When I read that John Stowell was coming to The Montreal International Jazz Festival as part of the Festival’s Guitarissimo series I was instantly stoked. Although, I had never heard John on record, I had seen him many times on YouTube and have found him to be a very interesting and unique Jazz Guitarist. So it was with great disappointment when I realized that I had something booked on the same evening and time as John was playing and would not be able to see him perform. To ease my disappointment I went on YouTube to see if there was anything new on John and I found a 2004 local Oregon TV Broadcast about John that proved interesting and entertaining. If you watch this video you will find out why he positions his guitar the way he does, but more importantly, you will soon come to realize that John Stowell is all about the music and lives his life to serve his muse. His unorthodox style may take a moment or two to register, but it’s not long before you begin to hear the unique melodic and harmonic content that John issues through his spidery-type fingerings, and then it’s business as usual. Well, as “usual” as John Stowell can get…:) If you haven’t already, I would highly suggest checking John out, either through his recordings, on YouTube or live. And if you had seen John play at the Montreal Jazz Fest, please add a comment on how the show went. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Take care all and keep on playing.
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Hey all. I hope everyone is enjoying the summer. I just wanted to quickly say that I’m having a great time at the Montreal Jazz Festival and have seen some awesome performances. In the Acoustic Guitar department, Don Ross, Larry Pattis and Pierre Bensusan are revered Guitarists in the fingerstyle world, and while not Jazz Guitarists per se, they seamlessly combine harmonic and melodic elements of Jazz within their own brand of playing. Especially Pierre Bensusan, who really swung hard on Sunday night while adding quite a bit of melodic improvisation throughout his set. His vocalizing, a cross between Al Jarreau and Bobby McFerrin, was a delightful surprise that made the audience whoop and holler. He’s definitely a player I would recommend everyone to check out…along with the other two as well.
In the Jazz Guitar department, Montreal’s own Reno De Stefano put on a free show that delighted music fans, and of course Jazz Guitar players/fans, with an hour long set comprised of his own compositions. Reno played some great straight-ahead style tunes that featured his strong chops alongside some of the heaviest players on the Montreal and International Jazz scenes. I had heard nothing but great things about Reno and was finally glad to see him play. I look forward to seeing more of this local artist and he will also be featured in a Jazz Guitar Life interview in the not too distant future. If you get the chance definitely check him out.
The highlight for me however, as wonderful as the above mentioned players are, was seeing Martin Taylor perform a spectacular hour and forty-five minutes set of solo guitar. In fact, to say his performance was beyond spectacular would be a definite understatement. Not only is he an amazing and extremely musical player he’s also a witty and engaging entertainer of stories both humorous and emotional. As a good friend of mine stated, “Martin Taylor makes you fall in love with him”. He’s definitely someone you would love to have on your speed dial to call up and chat about whatever…:) There will be a more detailed review of Martin’s show on Jazz Guitar Life in the next week or so. As this week winds down the festival there are a couple of more Guitarists on my list to check out and I’ll be doing just that in the next two days.
Take care all, and if you have any comments I’d love to hear them. Later…
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Martin Taylor in Concert Featuring Martin Taylor. For Guitar (Fingerpicking). Concert/Documentary. Vestapol. Jazz. DVD. Duration 75 minutes. Published by Grossman’s Guitar Workshop. (13067DVD)
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As mentioned yesterday, I spent a good part of my day at the 2nd Edition Montreal Guitar Show as part of the Montreal International Jazz Festival…and what a glorious event it was! As my subject line indicates, there were indeed a ton of Guitars in all their beauty along with the talented artisans who build them. And the great thing was that you could “test drive”, in a sound proof booth, the guitar(s) of your choice. It’s not every day you can just go up to Linda Manzer or Bill Comins and ask to try out a guitar or two. Definitely worth the small price of admission ($10.00). It was also a great opportunity to talk to the men and women who pour their hearts and souls into designing and building instruments that are as stunning to play as they are to look at. I had some great conversations with the wonderfully talented Linda Manzer as well as the equally talented Peter Hopkins who were gracious enough to consent to being interviewed for Jazz Guitar Life at some near point in time. To be honest, I am not much of an informed “gear head” and am looking forward to finding out a little more about what goes into the making of an extremely high-end arch top. I’ll keep you all posted when the interviews go live on Jazz Guitar Life. I took a bunch of pics and will include a few at the end of this post with more to be shown at Jazz Guitar Life as soon as I get the time to put them all together in a nice slide show format.
