Pedalboards? There are two right now…..

With the latest incarnation of the Power Trio Project my setup now makes use of two amplifiers as well as two pedalboards.

The two-amp setup is simple — one for clean sound and one for not-clean sound. I’m using two LAB L3s (60w, 1X12) with identical settings on both. While LAB amps do yield excellent overdriven sound just by diming the channel volume and turning down the master, I run both clean. Since I rely on delay for ambiance in the trio setting I prefer not to distort the delay (which hinders clarity, I think) so I distort first then delay afterward.

The pedalboard in the bottom of the photo is for the not-clean side of things. The first pedal is a Mooer ABY switcher that enables me to select either the clean or not-clean amp. With the overdrive side selected the signal goes to a tried-and-true Arion Tubulator, then to the Option 5 Destination Overdrive II, followed by the BBE Two Timer. The drive is set low on the Tubulator and the volume is boosted slightly. This enables me to use it standalone, for just a bit of breakup, or use it to push the ODII. This gives me three different textures of overdrive but lets me retain the tonal characteristics of my sound (which is the idea). The BBE pedal provides a nice warm delay which I prefer when using any sort of distortion.

The top board is for the clean (non-distorted) side of my sound. First is the EHX Key 9, followed by the Tech 21 RotoChoir, a Mooer Looper and the Option 5 Destination Delay X2. I only use with the Tri-Glorious Chorus setting which is a fantastic shimmering effect that works as a sustainer for single notes and chords. The RotoChoir is my take on chorus for now. I became sick of the chimey chorusing that seem to pervade pop, rock and even jazz guitar sound through the 80s and 90s. (Jazz guitarists – myself included – used a chorus pedal as a substitute for stepping on a fuzz for solos.) Having used an actual Leslie in my early days I wanted to get my modulation sound closer to that. I don’t attempt to emulate the actual Leslie sound (though the pedal does that well) and use it mostly to add texture to chords. I recently added the looper as a special effect and haven’t attempted to incorporate it programmed loops. The digital delay is one of the best I’ve used, with two separate delays in one that can be cascaded together. I prefer the digital sound for clean tones — in fact, the pedal does have flutter-sort of control that adds a slight bit of tape-like warble if you so desire.

Recently, I’ve been putting a Boss volume pedal first in front of the A/B switcher without attaching it to a board. I’ve been a die-hard volume pedal user for decades now as both an effect (volume swells) and for controlling the overall volume of the guitar.

I used this setup at the PTP’s February concert at Elkins Station:

The Power Trio Project Goes Live pt.2 (and I do audio & video myself)

The venue, Elkins Park Station, is essentially one large, acoustically superb room, under the direction of a local arts organization. I have performed here previously as a solo guitarist, with my all-guitar trio and with straight-ahead groups. Apparently I’ve earned a good reputation — they’re willing to allow me to book any project I propose. The setting is also great for recording both audio and video — I have simple video recordings from my solo and trio dates as well as audio recordings done by the arts organization. 

My son Matthew set up two stationary Kodak Zi8 cameras, stage left and right, on stands facing the trio. He didn’t have access to a handheld camera that day or we would have used three cameras. The audio was recorded with a TASCAM DR-40, with mics on the guitar amp and bass amp and the onboard mics directly in front of the drums, set A/B. We did record sound with the cameras, though it served only as a means to cue the audio track during post-production. 

We brought home two separate video recordings and a 4-track audio recording. While I have a fair amount of audio production experience the idea of putting together a professional-looking video was something I wasn’t completely certain I could handle, even calling upon my son’s experience. But thinking back to all of my self-motivated ventures (website building, promo writing, album cover design and execution, recording and production) I really wanted to give it a try — if I found myself completely confounded I would call in a professional and humble myself before them.

After trying freeware video editing/production applications previously, I decided on NCH Video Pad Video Editor which can be found here: (https://www.nchsoftware.com/videopad/index.html). It cost $40USD and worked well for my earlier single-camera productions. There was a learning curve to utilizing two video files, but I worked through most of the details in about a day. I made it a point to study other artists’ concert videos and note how many angles the cameras worked from, how the zooms and pans were done, etc. Late one night I just dove into the track Tightwalk and began experimenting with the various functions of the applications and the ideas I had for how the final video should look.

