the next few years, while I was living on the college campus and going to high school, I played with two different college orchestras.I knew, even at the age of 14, that if I was going to be really serious about playing, I would have to leave Oklahoma and move to either Los Angeles or New York. And I finally decided upon Los Angeles, where I have spent the greater part of my professional life.
Actually, my first engagement away from the local scene was in a road band headed by Chic0 Marx of the Marx Brothers, whose musical director was Ben Pollack. There were many traditional musicians in there. Marty Marsala played trumpet and Marty Napoleon (who is now with Louis Armstrong) was the pianist. Mel Torme was my roommate; he sang on the band and played relief drums. The drummer was George Wettling. It was a combination of several older musicians and a few younger ones; not many in the middle—age bracket.
This was how I started. Chico Marx was a comedian, of course, and he presented a show; the orchestra was a backdrop for him. He responded to the direction of Ben Pollack, who shaped the band.
Later, having moved to Los Angeles and become a regular member there, I worked on radio shows and did radio commercials, phonograph records, motion picture calls. Occasionally a band would come through and what I would do, for the most part was just play or record with them while they were in Los Angeles; I would not leave. I worked with Hal McIntyre and Les Brown that way. The first time I moved away was when I went with Artie Shaw, committing myself for a year.
=================================================================================
=================================================================================
On the road with the Artie Show band, it was under very different circumstances from the way it had been with Chico Marx. It paid a lot more money; there was a lot more prestige, personally and for the band itself.
I thought Artie was really exemplary as a leader. Many people rebelled at his strictness; they thought he was a task—master. But actually, he wanted a good band, and he knew, that it took rehearsals. And he probably put forth a little more effort than most people do put, or want to put, or expect to put. He was an excellent musician, also.
I don't think he related to the people very well: he just didn't feel their vibrations. He never really gave of himself in the way that they wanted: I think he wanted to give them something that they didn't want from him. So there wasn't any great communication that way.
There was another mystery. He would hire several arrangers—people like Eddie Sauter—to write beautiful arrangements. But then, although we would rehearse them, we would hardly ever play them. We'd end up playing these old war—horses: "Begin The Beguine", "Summit Ridge Drive" and such. However, we did record the Eddie Sauter arrangements.
But Artie was a wonderful leader, the kind that bands really need. Where you know that the man is in charge, and that he can pick up his horn and out—play anybody in the band. A real leader. That's very inspiring.
And he gave all of us opportunities. I feel that he really gave me a big start. I got to take s olos with the band and record them. With the little band, too—the Gramercy Five. There were several Gramercy Fives; mine was the one that was right after World War Two, with Dodo Marmarosa and Roy Eldridge. We recorded things like "The Sad Sack" and "Grab Town".
Following my year with Artie, I came back to Los Angeles. During the course of time I worked with Benny Goodman. But there again, I worked with him only in Los Angeles, made a few records; then the record ban came on and they never did issue them. More recently I made an album for Parkway with Benny. Leroy Vinnegar was on bass, Andre Previn and Russ Freeman alternated on piano.
As I look back, there's always been a pattern; wanting the security and convenience of staying in one place, having it for a great length of time, then really wanting to play. Which involves going out of town and travelling, really liking that, until I finally get the feeling I want to come home.
I left Los Angeles four times to play with Charlie Barnet. In 1947 I left to be a part of Jazz At The Philharmonic; I played with Charlie Parker's group, and Sarah Vaughan was on it for the first time.
That was very hectic; I had not really evolved enough as a person to be able to cope with it all. I was very disturbed and bothered by the frantic atmosphere off the stand, although I enjoyed it on the stand.
Today I just adopt a philosophical attitude about it. Everyone's going to do what they do, and you just have to keep your eye on the ball. All I want to do is play: I'm not concerned about their personal habits.
No one was really a bad person at the time; it's just that many of them were rather immature in certain ways. as we all are at times. Going through different problems of all sorts, not showing up on time, and so forth.
Then in 1952 I left for a year with the Oscar Peterson Trio. Which was very much of an exposure for me. It was demanding, it involved much fun and growth, and it was financially rewarding. I feel that that particular experience was a real break—away. There've been several—I guess you could call them small or large rungs up a ladder. I'd say that the Peterson Trio was a pretty large rung. It lifted me into another area not only in terms of achieving what needed to be done with the group.
It showed people a different side of my playing. People can only respond to what they see and hear, and they might have thought of me as a good soloist, but in a big band. In a trio you're much more exposed, and able to show your frailties as well as your positive contributions. Of course, Oscar and Ray are both beyond belief as far as technical prowess goes, just dynamic musicians; so it demanded a lot from me.
I was with them ten months in all, and we did a tour for Norman Granz, when we had the pleasure of being the first American musicians in a long time to play in London. That was on the Flood Relief Fund concert.
