Ken Karsh is a truly gifted guitar player out of Pittsburgh who discusses his life in music, his debut CD release, and how music education should be a constant in the life of a working musician. A fun read.

JazzGuitarLife.com Interview with Ken Karsh: This interview was conducted via email May, 2005. Check out his website at www.kenkarsh.com

JGL: How old are you?

KK: I am 46 years old.

JGL: What geographical area do you live in?

KK: I live in Pittsburgh. Pa in the USA.

JGL: How long have you been playing guitar for?

KK: I have been playing guitar since I was 9 years old so I think that puts it at 36.5 years if my calculator is correct.

JGL: Jazz guitarist Joe Negri, a major player in his own right, stated that "The first time I heard Ken play he was eleven or twelve years old. I remember saying, 'This kid is going to be a great guitar player.' You know what? I was right!" What was it that Joe saw in you at such a young age?

KK: When I was 11, I had already started playing jazz and improvising on an elementary to intermediate level (depending on how well i knew the tune). Joe had a TV show in Pittsburgh that showcased young talent. I met him through his younger brother Bobby, an excellent jazz pianist in his own right. Joe saw potential in me and put me on his show. To this day, he is a friend and mentor to me and he is still a force to be reckoned with in jazz guitar.

JGL: What excited you about jazz guitar or jazz in general when you were young?

KK: My first guitar teacher sold me two Johnny Smith albums and that was it for me! Johnny had great tone, tasteful ideas and incredible technique. Later on, I heard Howard Roberts & Pat Martino and went nuts from there.

JGL: You are a major exponent of jazz education, teaching at Duquesne University, and have published a few instructional texts in association with Mel Bay Publications. You are also a very in-demand clinician. How did musical education become so much an important part of your life and what kinds of subjects do you attempt to impart on your students or audience?

KK: I have always believed that if you play, you should teach. We have a very supportive environment for learning and teaching at Duquesne University. I believe that a good foundation is important for music students, so I try to place emphasis on that. Our Summer Guitar Workshop at the end of July is a wonderful & fun opportunity for guitarists (and bassists) to be exposed to the fundamentals of music and I really enjoy doing it.

JGL: In your experience as an educator, what are the most important elements of jazz guitar study that young people (or any student of jazz guitar) need to acquire early on to sustain the dream of becoming a professional musician? Are there any common issues or problems that you encounter regularly that happen when beginners first start out learning jazz guitar?

KK: I think that the most important element, as I said earlier, is a good working knowledge of the fundamentals. Any musician (not just guitarists, of course) needs to know scales, arpeggios, harmony, etc. Guitarists should know tunes and be able to play solo guitar. By solo guitar, I mean their own arrangements. Ear training and transcribing are a must! I feel that you can learn a book's worth of musical knowledge by playing and analyzing a four bar statement. I don't feel that musicians should "parrot" transcribed solos, they should analyze and find a way to explain the concept to themselves, even if it is not the "technically correct" way to explain it. Pat Metheny told our university students that he spent 20 years avoiding scales & arpeggios, only to realize they were the quickest way to develop technique.

JGL: Do you teach privately, and if so, how does one go about studying with you? Is there a particular level of student you are looking for?

KK: I do teach privately and people who are interested can contact me at my website (www.kenkarsh.com) and email me there (info@kenkarsh.com). As long as someone is willing to put in the time that it takes to learn, I am willing to work with them.

JGL: How did your association with Mel Bay Publications come about and what did you have to offer them that was different from other players?

KK: I connected to Mel Bay through Corey Christiansen. The first thing I ever did for them (actually for William Bay) was a transcription of Johnny Smith's arrangement of "Black, Black, Black," which has recently been published in the new Mel Bay publication "Guitar JournalÑJazz." Then I contributed chord solos, comping & single note etudes for "Jazz Guitar Standards" and "Jazz Guitar StandardsÑChord Solos" (Mel Bay/Warner Bros. Publications). Next came my own book "Jazz Scale Workout." I think that every one who offers a book for publication has their own unique way of presenting musical material. I am grateful that they found my work worthy of publication!

JGL: Who were your influences on jazz guitar when you were beginning, and have they stayed the same or have they changed over the years?