I’m not going to do a step-by-step account of the process — it involved a lot of trial-and-error and taking breaks when I felt overwhelmed. I did quite lot of A/B with professionally-priced band and concert videos. The great thing about the editor is you can edit, cut, trim, delete sections, etc. and your original video file remains intact. This allowed me to create multiple versions with different effects (zoom, pan, closeups, transitions).

My son (who does have some video experience) was able to synchronize both cameras to start and stop simultaneously during the concert — the files from both cameras were exactly the same size and began at exactly the same second. This was a benefit when it came to syncing the two files — they were always perfectly in sync. I won’t go into details here about the audio production (though I can in a future post). I am currently using Reaper as my DAW. Syncing the audio wasn’t difficult — the video application shows audio tracks as graphic waveforms so visually syncing the produced audio track waveform to the camera audio waveform wasn’t at all diffcult. No lags, no out-of-sync moments.

The video of Tin Tin Deo can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/Yefr5nyW7kc. As is always the case, with everything I produce I always see things that I could do differently each time I watch this.

I hope this has been informative and encouraging.

The Power Trio Project goes live!

Early in February I performed with the latest inception of the Matt Richards Trio — now known as the Power Trio Project — at Cheltenham Center for the Arts superb venue Elkins Station.

The Power Trio Project – from left, Tony Donato, Paul Albrecht and Matt Richards.

The venue is essentially one large acoustically fantastic room that is an essential part of the Elkins Park station of the local SEPTA train line. In case you’re wondering, the trains are electric and make virtually no noise as they arrive and depart or slingshot past. (There is some off again/on again hum that finds its way into the amps, but that seems to reside in the electrical supply.)

I’ve had the opportunity to perform here at least a half-dozen times, as a solo artist, with my String Theory all-jazz-guitar trio and with Howard Miller/Wayne Palmer jazz groups. The station hosts to a very broad range of performances here, from classical to folk to blues to jazz. It’s also hosted private and community-based events. It is most definitely a treasure for the arts in this area.

My familiarity with the venue, along with their willingness to feature me with a variety of projects, afforded me the opportunity to not only accomplish a memorable first performance with the trio newest lineup, but to enlist the assistance of my actor/son Matthew to record both audio and video of the date. I believe I’ve honed my abilities with audio recordings (after self-producing three of my releases as well as quite a few compositional and soundtrack works). However, previous attempts at producing video that looked and felt professionally-produced didn’t rise above attempts. My son has accomplished quite a few very good single-angle videos over the years, but the ‘standard video’ bar has been raised considerably higher now and videos must look/feel/sound ‘produced’.

Of course, I could have contacted one of several local video production companies to take on the task. Aside from the budget for this date being quite tight, I had some trepidation about working with new people for the first time with the hopes they’d accomplish what I had in mind. If the final product didn’t look/sound right…… So, with Matthew taking on the responsibility of all aspects of the video recording, it became a self-produced project.

Spoiler Alert! Here’s the finished video of one of the songs: Tin Tin Deo.

I’ll include details in my next post — coming soon!

I did make it to Summer NAMM…

… I just haven’t had the chance to write anything about the show. It wasn’t very eventful, especially when compared to the Winter NAMM that seems to grow every year. My last Summer NAMM in Nashville was 13 years ago — in that time the show’s changed (it’s smaller) and the city’s changed (it seems bigger with more hotels).

Aside from playing a lot at the Godin ‘booth’ and spending time with Mary and the crew at Breezy Ridge/John Pearse, I did meet up with Bill Comins finally (his shop is about 20 minutes from my home) and I became acquainted with the Alvarez Guitar contingent (who allowed me try a great deal of their very superb guitars, including a first-rate baritone acoustic-electric). I didn’t have a featured performance, however, which almost made me change my mind about going. However, the smaller size of the show made it possible for me to meet more individuals in far less time and try instruments and sound devices. I’m not sure if Summer NAMM will be a regular annual feature for me, but this trip was a worthwhile, slightly laid-back sojourn.

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  Philadelphia train station at 4:45am

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Music on the Road 12/13

I’m continuing with my (sort of) ongoing posts about the music I’ve been listening to during my many driving hours. As I’ve mentioned previously, I listen to actual CDs in the car. My own music tends to dominate my home-bound listening, primarily when I practice, compose, record or arrange.

Tricycles – Larry Coryell – this is a live-in-the-studio trio date with Mark Egan on bass guitar and Paul Wertico on drums. It’s one of Larry’s finest recordings, without a doubt. The band had been touring and pulled that energy and focus into the studio for this wonderful work. All three players are in top form and interact beautifully. I had the opportunity to witness this trio play live in Nashville before they headed out on tour and they practically took the ceiling off the room. The whole CD is superb – Dragon Gate, my favorite Coryell tune, is magnificent.