As of this post, there are two more days to take advantage of the Montreal Guitar Show and I highly recommend taking the time to check it out. Later all…
A look inside the 2nd Edition Montreal Guitar Show
A cheerful Linda Manzer
A just as cheerful Peter Hopkins
Some gorgeous Bill Comins models
The extremely exotic “Black Cherry” built by the overly talented Michael Greenfield
A gorgeous set of Tom Ribbecke Guitars
More to come at Jazz Guitar Life
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Today is a very exciting day. I am going to be checking out the 2nd Montreal Guitar Show featuring the cream of the crop of Luthiers. Guitar builders like Mario Beauregard, Bill Comins, Rick Davis, Sergei de Jonge, Oskar Graf, Michael Greenfield, Peter Hopkins, Michael Lewis, Linda Manzer, Tom Ribbecke, Ervin Somogyi and Jeff Traugott will all be there to show off and interact with lovers of…well let’s face it..art. There are some beautiful works of art and I’m looking forward to meeting and trying out some of those pieces…:) I hope to be able to take a bunch of pics and I will post them in the next day or two. If you are in Montreal I would definitely recommend checking out the Montreal Guitar Show. As many have called it, it is the Holy Grail of Guitar Lovers.
And speaking of Guitar Lovers, just a quick note to say that I, and a packed Club Soda, had a great time seeing Robben Ford last night. As you may imagine it was an awesome show with Robben delivering his unique brand of Blues and Jazz. That, coupled with a killer tone and great tunes, made the experience one that I will remember for a long time. I will be adding a more detailed review on Jazz Guitar Life in the next few days and will let you all know when I do.
I also attended the show of local Montreal Guitarists Jordan Officer, part of the Jazz Fest’s Guitarmania series. I had heard of Jordan but never had seen him play and I was totally enthralled with his playing and his respect for the Blues/Jazz Country/Blues Guitar of days gone by. His playing mixed down-home Blues with Gypsy style Jazz lines and old-time Eddie Lang/Dick McDonough picking in a very authentic sounding style. A wonderful journey to a simpler time and greatly appreciated by the audience.
All in all a great evening of music and I’m looking forward to more evening like this…:) Take care all.
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For the past 29 years, the end of June and first week of July has proved to be an exciting time as the Montreal International Jazz Festival sets up shop for Jazz, Blues, Pop and World music-lovers everywhere. Great music, awesome players, workshops, jam sessions, a Blues Camp and the euphoric Montreal Guitar Show featuring many of the World’s greatest Luthiers, finds its way into the hearts, minds and hands of a ton of people from all over the World. There’s something for everyone at the Montreal Jazz Festival and if you have never experienced the Festival before, then this year would be a great time to do so. I will be attending a bunch of shows this time around and will try and keep you all up to date. First off is the electric Jazz and Blues of Guitar Master Robben Ford tonight.
I first heard Robben with the groovin’ LA Express featuring Tom Scott back in the very early eighties and was immediately taken by his fusion of Jazz and Blues, sophisticated harmonic twists, and emotion filled slinky string bending. I then heard him with Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Witherspoon, the Yellow Jackets, Victor Feldman and his Generation Band, Miles Davis and more recently with Guitar-Ace Larry Carlton. Of course I’ve also been a huge fan of Robben’s solo material and actually, no matter what situation I’ve heard him in he has always stayed true to his musical identity and is one of those players who can be instantly recognized in the first few notes he plays. For a long time Robben has sort of been on the precipice of major success and had been somewhat overshadowed by the more popular Guitarists in the 70’s and 80’s. But he “kept on keeping on” and eventually found climbing to the top of the heap a little easier as he focused more on his Blues playing, especially with the commercial success of his Robben Ford and the Blue Line albums. Nowadays Robben’s name is synonymous with taste, technique and just plain ol’ great playing. Suffice it to say I’m definitely looking forward to tonight’s show. If you are at the show tonight drop by and say hello if you recognize me. Also, here’s a link to a news article on Robben that you may find of interest. Take care all…
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Blues & Beyond Robben Ford. For Guitar. Guitar DVD. Warner Bros. Classics. Blues. DVD. 1 pages. Published by Alfred Publishing. (904067)
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“The thing about being a musician is it’s really hard…But the rewards music offers you …you get so much out of the time and effort.” - Pat Metheny
I’m always happy to hear about high-profile musicians giving back to the community and taking the time to steer young minds in a positive direction. Pat Metheny did just that this week when he spoke at the South Orange Performing Arts Center in New Jersey to a bunch of high-school students from various schools around the area. Here is a link to the story…and don’t forget to check out the excellent Jazz House Kids site who sponsored the event and who have much more detail about Pat’s visit. Later all.
