Rhythm Is My Beat: Jazz Guitar Great Freddie Green and the Count Basie Sound

(Hardback)

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In Rhythm Is My Beat: Jazz Guitar Great Freddie Green and the Count Basie Sound, Alfred Green tells the story of his father, rhythm guitarist Freddie Green, whose guitar work served as the pulse of the Count Basie Band. A quiet but key figure in big band jazz, Freddie Green took a distinct pride in his role as Basies rhythm guitarist, redefining the outer limits of acoustic rhythm guitar and morphing it into an art form. So distinct was Greens style that it would eventually give birth to notations on guitar charts that read: Play in the style of Freddie Green. This American jazz icon, much like his inimitable sound, achieved stardom as a sideman, both in and out of Basies band. Greens signature sound provided lift to soloists like Lester Young and vocalist Lil Jimmy Rushing, a reflection of Greens sophisticated technique, that produced, in Greens words, his rhythm wave. Billie Holiday, Ruby Braff, Benny Goodman, Gerry Mulligan, Teddy Wilson, Ray Charles, Judy Carmichael, Joe Williams and other recording artists all benefited from the relentless fours of the man who came to be known as Mr. Rhythm. The mystique surrounding Freddie Greens technique is illuminated through generous commentary by insightful interviews with other musicians, guitar professionals and scholars, all of whom offer their ideas on Freddie Greens sound. Alfred Green throughout demystifies the man behind the legend. This work will interest jazz fans, students, and scholars; guitar enthusiasts and professionals; music historians and anyone interested not only in the history of jazz but of the African American experience in jazz.

Reviews

[The book] also includes some great stories - a successful feat by author-son to personalize and demystify his musician-father. * The Charleston Chronicle *
Alfred Green presents a good overview of his fathers career. . . .Green adequately summarizes his fathers career without getting bogged down in details or becoming technical when discussing music . . . General readers can enjoy the book. * Music Charts Magazine *
Alfred Green has done a marvelous job of gathering the facts about his fathers life, interviewing musicians and others who knew or were influenced by Freddie, providing analyses of his style and technique, and providing relevant information about their personal relationship. . . .This book is valuable on many levels. For the layman who loves jazz and big bands, there is ample information and entertainment, for musicians, particularly guitarists, the technical aspects of Freddie Greens artistry are addressed, and for whose approach to jazz is an educational one, it offers a wealth of information about various areas of jazz history. It is well conceived and nicely written, a valuable addition to jazz literature. * Jersey Jazz *
Alfred Greens biography of his father is lovingly written, with long-hidden details of the life, music, and personality of a figure so intensely private that only a close relative would have access. Green goes beyond his perspective as a son, however, to contribute a valuable and comprehensive account of the elder Greens professional activity and evolution as the bedrock of the Count Basie rhythm section. . . .Rhythm Is My Beat fills a long-standing need for an authoritative biography of Freddie Green a tall order when one considers that the books subject was such a private figure, and gave few interviews. Alfred Greens own recollections, access to primary sources, and willingness to incorporate the work of other experts on Freddie Greens music combine to form a comprehensive account of his fathers life and impact. The books supplemental materials offer a valuable reference tool for those who seek an authentic account of Greens technique, or who marvel at how the quietly steadfast guitarist elevated the often thankless job of rhythm guitar to an essential part of one of jazz historys most powerful rhythm sections. * ARSC Journal *

Author Bio

Alfred Green received his masters in social work from the University of Southern California. In 1984 he served as vice president of production at Academic Press Inc. in San Diego. Green was a freelance photographer for ten years and a member of the American Society of Magazine Photographers (ASMP) with assignments for Fortune, New York, Scholastic, Financial World and Black Enterprise Magazine. He covered the 12th OAU Conference in Kampala, Uganda, with additional assignments in Angola, Puerto Rico and Spain. He retired from the Los Angeles Unified School District as a psychiatric social worker. He currently lives on the west coast with his wife, Judy.