Re: [ARSCLIST] new Les Paul doc on PBS - July 11

[Klara Foeller <klf@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The program was outstanding.  While Tom is correct, it is, however,  
important not to diminish Les Paul's accomplishments both as a musician 
AND inventor.  The portability of his "modified" recorder allowed use of 
different architectual spaces to augment both instruments (voice & 
guitar) and microphone pick up, a technique that I thought was pure 
genius.  I also enjoyed his rail road guitar.  Such a creative human being.

Have any of you ever played a "Les Paul" guitar???  Sweet.

I've also been blessed with having had the opportunity to hear him play 
live.  Saw him in a small club on a Monday night in NYC about 15 years 
ago.  The man is a guitar GOD.  It's a privilege to share the planet him.

Klara Foeller, Curator
Moving Image & Sound Collections
Missouri Historical Society
314 746-4513

Tom Fine wrote:

> Beware the legend/myth amplification factor -- based on their teaser, 
> PBS did little or no fact-checking. Les Paul did not "invent" 
> multi-tracking or over-dubbing as he's claimed over the years. ARSC 
> Journal published the first-hand history of how the Ampex 300 8-track 
> Sel-Sync "Octopus" came to be (see the article by Ross Snyder, ARSC 
> Journal):
> http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/sel-sync/snyder_sel-sync.pdf
>
> "Overdubbing" (ie laying recorded sound on top of recorded sound or 
> live sound played with recorded sound) goes back to the disk and 
> optical film eras long before magnetic tape. And "multi-track" 
> recording and mixing goes to the earliest days of optical sound in 
> Hollywood (ie rooms of dubbers, carrying various dialog, music and SFX 
> mixed to a final soundtrack). Furthermore, a musician playing many 
> parts by himself goes back at least to Sidney Bechet  "The Sheik of 
> Araby", "Sidney Bechet's One Man Band", Bechet recorded over and over 
> on different wax, overdubbing himself on clarinet ,soprano sax, tenor 
> sax, piano, bass, and drums.  Recorded in New York; April 18, 1941.
>
> -- Tom Fine
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Ramm" <Stevramm@xxxxxxx>
> To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2007 9:14 PM
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] new Les Paul doc on PBS - July 11
>
>
> > In a message dated 7/6/2007 10:16:33 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> > Gerald_Fabris@xxxxxxx writes:
> >
> > "Les  Paul - Chasing Sound", a new documentary on the life of Les 
> > Paul, has
> > its  TV debut on PBS - Wednesday, July 11, 2007 at 9pm (ET), part of  
> > their
> > "American Masters" series.  See here for more  info:
> > http://www.lespaulfilm.com/
> >
> >
> > Will be released on DVD in August with Bonus Footage - Coming from 
> > Koch  Ent.
> >
> > Steve
> >
> >
> >
> > ************************************** Get a sneak peak of the 
> > all-new AOL at
> > http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour