Hey all. Here’s a new review of Jazz Guitarist Russell Malone playing a rare Solo Guitar gig at the 2009 ediiton of the Montreal International Jazz Festival. Russell Malone is one of  the leading figures in Jazz Guitar today and seeing him perfrom a solo gig is not an everyday occurrence. Suffice it to say, he pulled it off with great ease and it was a wonderful show. Click here to read the review and feel free to come back here to post a comment. Take care and have a great day.

Hey all. just a quick post to say that I added a gig review for local Montreal Jazz Guitarist Greg Clayton over on Jazz Guitar Life. Click here to check it out and feel free to come back and leave a comment. Hope your taking in the last bit of Summer before the September routine strikes again. I start teaching again in about a week and whie I am looking forward to it, I’m not looking forward to it…:) You know what I mean. Take care and keep on pickin’…:)

Wondering who Clay Conner is? Well…he’s a young, up and coming Guitar builder who just happens to create some beautifully crafted Guitars (Conner Guitars). I recently met with Clay during the 2009 ediiton of the Montreal Guitar Show and you can click here to read more about our meeting and to see some of his work. Jazz Guitar Life will also be doing an interview with Clay soon and I will keep you all posted when that occurs. But for now, check this out. Later all.

Jazz Guitar Life mourns the passing of a truly great innovator, inventor and Guitarist who had single handedly changed the course of recorded music and instrumental acumen. The Les Paul sound, along with the man himself, has become synonymous with great tone, attitude, personality and “balls”, and will forever grace the musical landscape of our youth and beyond. There was nothing more potent, when I was growing as a young Guitarist, than a Gibson Les Paul coupled with a Marshall half stack. This was the “sound” heard around the World that still continues to this day…and don’t get me started on how much we owe Les Paul for his recording techniques and inventions, making the world of recorded music a much happier place…:)

I had the great fortune to see Les Paul play at his weekly Monday night gig at the Iridium in New York City about 5 years ago and let me tell ya, he lived up to the image I had of him for so many years. While his playing was a tad subdued, due to some minor surgery involving his right hand, that didn’t slow him down any as he played with fire and passion and his stage antics had the packed room in stitches. It’s a show I will remember for the rest of my life. After all, how often is it that you get to see a living legend, in the truest sense of the word, up close and personal?

Les, you will be missed and your legacy will keep your memory alive for a very long, long time.

I’ve added a couple of photos I took of that evening and below is an official press release concerning Les Paul’s passing. My thoughts and condolences go out to his family, friends and fans. RIP Les.

Les Paul. Even with an injured hand, Les Paul played amazing.

Les Paul playing alongside Bassist Nicki Parrott and Guitarist Lou Pallo. Also, on Les’ far right was the great Frank Vignola. That evening, Les had three surprise guests join him on stage. The first was a Classical Guitarist who I unfortunately, cannot remember her name. It might have been Muriel Anderson but I’m not sure. Pianist Monty Alexander joined him as did Blues Guitarist Mick Taylor. It was indeed a great show. Continue Reading »

Hey all. Just a quick post to say that there is a gig review of Jazz Guitarist Stephen Johnston here. It was a great show and if you get a chance to see Stephen be prepared for some great playing…:) Have a great weekend everyone.

For the 3rd edition of The Montreal Guitar Show (MGS), organizers felt it important to create a Tribute Award that would spotlight a handful of the most outstanding guitarists. To launch this fledgling Guitar Hall of Fame, what could have been more natural than to choose one of the greatest ambassadors of this beloved instrument: Jeff Beck. The prize will be presented to him by Jacques-André Dupont, founder and general manager of the SGM. Continue Reading »

Hey all. I hope your Summer is in full swing. Just a quick note to say that I recently attended a show by The Michael Gauthier Trio in Montreal. Michael is one of the reigning Jazz Guitarists in the city as well as a top-notch educator. Click here if you would like to check out the review. And if you ever get a chance to see Michael perform, drop me a line and let me know what you thought. Later all.

Well, I’ve finally done it. I’ve boarded the last seat on the proverbial bandwagon and joined Twitter. Twitter is a social media tool that allows “followers” to see what’s on your mind in a 160 characters or less. Kind of like the Facebook status line with nothing else to distract. If you would like to follow Jazz Guitar Life on Twitter, and subsequently, have JGL follow you click here. Looking forward to seeing some of you on Twitter. Later all…

Jazz Guitar Life has been busy working on the latest round of updates which should hit your computer screen in the next week and a half. And while that is exciting news, I’m also quite excited for the Montreal International Jazz Festival’s Montreal Guitar Show. I know I’ve blogged about this before but there are now more announcements of what is to be expected and who’s participating. I really think that the Festival and the Guitar Show have really outdone themselves this year. According a recent press release from the Festival there are over 100 well known Guitarists involved in either the Montreal Guitar Show portion or the actual Festival itself: Here’s a list Continue Reading »

Hey all. I recently received an email from Rosenwinkel’s “peeps” about a new Trio album in the works, so I thought I’d share…:) I look forward to hearing how Kurt handles a trio setting with a standard repertoire. I have no doubt it’s going to be a killer album. I’ll keep you all posted as things develop.

Kurt Rosenwinkel is about to go into the studio again to make a new album - his 8th as a leader. Continue Reading »