![]() I could play along with all my blues albums but I couldn’t play along with Wes. How did I find my way to jazz? I had been playing guitar in college for a few years, learning blues, folk and rock from my hippie friends, when I bought a Wes Montgomery album and that was it. And of course in the late 50’s and 60’s rock ’n roll was taking over and there were countless songs that I loved. We had a Dizzy Gillespie album with Night in Tunisia and Manteca. We had albums of Broadway shows around the house, like South Pacific, Oklahoma and West Side Story and I loved that stuff. JGL: Were you interested in jazz from the beginning or were there other musical interests before jazz? How did you find your way to this particular music and instrument?įF: Great question. ![]() Nobody ever told me that I should have something to fall back on. They just accepted whatever it was I wanted to do. They weren’t necessarily encouraging either. JGL: Just out of curiosity, did you get any “flack” from your family and/or friends for shifting gears? At least both ventures – writing and music – were arts based.įF: No, I can’t really say that my family opposed where I was going. Plus a good teacher gives you the tools to explore on your own, to figure things out for yourself and to find new things. Whether that was true or not, and it was so nice of him to say, it enabled me to progress faster than I would have. George Van Eps would show me something and I’d say wow and he’d say that’s nothing you wouldn’t have found yourself. ![]() I never had to make myself practice.Īdvice for those starting later in life? I would say you’d better love it, you’d better love music and I think it’s a must that you believe in yourself. In retrospect I’m sure having started late motivated me to practice more, though practicing was and is always fun. That is, I assumed that everyone who started at an early age was necessarily better than me. The challenge that I faced once I knew that I wanted to be a jazz guitarist was one of confidence. Because of this I could read music and had a certain degree of finger dexterity. It doesn’t sound like it, but did you experience any challenges that you might have been able to sidestep had you started at a younger age? Any advice for those starting to learn an instrument later in life?įF: Yes, I did start guitar in college though I had been playing clarinet from age 13. JGL: Your online bio states that you began your guitar journey during your years at College. Uh oh…this is my floor…įF: I’m in the town of Orleans, on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I have always tried to be as musical as I could be, which is admittedly a highly subjective matter. JGL: Now, for those who are unaware of you, could you give Jazz Guitar Life readers an elevator pitch of who Fred Fried is?įF: I’m a guitarist who has for the better part of my life explored the harmonic aspects of of my chosen instrument while realizing I have barely scratched the surface. How old are you?įF: I’m 72 although I used to be younger. First off, if we can get into a little background about you that would be great. JGL: Thank you Fred for taking the time to talk to Jazz Guitar Life. A definitely informative, insightful and entertaining read!! Enjoy □ I instantly loved his interpretations and skill and figured he would make for an interesting interview…I was not wrong! In this Jazz Guitar Life featured interview, Fred goes into great depth as he discusses his Jazz Guitar beginnings “late” in life, his relationship with the great George Van Eps, his approach to chord/melody and so much more. I was first introduced to Fred Fried ( pronounced Freed) via his YouTube postings in a Facebook Jazz group. And I practically wore out Joe Pass’ Virtuoso album. ![]() And I must say that I was inspired by George’s solo recordings. Heaven knows they’re not mutually exclusive. For me, solo guitar was more satisfying than practicing single lines though I do that also. Then, to be honest, I think that the feeling that I was always playing catch-up, the feeling of not being good enough, kept me from calling other musicians to get together to play so I practiced a lot, worked on tunes. “I love learning tunes and being able to play them as a pianist would.
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