KK: In the beginning, it was Joe Negri, Johnny Smith, Howard Roberts, and Pat Martino. Later it was Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, George Benson, Joe Pass,
Django Reinhardt, Segovia and Tal Farlow. I could keep going, there are so many....

JGL: Who are you listening to today (guitarists or non-guitarists)?

KK: As I type this, I am listening to Tom Waits: Foreign Affair. I like (pianist) John Serry, (composer) Vince Mendoza, Wayne Shorter, (pianist) Billy Childs, The Yellowjackets and James Taylor. Of my fellow guitarists, I enjoy the playing of Russell Malone, Steve Herberman, Jimmy Bruno, Sid Jacobs, Vic Juris, Corey Christiansen.

JGL: How difficult do you find it making a living as a jazz guitar player? Or have you found it to be relatively easy?

KK: The music business ebbs & flows in many directions at various times. Teaching, playing casuals and musical theatre help to supplement income. It is important to be flexible due to the fact that there aren't as many jazz gigs as there used to be.

JGL: Did you know early on that music was something you wanted to do as a career choice and if so, what were some of the things you did to make this choice work for you?

KK: I think that I just kept doing music and suddenly realized that I was performing and making money. Not that I was oblivious to what I was doing, but once I realized that I could make money doing what I loved, I just kept doing it.

JGL: Were your parent(s) and family members supportive of your musical career choice?

KK: Absolutely. That is one thing that I never had to be concerned about.

JGL: Your technique on both electric and acoustic guitars is right up there with the likes of Pat Martino, Jimmy Bruno, and others of the same ilk. What was your practice routine like when you were beginning? And how has it developed over the years?

KK: I had a teacher who really stressed foundation. I still practice scales, chords & arpeggios. I also play steady Eighth note improvisations slowly over chord changes. I have also taken Mel Bay and Carcassi etudes and made attempts to play them in other positions. Since I am a James Taylor fan, I will play his accompaniments without a capo. Howard Roberts stated, "The music will create the technique." I strongly support that statement.

JGL: Could you talk a bit about how you approach a tune improvisationally? Are there worked out patterns, or is it right off the top of your head?

KK: It's a little of both. Jazz breaks down into ii, V7, I progressions a lot, so I try to work on those. Everybody, in my opinion, has worked out patterns and that's okay. It's important to know common harmonic cadences in all keys. I try to analyze a tune harmonically. I like Pat Martino's minor conversion concepts. The altered dominant scale was easy for me after dealing with minor conversion.

JGL: You have a tendency to add a classic vibrato after the end of your lines along with some snappy string bending which is mostly associated with a more rock-infused technique. Is this a conscious effort or have these qualities seeped into your playing without much thought?

KK: I guess I have Django Reinhardt to thank for that. Also BB King and Eric Gale. It's not something I think consciously about.

JGL: Could you describe some of your best musical situations or experiences and the worst?

KK: As I am answering this question, I am on plane back to America from Bulgaria. The time I spent in Bulgaria with Catch 22 was definitely one of my best musical situations. We were more than performers, we were musical ambassadors. The people in Bulgaria were very appreciative of our music and our clinic. Some of my other wonderful musical experiences were recording and playing with organist Gene Ludwig, saxophonists Eric Kloss & Nathan Davis, Bobby McFerrin and many others. I really enjoyed playing with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and I always enjoy playing with the CLO orchestra for the musicals at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh. I was absolutely thrilled to play in the Michael Gibbs Ensemble when I was at Berklee in 1977. I would also mention that it was a fantastic experience when I premiered my colleague Bill Purse's composition for solo guitar and wind symphony entitled "Allegheny Sketches." The worst musical experience that I can remember was when I played a wedding date with a bandleader who was not a very good saxophone player and to make matters worse, he forgot his saxophone and pulled out a trumpet, which was even worse because he couldn't play that at all!! I think his son played bass on this gig and it was clear that they did not connect with each other. That was a tough gig.

JGL: What type of musical situation do you enjoy the most (ie: trio, quartet, duo, solo, etc.)

KK: It depends on who I am playing with. I have been fortunate to have worked with some great people. Speaking for myself, trio playing became more enjoyable for me when I started getting better harmonically with my lines. I do love quartet settings (guitar, piano, bass and drums) and organ trio.