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Hi all. Just a quick post to provide a link to an article on George Benson from the Edinburgh Evening News. He is slated to perform at the Edinburgh Playhouse on Sunday, the 29th of June, hence the promotion. It is actually an interesting article and one that provided a few unknown, at least to me, facts about George. Like when he was 17 he formed a group where he “…used to play that stuff Jimi Hendrix ended up playing, all that kind of music – loud and distorted.” Very cool. I would have loved to have been witness to that. The rest of the article discusses his musical life in a brief synopsis that encapsulates his career for those who are not that familiar with the earlier Benson period. An enjoyable read which can be found here. Take care all.
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If you happen to be in Ottawa on Tuesday the 24th of June for the Ottawa Jazz Festival, make your way to the National Library and Archives where you will get to see one the premiere Free-Jazz Improvisers on the scene today, Dom Minasi. Dom will be playing with his trio, Ken Filiano on bass and Jackson Krall on drums, and will feature music from their cortically acclaimed “Takin’ The Duke Out” CD. If you have never seen Dom Minasi play, you would be in for a treat as he melts the fretboard with a rush of sound and notes that cater to the moment while still adhering to a form that can be heard from time to time. I had the pleasure of seeing Dom play live to a sold out room a couple of years ago at the Montreal Jazz Festival and the experience was inspiring and ever-lasting. To be honest, Free-Jazz is not my usual “cup-of-tea” but I loved it that night, and watching Dom take command of his instrument, along with Ken and Jackson, as they breathed new life into old standards was nothing short of brilliant…in my opinion at least. The very appreciative audience seemed to back me up so I knew I wasn’t the only one feeling this way. If you have ever seen or will see Dom Minasi in action I’d love to hear what you have to say about the experience. Below is the show information for Dom Minasi.
The Dom Minasi Trio, featuring Ken Filiano-bass and Jackson Krall on Drums will be performing music from their Takin The Duke Out CD at the Ottawa Jazz Festival
Ottawa, Ontario Canada
(613) 241-2633
The National Library & Archives
395 Wellington St.
4:30 PM
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Wow! It has been quite a while since my last post. I have been extremely busy with web-design clients, music and out of town visits. All that to say I’m back now and hope to be posting a tad more frequently…:) Plus, I have begun working on the next Jazz Guitar Life updates which will feature interviews by Jazz Guitarists Mike Kennedy, LaVerne Christie, Bobby Broom and our subject of today’s post, Mark Elf. Or should I say…Professor Mark Elf?
Mark Elf, a much sought after performer, teacher, clinician and private instructor has created the Mark Elf Guitar Conservatory. After more than thirty-five years in the business of Jazz Guitar Performance and Instruction, Mark felt his constantly in-demand-ness would be better served by reaching out and being accessible to interested Jazz Guitar students everywhere via the World Wide Web. And I have got to say, he’s done an amazing job of assessing and putting online the important topics of improvisation, comping, chord melody playing, technique and theory all under one roof so to speak. Plus, Mark will “hip” ya to blowing and comping on real-life situational tunes like “Just Friends”, “Autumn Leaves”, “How High The Moon”, “Satin Doll” and more through stimulating and inspiring visual and audio presentations while adding new material all the time! And all this for $20.00 bucks a month. Considering that Mark charges $100.00 an hour in the “real” world, this is definitely an awesome deal and one that should not be dismissed lightly if you are looking for serious Jazz Guitar instruction and guidance.
So if you haven’t done so already, check out the player and the “professor” Mark Elf. It’s an introduction that could be way beneficial…:)
*A more detailed review will appear on Jazz Guitar Life soon.
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For those who don’t know, Sheryl Bailey is a truly wonderful Jazz Guitarist who I have had the pleasure of interviewing and reviewing. She’s got scary technique, great compositional sense, and most importantly, humor. She takes herself and her music seriously, but she can make you laugh, or at least crack a smile through her tunes. Just check out her latest CD, a live set titled, “Live @ The Fat Cat” for a taste of what Sheryl Bailey is all about. And while you are at it, check out this story on Sheryl from the New England Bay Window where Sheryl discusses everything from her music to her career to her sexuality. A very interesting read indeed.
Actually, this is why I began Jazz Guitar Life in the first place! I wanted those who were interested in becoming Jazz Guitarists to know that yes, you could become a Jazz Guitar player if you were female or that yes, you could become a Jazz Guitarist if you were gay, and even if your parents wanted you to follow another profession you could still follow your dreams because there was a precedent before you and if they could do it, then so could you. I found this type of information lacking in the mainstream media and it is my hope that those who read the interviews on my site will find some answers to questions that are a little more life-important than what amp somebody uses or how heavy their strings are. I’ve still got a ways to go but hopefully I’ll get there. Thanks for reading and Sheryl, thanks for letting us know you a little more. Peace.
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