Wired – Jeff Beck – many years ago, when I got my very first transistor radio and stuck it up against my ear, I heard what I thought was an electric violin/fiddle in a rock band. That was Over Under Sideways Down with Jeff Beck playing way ahead of most of the guitar crowd at that time. He’s only gotten better and better, building a sound/approach that is entirely his own. This is an early release that followed his epic Blow By Blow — it has its shortcomings in terms of production. It’s more like a sampler of Jeff Beck, but it’s still a satisfying, if not enduring, listen.

The Absence – Melody Gardot – I am not an instant fan of vocal artists. I’ve had the opportunity to work with several outstanding vocalists, with whom I’ve created great music and learned a great deal about my approach to the music. Melody has all the qualities of a first-rate vocal artist. The tunes, arrangements and performances on this release are superb. Melody proves herself a consummate vocalist and composer here and most definitely belongs in a category that contains the title jazz, even if it’s hyphenated. I know she’s living in the UK now, having left our humble Philadelphia hometown, and ideally keeping listeners throughout the world enthralled.

Abracadabra – Soft Works – This is the continuing lineup that hearkens back to the seminal progressive jazz-infused music of Soft Machine. The original band is part of my early foundation in creative music and spawned the sub-genre of Canterbury music in the UK. This group was composed of original members Hugh Hopper and Elton Dean along with the later-generation members Allan Holdsworth and John Marshall. It’s a jazz-infused group, based on interactive improvisation, with musicians who are at the top of their artistic game, playing together magnificently. Without intending any slights to the other musicians, Holdsworth’s playing is absolutely stunning in its lyricism and focus. Working with these players obviously inspired him.

I’ve kept myself in check, avoiding paragraphs and pages of editorializing about this week’s listening pleasures. I’ll have more to come.

Thanks very much!

Music on the road 11/7/18

Here’s a quick rundown on the CD-based music that served as accompaniment for my behind-the-wheel time during the past week-and -a-half.

It seems I somehow defaulted to an all-acoustic playlist to begin the month.

Bach Concertos – Xuefeif Yang – if you follow me on FaceBook or other social networks where I show up you are probably aware that I am a champion (possibly fan) of this wonderful guitarist. (My thanks to Adrian Legg for the introduction.) She is undeniably one of the finest classical guitarists around, playing with not only technical skill and ability but with feeling and emotion. This particular recording is mostly a collaboration of guitar and string quartet. It is superbly performed and recorded. The arrangements are her own and offer an example of the possibilities of guitar as an integral component of a traditional string  ensemble. In addition, she performs two solo pieces on 7-string classical guitar that are truly sublime.

A Closer View – Ralph Towner & Gary Peacock – this is essentially part two of their collaboration when combined with their first recording Oracle. That in no way diminishes the music on this second chapter of Ralph & Gary.  Towner plays a classical guitar on most tracks and twelve-string on two (if I recall correctly) and the rapport these two players have is magnificent. Ralph does feature two solo performances (one of which is a stunning version of Toledo), both of which fit perfectly in the programming. It’s not the usual II/V/I turnaround jazz standards by any means — of course, with these two artists you wouldn’t expect that. Performances are enhanced by the stellar production that ECM is famed for. In a recent interview, Towner discussed his various collaborations and mentioned his duo with Gary Peacock to be one of his favorites. (After several listenings, I went through my iPhone address book searching through the bassists I have on file, with some fresh ideas about my duo. This happens every time I listen to this.)

Luzia – Paco de Lucia – Paco has been a favorite of mine since I had front row seats for the McLaughlin/DiMeola/Paco guitar trio (too many) years ago. I have several other albums by him and his usual collaborators. I must sadly report this is not his best work. In fact, I would advise against obtaining this release if you don’t have any of his others. It is unfocused, almost free-form Flamenco, and while the techniques and aspects of the genre are very much in evidence, the music itself doesn’t deliver anything that sticks with you other than his technique. Paco wanders through a variety of ideas on each track, but never seems to settle in and explore any one of  them. While Flamenco music is improvisational and very much based on the duende or spirit that drives it, this music never rises into a temperate heat. The recording quality also has a lot of ups and downs, with distinctly differing mastering and EQ that contrasts too much from track to track.

