A few days ago, I had a wonderful conversation with a good friend of mine whereupon we discussed often overlooked similarities among musicians of stature with the first talk revolving around the ability to play in ways unable to be copied. For both of us, Eric Dolphy and Jeff Beck were the two whose sound and unique approach to their craft shows why this take rings true. With Dolphy, atonality and extensive use of extended chords sonically relates to works by Schoenberg, Berg and Varese IMHO. As for Beck, outlier applies as no one plays like him. Going beyond the Yardbirds, he just did his own thing whether it be hard blues or acid tinged jazz fusion melded with rock as seen by Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, Charles Mingus's homage given to the great Lester Young back in 1959.
On the composing side, Steve Winwood and Wayne Shorter come to mind as their works are nuanced and idiosyncratic to the nth degree. In the case of Winwood, forays into jazz, blues, folk and rock were key along with legendary collaborations with Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker. For Shorter, work with Miles and Steely Dan were just starters for a musician considered to be one of the finest composers in jazz as per Oliver Nelson and Duke Ellington.
Extended Chords the playground of Eric Dolphy and significant others. :)
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