JGL: You have played in a large number of big productions like “Jesus Christ, Superstar”, “Chess”,“Chicago”, “A Chorus Line”, “Parade” “Fiddler On The Roof” (performing on guitar and mandolin), “Copacabana” and recently “The Lion King”. How did you first get involved working these type of productions and what helped you get the gigs?

KK: I first got involved with doing these productions when I did "Jesus Christ, Superstar". After that, it was just a matter of getting called, proving myself (once is not enough because of the variety of musical styles required for recent productions). What helps get these gigs are good reading ability, musical versatility, and being easy to get along with (very important).

JGL: You were also the electric guitar soloist in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Andre Previn’s “Concerto For Guitar And Orchestra.” That must have been a wonderful event. How did it come about and how different was it than your usual gig?

KK: I think it was a violist in the symphony named Aaron Chafetz who knew me and my family and advocated for me. It was wonderful. It was also the first time I ever worked in a situation like that! I practiced my butt off. I never followed a conductor until that gig, so it was great on-the-job training. The classical guitar soloist was Angel Romero and he was really nice and encouraging to me.

JGL: You have played and or recorded with some top name jazz players such as Bobby McFerrin, Gene Ludwig, Nathan Davis, Eric Kloss, Lee Konitz, Arnie Lawrence, Jimmy McGriff, Arnold Sterling, Joey DeFrancesco and Papa John DeFrancesco, How did these associations come about?

KK: Hanging out in the jazz environment can breed opportunity. I've known Nathan Davis since I was 15 years old and was auditing his jazz improvisation courses and playing in his big band at the University of Pittsburgh. I met Eric Kloss through a local jazz drummer named Spider Rondinelli, who has mentored a lot of the musciains in the Pittsburgh jazz scene and, more than anybody, has kept a lot of us working and kept the jazz scene going in Pittsburgh. I met Jimmy McGriff through another great Pittsburgh guitarist named Jimmy Ponder and was hired unseen and unheard to go on the road with him for a year. I played with Papa John DeFrancesco and Joey DeFrancesco at a now defunct Pittsburgh jazz club called the Balcony. I later did a record with him, which, unfortunately, never got released and also did a gig with him at Ortlieb's in Philadelphia. Papa John and Joey are really wonderful and fun people and were a pleasure to work with. Gene Ludwig was also on that gig, as was Jack McDuff. I've known Gene since I was 20 and he is simply one of the great, great jazz organists. I am on his recordings "Soul Serenade" and "Hands On." So, it's luck and preparation working to create these wonderful opportunities.

JGL: Your debut CD as a leader, “Ventana” is a great showcase featuring your playing on both electric and acoustic. What,if any, was the original motivation that made you decide to take the plunge and come out with a CD?

KK: I figured that the timing was right and I really wanted to do it. I love recording, despite it's difficulties. Joe Negri has recently put out some wonderful new CDs and he is in his seventies. He took me aside and said,” Don’t wait as long as I did to record."

JGL: The title track, “Ventana”, is a wonderful tune co-written by you and jazz vocalists Bobby McFerrin. How did you hook up with Bobby to co-write a tune with him and will their any more stellar pairings in the future?

KK: A friend of mine worked for his manager and introduced Bobby to me. We hung out and jammed and somehow came up with "Ventana". Bobby originally had named it "Karshdarn", but other sources said to change it. I hope that there will be pairings like that in the future. Time will tell.

JGL: One of the many outstanding tracks on "Ventana" is your chord melody rendition of the Lennon and McCartney tune "Blackbird". Why did you choose this particular tune and how do you approach playing tunes in a chord melody style?

KK: I originally did the chord solo version of "Blackbird" for a student who hated playing jazz chord solos. I was trying to give him a tune he could relate to. I started playing it and doing improvisations on it in public and it took off from there. As far as my approach goes, I can do simple jazz chord solos pretty much off the top of my head, but when I want to stretch out the harmony, I have to work it out. Melody and bass are very important. Often you can start there and fill in the rest. I love to re-harmonize progressions, using as many approaches that I can. In the end, I often strive to keep it simple. That's it (in a nutshell, anyway).

JGL: What do you hope will happen with this new CD? What has the response been towards your debut CD?