Three Guitars – Larry Coryell, Badi Assad, John Abercrombie – this is a great acoustic guitar trio project by two modern jazz musical innovators and a fantastically talented guitarist/vocalist. Each artist is in top musical form. While there are two (I believe) duets on the release, the bulk of the music is arranged for these three musicians and they all play magnificently. Their individual skills are apparent, but their ability to work as an ensemble to what really sets the music on this CD apart from other multi-guitar projects. My only criticism, and it is minor, is that I find the mastering to be somewhat ‘lite’ — the overall level is quieter with less presence than most acoustic recordings. It does provide an uncluttered mix, though I think some of the dynamics are lost. Of course, given the performances and music that’s not a reason to pass this by. If you’re expecting an  acoustic shred-fest, look elsewhere — in fact, Badi provides kalimba and amazing vocals/vocalise to a number of tracks, so virtuosity, while in abundance, is evident through  the quality of the performances.

Music on the Road – 10/21

As I’ve mentioned previously, I listen to music mostly during my driving hours (and I generally have quite a few of those every week). I’ve just brought these CDs in from the car (yes, physical CDs!) and I wanted to document my listening from the past week.

To The One – John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension – the first release from his (now) final and incredibly memorable band. John’s playing developed and matured over the years. Of course, his Mahavishnu Orchestra had a big impact on me as a youth. Along with my personal connection with  Larry Coryell, John’s fusion excursions flipped all sorts of switches in my adolescent brain. I continued to listen to John over the years, most especially with his guitar trios and his trio work with my compadre Joey DeFrancesco. I think this band is/was first-rate in every way. The tracks on here have some rough edges when compared to the later recordings and performances — but, for me, that adds to the appeal.

Wired – Jeff Beck – many years ago, when I got my very first transistor radio and stuck it up against my ear, I heard what I thought was an electric violin in a rock band. That was Over Under Sideways Down with Jeff Beck playing way ahead of most of the guitar crowd at that time. He’s only gotten better and better, building a sound/approach that is entirely his own. This is an early release that followed his epic Blow By Blow — it has its shortcomings in terms of production. It’s more like a sampler of Jeff Beck, but it’s still a satisfying, if not enduring, listen.

The Absence – Melody Gardot – I am not an instant fan of vocal artists. I’ve had the opportunity to work with several outstanding vocalists, with whom I’ve created great music and learned a great deal about my approach to the music. Melody has all the qualities of a first-rate vocal artist. The tunes, arrangements and performances on this release are superb. Melody proves herself a consummate vocalist and composer here and most definitely belongs in a category that contains the title jazz, even if it’s hyphenated. I know she’s living in the UK now, having left our humble Philadelphia hometown, and ideally keeping listeners throughout the world enthralled.

Abracadabra – Soft Works – This is the continuing lineup that hearkens back to the seminal progressive jazz-infused music of Soft Machine. The original band is part of my early foundation in creative music and spawned the sub-genre of Canterbury music in the UK. This group was composed of original members Hugh Hopper and Elton Dean along with the later-generation members Allan Holdsworth and John Marshall. It’s a jazz-infused group, based on interactive improvisation, with musicians who are at the top of their artistic game. Without intending any slights to the other musicians, Holdsworth’s playing is absolutely stunning in every way.

I’ve kept myself in check, avoiding paragraphs and pages of editorializing about this week’s listening pleasures. I’ll have more to come.

Thanks very much!

“But you’re using a classical guitar!”

This is an actual quote that was said to me following a set I played some months ago. I just played the opening set at the Sellersville Theater and went to the merch table to, hopefully, sell some merchandise (CDs, download cards, etc.). A listener who had heard my performance for the first time (as did most of the audience) came up to me, grinning and looking rather energized, hopefully as a result of my solo set.

Matt preforms solo – 12/7/14

He extends his hand and introduces himself, then shakes my hand vigorously, still grinning. He proceeds to tell me “Your playing totally knocked me out — it was great.” He tells me how much he enjoyed my arrangement of the Lennon & McCartney song All My Loving and mentions several other musical moments in my set that he thought were impressive. He’s not unique, by any means. The majority of my listeners tend to play guitar, most non-professionally, and are always picking off details of my technique, asking questions and requesting advice. (They usually buy CDs, as well.)

