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.

John Stowell Jazz Guitar Mastery By John Stowell. For Guitar (All). Technic. Jazz. Level: Intermediate-Advanced. Book+DVD. 40 pages. Published by Mel Bay Publications, Inc. (20770DP) See more info…