KK: Like anyone who records a CD, I want it to help me branch out to other parts of the world. I have been sending it around to different people and it has received good reviews in magazines "Just Jazz Guitar" and "Jazz Improv."

JGL: You are a member of the Duquesne University faculty guitar ensemble “Catch 22”. Could you talk a bit about your experiences with this group and what was the reason for this group getting together?

KK: Well, some of these questions are being answered in my hotel room in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria. We just finished a successful concert here and we are probably one of the few jazz oriented ensembles who have been privileged to play here. What is wonderful about this group is that we are friends (almost brothers, in a way) as well as colleagues. We first formed as a group when we played for a benefit remembering the late guitarist Emily Remler and have been going strong since then. The members of the group are myself, Bill Purse (our chairman & director), Mark Koch (our assistant chair), Jeff Mangone on bass, and our only non-faculty member Billy Kuhn on drums.

JGL: You are an endorser of Brockman Guitars (Tim Brockman) and Mendoza Classical Guitars (Alejandro Mendoza), as well as Guild Guitars with Catch 22. How did you come across these particular instruments and luthieres and what seperates these fine instruments from others that you have tried?

KK: My friend David Marcus introduced me to Tim Brockman (www.brockmanguitars.com). Tim is an exceptional luthier and I have linked him on my website (www.kenkarsh.com). I tried his guitars and fell in love with the "little guitar with the oval hole" (also known as the Brockman 005) Dave & his wife Sue bought me this guitar as a gift (an act of God that I still am floored by). I also now play his traditional Archtop (Brockman Premier). I met Alex Mendoza through a mutual friend of ours when I performed in Mexico City. I tried one of his guitars and loved it. In 2004 I ordered one. As far as my endorsement with Guild Guitars, Fender Musical Instruments has been a staunch supporter of our guitar department at Duquesne and a supporter of Catch 22. They presented us with 3 Guild X-170 Manhattan Guitars. They all look the same, so you might say that it is our band uniform. We are very grateful to Fender and to Mr. Bill Schultz. They supported us all the way to Bulgaria.

JGL: If you could only pick one individual or group to play with (alive or dead), who would that be and why?

KK: I would love to play with composer Vince Mendoza because I have such profound respect for his compositions and orchestrations. Check out his album, "Epiphany." That album alone explains why I would love to work with him.

JGL: Has your impressions and experiences of being a Jazz Guitar player been what you had expected when you first decided to become a musician?

KK: It pretty much has been what I expected. I still enjoy playing and learning. It's nice after a hard gig to think of a new fingering or concept to try out.

JGL: Where would you like to see jazz guitar go in the coming years?

KK: I think that I would love to see jazz guitar (and jazz, in general) regain public support. In my opinion, educating the public is the key to seeing this happen.

JGL: Any advice for the younger guy or gal who is thinking about playing jazz guitar?

KK: Art (any art) takes tremendous commitment. Do it for the love of doing it (because the business part can be tough and that is when you have to love playing the most), learn your fundamentals (and keep learning them), and learn about the music business. Also, do as much recording of yourself that you can. Listen to yourself with "tough love" and don't put yourself down. That attitude only works against you.

JGL: Apart from music what other pursuits do you enjoy tackling?

KK: I love to bike ride, spend time with my family, and I am into doing voice imitations. I have been working with Jeff Bergman (a master! He is the voice of Barney Rubble and Charlie the Tuna, as well as the Speilberg Looney Tunes movie and many more). It's a lot of fun and he also plays guitar, so we have a lot of fun together.

JGL: Have you ever had second thoughts about your choice to have music as a career and if so, what other career path do you think you would have followed had you not been a guitar player.

KK: I haven't had second thoughts, but when I was a kid, I really wanted to be a doctor. I also love working with computers, so I might've gone into computer programming. The world is full of possibilities.

JGL: Thank you Ken for participating in jazzguitarlife.com. It is most appreciated.

KK: Thank you, Lyle. I appreciate the support that you have been giving to the jazz guitar idiom and to unknown players. Good luck & keep doing it!

--------------

You can listen to great jazz guitar music online. Many artists offer their songs and CDs as streaming music from their websites. When you buy a new computer, make sure it is set up to listen to streaming songs from your favorite jazz guitarists.