Of course, I answer his questions and express my appreciation. Then my newly-found fan says “But you’re using a classical guitar.” Our spirited exchange comes to an abrupt halt — he almost seems disappointed after saying this, as if my using a classical-style instrument is some sort of caveat regarding the music. Is it easier than playing a steel-string guitar? Is what I played using this guitar somehow less valuable in terms of the music? Is there some sort of bias the average guitar fan/player has against a classical guitar if they play steel strings?

From my perspective there is no difference. In fact, as I tell this fellow, I learned my fingerstyle technique on a steel-string acoustic guitar, my late-1980s Lowden. I also toured and performed for several years with a Wechter Pathmaker and/or a Seagull Mini-jumbo, both of which were steel-string guitars. I only began using a classical-style instrument as a result of an endorsement while I was recording my first release, In This Single Moment, in 1999. At that time, it was not a primary instrument, but a guitar I utilized for a different tonal color. In fact, I played it with a pick for a great deal of the music on that album. The guitar, by the short-lived company Fina, was part of a two-guitar deal, which included a steel-string acoustic (which was the guitar I initially asked for). I began using the classical instrument from time to time on solo gigs and did enjoy playing it. Quite honestly, at that time I would usually just grab a guitar case on the way out the door to a gig and play whatever I took.

The Godin LaPatrie that I’ve been using for over seven years was actually an interim instrument. I was working in a guitar/flute duo with Katherine Barbato at that time and I wasn’t feeling comfortable with the sound of my Lowden with her flute. I decided to get a Godin Multiac (one of their fantastic, solid-body-like acoustic-electric guitars) with nylon strings to facilitate a better blend in our sound. However, when I contacted my rep at Godin he informed me the bulk of the Multiacs had been shipped to Europe and I’d have a two-week wait before more were built. As I had less than one week to get the guitar and get used to it he suggested the LaPatrie as a temporary guitar — he promised to notify me when the Multiacs were back in stock. That was about 7 1/2 years ago — he did call about two weeks later. I told him I was pleased with the LaPatrie and that I’d hold off for the time being.

Matt performs solo for the Summer Salon outdoor series at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington DE on 7/25/12.

Well, time has passed and the LaPatrie is now my go-to guitar for solo work — not because of its classical identity. It’s a great guitar that has never come up short. I’ve adapted to the classical setup easily and feel the guitar serves my needs in a solo context. Unlike some other solo guitarists, I don’t utilize altered tunings during a set (or at all, for that matter). so the re-tuning is never an issue. Interestingly, Peppino D’Agostino, Phil Keaggy and Larry Coryell, all of whom I either opened for or performed with, saw no difference in my not using steel strings.

Nevertheless, getting back to that listener and others who find it amazing that I play a classical-style guitar — I explain my preference for this guitar, its playability and its sound and hope I make my point that it’s the music that is most important. Of course, some listeners get it, some don’t.

It’s quite possible that a few months from now I’ll be playing another guitar on my dates and it may, quite possibly, not be a classical-style instrument. If it plays well and sounds great it will work for me. As long as I can make good music.

It’s been a while….

… since I last posted anything. I offer my apologies to those who have been following my posts.

My focus has been spread a bit thin, not just with my musical pursuits, but with family-related matters that include selling my mother’s house (which my sister and I inherited). As my family and I have been living in the house, we’re also considering new living environments, calling and visiting and driving around. It’s practically a second/ third job…

Since my last post I released Balance, my sometimes overwhelming solo recording project that often seemed just beyond completion.

While I have mentioned this in interviews and promotions, I offer appreciation to my friend and musical mentor Larry Coryell for his on-going encouragement to see this recording through to completion. He did hear some of the finished tracks, but passed away before I could actually release the album and give him a copy. I did replace one of the tracks with my tribute, A Blues For Larry, recorded just a few days after his death.

The album was supposed to be an easy project for me. On my first two releases, I had a tendency to over-work the music, especially once I discovered the then-newly-developed digital editing and processing. I spent entirely too much time on those albums, tweaking individual notes in some cases and re-mixing and re-mastering everything more than once. Larry actually shared his wisdom when he inquired how many takes I used for a specific track. I happily explained how I assembled four different takes into a single finished track. His reply? “You should trust the first or second take — I think one of those was probably perfect.” My next two releases, One In Mind and Trio, each included only one solo track each — while it was a challenge, I did follow Larry’s advice and didn’t cut & paste the life out of either piece. My ‘retrospective’ As You Are was comprised of solo guitar selections that had been recorded for my earlier albums — some were on the CD releases, some were unreleased. Again, I kept Larry’s advice in mind….

