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There was a teacher in NY, at the Manhattan School, named Ludlima
Uehlela (sp?). My teacher John Foca, for but one, studied with her and
raved about her amazing analytical skills and general musicianship.Her
book on 20th Century harmony is still in print. And John himself knew
harmony very well----besides a million tunes, being a club date
player. He became as beloved a teacher as Uehlela, with a private
practice in Mill Basin, Brooklyn. Mark Marino, a great guitarist and
great guy, studied with John from his teen years. His best-know
student, though, was Teddy Randazzo. He was a great man.
I always say I'm gonna go back and study with this one and that one,
for any number of reasons, like: my guitar technique sucks, or I need
more of a handle on classical harmony and counterpoint, etc. But I
never have a follow-through. I figured out why: I think once one's
been exposed to great musicians personally early, on the bandstand or
in more formal pedagogic settings it's sort of up to one to find one's
way in a Zen-like undertaking. I think you need to realize when you
have something that's yours that knowledge supplements and has the
basics---and use it as a foundation. Everyone has limitations. I'm not
going to go out and do what some technically flawless guitar player or
horn player does. It doesn't make sense. I think melodically and want
to build on that. I think a better approach is to figure what falls
short in our own performance craft-wise that doesn't allow the music
to flow or come out as it might---then work on that. Sometimes it's
not even musical, it's relaxation, etc. And the beauty part is the
books and teachers, etc. will always be there, but now you're going
with a purpose. This philosophy can be taken a step further and
applied to living---art being a great teacher.
Back to Joe Raposo: the first time I looked at Bein' Green, to learn
to sing it for kids on a gig I was amazed how intricate the melodic
design and phrasing was in conjunction with the lyrics. Check it out
sometime. It's quite complex and impressive. And like most good art
you never hear the sweat that went in, it just sounds right.