Lenny Breau
Pat Smith
Lenny Breau put together by his daughter Emily. Fantastic, though it
brought up some tears. It also made me want to tell you my little tails
of him and hopefully start a thread for others to share any reflections
they might have.
I first heard of Lenny when I was in high school. I was taking
lessons from Ken Bloom in Skokie Il. I was just getting interested in
playing fingerstyle and he showed me Freight Train (what else). This was
totally amazing to me at the time, but he said if you think that's
something you should hear Lenny Breau play it. So I searched the local
stores for same and found nothing, By the way this would have been about
'71 give or take. So, I mentally filed the name away and went on.
When I got to Coe College, ine Cedar Rapids IA in '75 I signed up to
do a radio show, back at the end of the time when you could play Oscar
Peterson and Wild Man Fisher back to back and no one thought anything of
it. As I dug through the stations library I found Lenny's two RCA
albums. I listened. We all have had those earth shaking moments, that
was one of mine. So, I talked to the station manager and he offered to
swap for something in my collection.
OK, so in '77 I set off to Spring Hill TN, to attend The Apprentice
shops guitar making course. And I had heard that Lenny was there. I
can't remember now how I got it, but somehow I got a mailing address and
a few weeks before I went to TN I mailed off a letter asking for
lessons. I was in TN from March till August and right before I left for
home my letter arrived back, having beed forwarded to Maine, Toronto,
and as I recall three other places. I should have kept it, it was rather
telling.
Move along to 1981. My soon to be wife and I moved out to Boston, I
had hopes of attending Berklee part time. Well, it didn't occur to me
that they wouldn't have any part time program...oops. So, one day a
Berklee guy I'd met while standing in line to hear Jim Hall at Jonathan
Swift's call's to say Lenny's going to do a seminar. So, I finally meet
him at this seminar and being the fanatic I am, I assault him to take a
private lesson.( and just to be with the legendary one) He writes on a
card (which I still have Lenny Breau Western Prom.
I had no idea what that meant, other than that it was in Maine
somewhere. So one weekend my wife and I get in the car for a ride to
search. We drove up to Portland and found a local paper that said that
Denny Breau was playing. I figure, must be a typo, as no parent would
name their kids Lenny and Denny, Wrong. Anyway we finally found Lenny
living in Auburn on Western Prom Street, oh. And we started going up
every weekend to hear him play in a little cafe.
One of the first things that stuck me was that every week he would
show up with no amp. But somehow Lenny always found some kid from
Berklee and would say "Hey, what kind of amp do you play, Id like to try
that" poof amp for gig. And, that's not to say I wouldn't have given him
mine, it just didn't come up. Lenny seemed very lucid at this time, and
we talked alot about his life and how much he had loved the shows he and
his parents had done when he was a kid. We spent one day at his
apartment with him and Jewel and the new baby. (I taped alot of that
day). He gave my an all day lesson and played. I'll say at this point as
an owner of all his records that what he was truly capable of, was only
hinted at on record. But that day Jewel told us she was so happy because
Lenny had wrung out a washcloth to clean the baby, and that was the
first thing he'd ever done to help that involved using his hands. He
played me a bunch of Bill Evans things he was working on, and told me
about his bit in the Tal Farlow film, he said he was scared to death to
meet one of his big heros and have to meet him on camera.
We moved to Iowa after that and I spoke with him on the phone a
couple of times. The last time I saw him was in Chicago at the NAMM
show. He came to play his new 7 string Dauphin classic and Sand
electric. They unfortunatly paid him the day he got there, oops.He
disappeared. At about 2:30 in the morning on Sunday, Jewel called us to
ask if we'd seen him, I was asleep and hadn't. Then as we're talking I
hear the door open (on the other end of the phone) and the phone hits
the floor. I hear Jewel say something like Lenny, where have you been
I've been so worried. Lenny's reply was "Oh yeah, I been all over town,
I was worried about you too."
Sunday we all went to Benehana's for dinner. Afterwards we went back
to their hotel and Lenny wanted to go get a drink in the bar. Well, none
of us drink, so everyone else went up to the room and Lenny and I went
into the bar. Lenny put down two shots of tequila and boom he was
blotto. We sat and talked and he cryed and I felt young and stupid. He
said all the stuff about him being the greatest made him feel terified.
He said when he played at the Namm and looked at the people around him,
he felt like they were thinking come on and prove it. Needless to say
this had a pretty profound effect on me.The last thing he said to me
before we went up to the room was that he thought he would die like Bill
Evans.
Well, I don't know if I have any great point to make after writing
all this. But I hope that Lenny will be remembered not as the user that
ate everybodys pills, but, as a sweet tender guy that made music that
showed naked emotion. If we as guitar players learn anything from him,
forget about all that ability and reflect on the tenderness.
That's All
Pat
n0rman
been passing around and I see the guy's hands and the way he plays and I do
a BAM! thing --- his hands were just like a teacher I had for quite a while
at Johny Szopzack's (the spelling is wrong but it sounded like "sopsack")
music store in Norwalk Connecticut. as his looks changed in the video, I
started trying to convince myself that NOONE had hands and style THAT
similar to Lenny's without being lenny, so now, I'm kind of wondering who it
was that taught me lessons for all those months in Norwalk. Is there any
way to find out if Lenny Breau taught at Johnie Sopczacks? Is there anyone
who can think of a cat with little hands EXACTLY like Lenny Breau's who kind
of looked like lenny breau who kind of played like lenny breau who taught
at Johny schopszack's in Norwalk?
It's driving me nuts! I'm even trying to convince myself that the guitar
teacher with all the guitars stacked longways on a wooden shelf with a
wooden rail the length of the teaching room was named lenny --- any help
for me out there?
TomLippinc
>Lenny Breau put together by his daughter Emily. Fantastic, though it
Pat;
Thanks a bunch for the fascinating and moving story. I made the mistake of
time after time passing up the opportunity to check out Lenny's records until
just a few years ago, and I've been a pretty die hard fan ever since.
Tom Lippincott
Martin G. Bick, Ph.D.
January 1982 I began making occasional trips to jazz clubs in LA.
Anyway, I caught what would be one of Breau's last shows at Donte's in
North Hollywood. It was a Friday or Saturday night, I can't recall
exactly.
I was able to talk with Lenny and the woman he was with (wife?) during
one of the breaks and I recall asking him about using drugs and
creativity in music. Unfortunately, I don't recall much of the
conversation. I was shocked when I read that he was found dead a few
days later in what might have been a drug-related murder.
What seemed a bit strange for me in 1982 was that several jazz guys
died within days or weeks of seeing them-- Breau, Sonny Stitt, Johnny
Hartman, and Art Pepper I believe.
Martin
On Fri, 25 Feb 2000 18:01:45 -0800, Pat Smith <pj...@pacbell.net>
wrote:
Pete Kerezman
Pat Smith wrote:
< fascinating but lengthy experience snipped >
> Well, I don't know if I have any great point to make after writing
>all this. But I hope that Lenny will be remembered... ...as a sweet
>tender guy that made music that
>showed naked emotion. If we as guitar players learn anything from him,
>forget about all that ability and reflect on the tenderness.
Pat, i think you made your point beautifully. The diversity of
knowledge and the variety of the real-life experiences related in this
group is what keeps me coming back. Thank you so much for sharing
this with us.
Texas Pete
Pete Kerezman (pete...@aol.com)
Kingsville, Texas
Unsung96
of him and hopefully start a thread for others to share any reflections
they might have. >>
Well here's mine: Years ago I was playing a cruise ship with an all Columbian
Band(that part was cool) for several months going from Portland, Maine to
Yarmouth, Novia Scotia. Everyday 10 hours there, 10
hours back(or close) A really awful cruise gig. Once every two weeks on a
Tuesday was your day off. I specifically went to town in search of some Lenny
Breau Records being as we was from those parts. Couldn't find any but I found
"Buddies". Buddy Emmons and Buddy Spicher which was really one of my favorite
records of that ilk. It wasn't Lenny but it was right before the "Minors Aloud"
record I think and there was a connection for me of sorts anyway.
I walked into a Chinese restaurant with the Drummer from Columbia and there at
the bar was Lenny Breau having a drink(imagine that)I could not believe it.
Anyway I went up to him and "ghermed"(Nashville term) him and showed him the
record even though he wasn't on it. Anyway he was way cool and appreciative so
I thought and I was stunned. It was like the Twilight Zone. I only wish that I
had the Minnors Aloud record with me. That's my story.
Pat Smith
The Genius of Lenny Breau
Betacam SP
96 minutes
Black & white and colour
Original version in English
Closed captioned for the hearing
impaired
Executive Producers
James Hanley
Phyllis Laing
Paul McConvey
Producers
James Hanley
Phyllis Laing
Associate Producer
Emily Hughes
Director
John Martin
Scriptwriter
Richard Neilsen
Director of Photography
Brian Rougeau
Editing
Greg West
Interviewer
Emily Hughes
This documentary explores and celebrates the all-too-short, heartbreaking
but triumphant life and unworldly talent of Lenny Breau, considered by many
to have been the greatest guitar player of all time. Long before the term
"fusion" was coined, Lenny was melting musical boundaries to produce
original pieces that borrowed from styles as diverse as jazz, classical and
flamenco. Through a combination of never-before-seen archival footage and
interviews with family and colleagues, viewers are offered a close-up look
at a sensitive, selfless but flawed musical genius who redefined what the
guitar could do.
Production
Buffalo Gal
Pictures Inc.
490 - 70
Arthur Street
Winnipeg,
Manitoba
R3B 1G7
Phone:
(204) 956-2777
Fax: (204)
956-7999
Sleeping
Giant Productions Ltd.
100 - 260
Richmond Street West
Toronto,
Ontario
M5V 1N5
Phone:
(416) 351-9240
Fax: (416)
351-9241
Financial
assistance
Telefilm
Canada
Canadian
Television Fund
Manitoba
Film and Sound Development Corporation
Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation
Government
of Manitoba - Tax Credit
Government
of Ontario - Tax Credit
Government
of Canada - Tax Credit
© Telefilm Canada. 1999. All Rights Reserved.
Pat Smith
ddinc
FJazzman
appreciate your effort in writing this.
Pat Smith
I guess if I had to pick one to introduce LB it would be the Live at
Bourbon St with Dave Young. Then his first live record Velvet touch.
Then, Five oclock bells. But all of Lenny's albums have something to
offer. I really like one called When light'n Strikes which isn't out on
CD as far as I know.
Enjoy
Pat
Chris Smart
about a lesson in how to jam!
Pat Smith (pj...@pacbell.net) wrote:
: Short answer...all
: ddinc wrote:
--
____________________________________________________________
http://www.braille.uwo.ca/~chriss
"Laughter is the only tenable attitude in a universe which is a joke played
upon itself"(Peter J. Carroll).
Pat Smith
couple years when Lenny was up for it. Great melodic playing.
P.S. I have a vinal copy Lenny gave me that he and Chet both signed, a nice
keepsake
Pat
Jim Kangas
liked, but for me, "Cabin Fever" is one of the most expressive CD's
I've heard.
-Jim