There was nothing set as to how long I should stay with the trio. I stayed as long as I felt it was the experience I wanted. But I had two young children, and with the normal complexities that come up when a father's been away for a while, it seemed to me that my place was at home. Not from a musical standpoint, but for many other considerations, I felt that I had absorbed about as much out of it as was there for me. In many ways it was a reluctant decision, but nevertheless I had to accept that it was time to move on.
Yes, about then was the beginning of the era of West Coast Jazz. They were starting to have the Lighthouse concerts, Shorty Rogers was doing a lot of writing, and musicians like Bud Shank and Bob Cooper began to evolve. And Bob Enevoldsen, Frank Rosolino, Hampton Hawes, Teddy Edwards—I worked with all of them through the mushrooming period. It was a kind of a quiet, dainty, precise way of swinging, but it was still different; it was not Dixieland, traditional or bebop. I would say it was a diminutive emotion, yet a pleasant one.
===================================================================================
My direct benefit from this phase of activity was in the jazz recording field. I had been unable to have anyone sign me to record until I met Les Koenig of Contemporary Records. Not only would he sign me, but he was very enthusiastic about what could be done.
He just gave me so much freedom: we weren't really concerned with whether the records were a hit, but that they were done well. And Les is so meticulous and immaculate in what he wants on the record; he really has very high standards about the production of them. It was a complete pleasure to work with him.
At the time my thought was: since I was not working with a set group around the States, but working in the studios.
it would be more fun for me and more variety for the listener if in each album that I did I presented myself and the guitar in a diversity of contexts.
Now, this proved to be of interest as far as the jazz listening public was concerned. But commercially speaking, it was not a good business move, in that people do tend to become confused when they hear you with various combinations.
Had I picked a set group, like a Shearing sound or a Red Norvo Trio, something where each album brought out the same sound, I probably could have followed up all the records with a tour presenting that kind of a group.
The motive I had in mind was simply to make good records and to use different musicians according to the idea of any given album. There were very definite underlying feelings behind "To Swing Or Not To Swing". This, in my way, was my reaction to having absorbed the Lester Young/ Count Basie small group idiom as originated in Kansas City, in even pre—Basie band days; also Charlie Christian and the Benny Goodman Sextet.
So it was more that kind of loping swing. I tried to play in that manner; that's why I got Harry Edison and Georgie Auld. I wanted it to sound like a kind of latter—day Goodman Sextet, to create something that had evolved from that. Other albums presented other avenues.
On the track called "Salute To Charlie Christian" on the "Easy Like" album, as best my memory serves me, I deliberately introduced many Christian quotes within this framework.
As a very young man I copied Charlie Christian; but through a couple of incidents, I realised that you must find yourself. So I sought to do that. I don't copy him any more, but I do feel that, even today, his influence on me is quite apparent. It's almost like a son that bears a resemblance to his father. Even though he cuts his hair different, he still has the same eyes and nose and bone structure.
We're all influenced by something, unless we're living in a vacuum. I don't deny it; in fact, I'm rather proud of it, because if you're going to be influenced by someone—he's pretty good.
I'm told I have a very recognisable sound. And I think that, while I have not consistently had a group or played just one style of music, the sound that I produce on records has stayed consistent. People hearing me live have remarked that they're amazed that the sound—when my amplifier is working correctly, I might add—is just like it is on the records.
Now I don't know why it shouldn't be, but it must be that some artists record and sound one way, they play and sound another way.
It's a personal sound; it's the way I believe it should be and the way I like to hear it. I think that just every musical experience you have has a profound influence on your playing. I listen to everything I can in music, and I guess what I think is good stays with me.
Having studied orchestration. arranging and various other areas of music—these I have studied with teachers—they work their way into your playing. Many times I will improvise something with a group and people will almost want to argue that these are set arrangements. But they're not, they're improvised off the top of my head. However, I guess that as I do it there is a certain adherence to form, through my study of arranging. Arranging is form—it's the laying out of something, developing it, building it to a climax. This must take over in my mind to a degree, even when I improvise, so that there does seem to be a structure.
I have my own shop in Hollywood. It's called Barney Kessel's Music World and it's predominantly a guitar shop.
We sell them, we have an excellent repair man and several teachers. I don't teach myself; I give what I call 'consultation', which is speaking with people at one or two meetings, to direct them as best I can towards what their goals are. Kind of vocational guidance, in a way, with regard to the guitar.
As to the guitarists in the pop field, I think they've contributed. Out of all they've done, they'll be a few valid things that will weave themselves into the general pattern of music. They deserve a lot of credit for trying to find their own voice, However, I don't think it's by any means one of our greater contributions. I see a great lack of discipline, a lack of really getting into music and learning the terminology and the craft. It's kind of a self—indulgence in a small area. But it can be exciting.
Copyright © 1969, Les Tomkins. All Rights Reserved.
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