            

 

 

 

After my ‘retrospective’, I wanted to produce a completely new recording that reflected what I was doing as a solo player now. Since my last official studio project I had played mostly solo dates and felt that I had developed my musical approach beyond the newer tracks on As You Are. Based on the soundtrack recordings I was producing, I was confident I could produce a first-rate recording without heading into the studio. I certainly figured it would be an advantage to have less pressure to record as I didn’t need to watch the clock. Of course, the financial advantage of not needing to pay for time was also an incentive. Larry agreed.

As is usually the case, creating value requires overcoming obstacles (or, as Wayne Shorter mentions, ‘encountering opportunities’).

I’ll continue with more details next time.

Matt

Remembering Larry Coryell (pt.1)

I vividly recall my weekly trips to the Franklin Music store while in high school and my obsessive journey through practically every LP bin in the store. I wasn’t necessarily an open-minded teen, looking for new and exciting music forms (though, in retrospect, it seems I was). Still under the influence of popular music (which, at that time, mixed rock, Motown, folk, country and full-fledged pop musics into one perpetual playlist) I used the covers of the LPs to educate myself. I knew about rock and folk music, of course, but learned of country artists, jazz artists, classical orchestras and composers, Broadway shows, all from studying those LP covers.

By this time I was also into the guitar – any guitar, any style, any level of playing. I was most immediately drawn to cover shots with guitars pictured, my teen-aged imagination just piqued by the music that was lurking on that vinyl disc. I wasn’t much of a guitarist at that time – with literally no guitar instruction available other than a folk-singing father of a younger friend, I was fumbling along on my own, snatching bits of ideas from TV variety shows, where popular groups would lip-sync their latest hit. So, it was with this fascination-driven mentality that I encountered Larry Coryell’s Offering album.

I’m not sure I can express exactly what drew me to that record – the cover is quite artistic, of course, but there was something about this guy holding this immense guitar that hinted at new music, an unique experience. He didn’t have the physical demeanor of Barney Kessell or Herb Ellis, wasn’t sporting the suit-and-tie look still associated with a preconception of jazz. He had bushy hair, giant glasses and a fantastic guitar. The back cover was even more convincing – the quintet didn’t look that different from guys I was hanging around with at school, albeit a bit older. I could imagine sitting there with them just looking cool.

The list price for Vanguard LPs was $3.49 that week, which was beyond my high school budget (circa 1969). But I persevered – upon each return visit to the store I checked the sale banners – various labels had weekly specials when the price would drop by $1. Each week I checked that the record was still in the bin. Three weeks passed – my patience was rewarded when that banner touted all Vanguard LPs for $2.49! I wasted no time in dashing to that bin, grabbing the record, pulling those three $1 bills out of my wallet and buying Offering.

My parents were very tolerant with my musical obsessions. In the era before earbuds and headphones, they had to be tolerant with my often redundant listening habits. This time it went even further. Upon returning home, I rushed to the venerable Fisher stereo system, placed the LP onto the turntable and was astonished by what I heard. The very first track, Foreplay, was unlike any music I ever heard. I played the track six times, all the while running around the dining room, calling out superlatives and exclamatories. When I finally calmed down my mother walks into the room and asks “Is the whole record just that one song, over and over?” I, of course, replied with more superlatives and impassioned exclamations.

I literally had to not listen to the remainder of the record until the next day and the artistic knock-out punches continued. This was group of musicians creating something exciting on many levels, opening new doors into musical expression. For me, it was truly a turning point –  I had a new take on music and new determination to play music like this. The music of the rock and pop idols had nothing close to this – I had to learn to play like this.

Back in the LP days, to learn a song/solo/guitar part you played the vinyl LP over and over again, cuing the needle to the spot as many times as needed. I’m sure those repetitions clocked into three figures as I attempted to figure Larry’s solos out by ear. I had no idea where to begin. After wearing out the first copy of Offering and procuring a second, I realized it was time to find a teacher – this was jazz, after all, and I was in totally uncharted territory (for me). I asked friends who had taken lessons if their teacher was accepting new students. He wasn’t – but he supplied two names: Pat Martino and Tom Giacabetti. As it turned out, Pat was out on tour for several weeks, Tom wasn’t. I studied with Tom for five years and still employ his lessons today.

I also met Larry Coryell some months later…..

More to come