Jimmy B and me

I am nobody.

I am a master's prepared professional with a full time job that pays
well and demands most of my time. I get up every morning and go to
work. I am almost 41. I have been playing guitar for 30 years. I
took lessons for one year from Joe Monk. I do not consider myself to
be as good as many of the regulars here, pro or otherwise. I can hold
my own to an extent. The guitar, whether it's jazz guitar or anything
else, is a love of mine. When I was younger, I was friends with John
Petrucci.

I have spoken with Jimmy Bruno many times. One time, Jimmy listened
to something I recorded and said something very nice about it. I'll
never forget that. He has always, and without exception, taken the
time to talk with me about guitars or playing or music or even advice
about how to overcome stagefright. He stopped to take a picture with
me. He's a genuinely nice guy. And he's geniune.

One thing I can say for certain is that I would not listen to any of
you play, or anything you have to say about jazz or about music or
about guitars - if it wasn't for Jimmy Bruno. That doesn't mean that
your opinions are any less valid - but what it does mean is that Jimmy
is the one who is pretty much solely responsible for my newfound
interest in the art of jazz guitar. Because of him, I found, and
joined this newsgroup. Because of Jimmy, alone. And I wouldn't be
investing any of my precious little free time playing jazz guitar if
it wasn't for "No Nonsense Jazz Guitar" breaking through my "theory
barrier" and letting me know that I could play jazz. That video
opened the door for me and cut through what would have been years of
bull***.

The guitar has been my best friend for a long long time, and I got to
know my friend a little better because of Jimmy.

One thing that can not be disputed is Jimmy's consistency. If Jimmy
says he doesn't agree with the use of a metronome, one can be pretty
certain that he has always felt that way, honestly feels that way now,
and will probably always feel that way. He is strong in his
convictions. Watch the interview at the end of the "Live from Chris'"
DVD and you will hear Jimmy say that he believes that the "old school"
way of learning was better. If Jimmy believes very strongly in
something, you will know it. Fender heard it. Hofner heard it.
Concord heard it. Roger heard it. It's a "No Nonsense" approach to
everything he does.

Most of the time, Jimmy is warm, caring, and friendly. I doubt he
gets pissed off unless someone pushes him to that point. Now he's
pissed off. Jimmy is a warrior when it comes to jazz education. He
believes in it passionately. His point is (I think) hey - I don't
HAVE to teach. I don't HAVE to give a *** whether you use a
metronome or whether you can play a single note on the guitar. He's
earned that freedom. He says what he says because he actually CARES
about the given subject. He doesn't need to hear himself talk. He
gets the job done. To say that he shouldn't teach is a personal
attack on him and it crossed the line. He teaches as much about
determination, conviction, integrity, passion, and commitment as he
does about music. He teaches the quality of truly believing in what
you have to say. Doesn't the same hold true for improvisation?

I remember when Jimmy said something about getting his first
Mercedes. You know, he was very proud of that accomplishment because
it took him years to achieve that. Nobody handed him the keys.
Struggling, spending years playing crappy music and sacrificing, he
finally achieved a level of respect and incredible independence such
that he could give Vegas and commerical music and everyone else the
middle finger and succeed as a pure jazz player. And yes, for that,
he deserves my fucking undivided attention.

There are leaders and there are followers. I am a follower. Jimmy is
a leader. Anyone has every right to disagree with anything he or
anyone else believes in. He would back you on that 100%. He wouldn't
be where he is today if he didn't disagree with a lot of people in the
music industry.

But, although I have tremendous respect and admiration for many people
who post here, I have to put Jimmy Bruno on another plane. We forget
who he is because he comes off as such a "regular guy." But I doubt
we'd be so quick to disrespect Charlie Parker or Duke Ellington, or
__________ (insert your personal hero's name here) if we were blessed
with the opportunity to converse directly with them via the internet.

I am nobody. Jimmy Bruno has given me as much respect personally as
he would Hank Garland or Johnny Smith - HIS heroes. I owe him at least
that much in return.
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