The life of a jazz guitarist can be unpredictable.
That’s an understatement. There’s life itself which is unpredictable, and then the life of a musician, and then the life of a jazz musician to boot.
And this is what Barry Greene shares in his latest book.
I just saw Barry talk about this book yesterday on a Facebook post.
And the book… it’s a lot to digest. In 14 chapters and 48 pages, Barry bares his heart and soul and takes you on a journey through his life as a musician.
He reveals a lot of what led him to his current work at The University of North Florida and with his membership website, Barry Greene Guitar Lessons. He also talks about the many great musicians he’s met and worked with in his career so far.
Being a fan of Barry’s works through the years — from his early video lessons that he used to post on Mike’s Master Classes to how it progressed into his own website, I’ve learned so much from Barry Greene. And that’s not including all the early Facebook Live videos Barry used to do… which is where I probably first heard of the Drumgenius app back in the day.
You can read two reviews I wrote about his Pat Martino lesson here and his take on the Joe Pass guitar style here.
Anyway, talking about this book itself, there are so many lessons and anecdotes from Barry’s life that includes lessons on gratitude, serendipity, patience and hard work. So much of what Barry shares shows that you have to put yourself in situations that allow you to grow and to put yourself in front of opportunities.
I love the way he looks at his “gig” with The University of North Florida and also how he learned from his early experience working with singer Al Martino when he was 23 years old.
All in all, this is a worthwhile and recommended short read packed with lessons on life and music. If you’re familiar with Barry’s work, I definitely recommend getting this and reading it immediately. I had no idea about Barry’s health condition dealing with heart disease… and the book certainly has a positive outlook on everything he’s gone through.
Pros: Great well written book that gives insight into Barry Greene’s musical journey, including the challenges he had over the years.
Cons: None
TLDR: If you play music (and especially if you play jazz guitar), do get this book. It’s inspiring and is such an honest recollection of the journey a musician like Barry takes.
Get your copy of the eBook here: https://www.barrygreene.com/mylifewithheartdisease
[Review Archive]
I wrote a lot of other book, course and video reviews too.
Check out the rest here:
[Read more reviews]
[Submissions for Review Consideration]
- Are you an author who wrote a jazz, guitar or music book?
- Have you created a DVD or an online video course or subscription based website?
- Would you like me to review your book/course?
Please send me a message at azsamad3 at gmail.com with:
For courses: a link to the course/video/product + access info etc.
For books: a link to the book (Dropbox) or PDF attachment (if it’s small) for review consideration.
Depending on whether I dig the book/course, I’ll let you know if I do plan to review it!
I cannot guarantee a review for every submission & if I’m not too into it, I may opt not to review it. I mean, it’s better to get a good review that for me to write a bad review just because it’s not a match for the kind of stuff I dig right? :p
NOTE: All reviews reflect my honest personal opinion so be aware that I will point out both cool Pros and Cons that I see in the work. You dig?