50 Licks You Must Know

50 of the baddest, bopping-est, funkiest and bluesiest licks you must know The path from pentatonic sameness to heavy jazzed blues cat-itude often appears strewn with mystifying theoretical explanations and effete bossa renditions of "The Days of Wine and Roses." Feh! David Hamburger's 50 Jazz-Blues Licks You MUST Know cuts right to the chase, offering up some of the baddest, bopping-est, funkiest and bluesiest ways to navigate through any shuffle, boogaloo, minor blues or jazz-blues chord changes.

An inspiring collection of voodoo blues lines, rhythms and artist-inspired licks "Let me live 'neath your spell. Do do that voodoo that you do so well." Cole Porter didn't play guitar but he did recognize the power of voodoo. Thankfully Steve Trovato not only plays guitar but is also a highly respected educator and witch doctor of the blues.

There's no hiding behind a slow blues. That's the bad news. The good news is you don't need fancy fretwork, blazing technique, nuclear effect racks, or a giant Marshall wall to pull it off either. All you need is soul, a pair of good ears and a versatile vocabulary of slow blues lines and moves. You bring the former to the table and Anthony Stauffer will deliver the latter in this collection of 50 Slow Blues Licks You MUST Know.

Back in the early 40's, blues and jazz were pretty much synonymous. The big bands were exciting audiences with their new stomping jump blues performances, which Billboard recommended for "hepsters who go for swing and boogie, and beats in a loud, hot unrelenting style." Jump Blues combined the popular boogie-woogie rhythms of the day with gritty swing solos and "playful lyrics laced with jive talk." More than seven decades later, Jump Blues still pulls listeners out of their seats and onto the dance floor with its boogie-woogie grooves and heavy, insistent beats.

One part rock, one part blues, a dash of country, two or three guitarists and a bottle of whiskey. Southern Rock exploded on the scene in the 70’s and is still going strong today. Will Sophie’s 50 Southern Rock Licks You MUST Know captures the very essence of this Americana phenomena. You’ll also have a blast in the shed with Will’s curriculum — especially working out all of the two-guitar harmonized parts that he’s very appropriately included.