Six Strings of Genius

Thought I'd do something a little different, as lately I've had some folks ask me and even suggest to me to highlight some of my favorite purveyors of the art of guitar, an instrument I've played since age 12 myself. Of course, there's the obvious favorites of Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton who we know tons about, so I decided to go the somewhat less travelled route in some cases.

So here it is, a compendium of some of my favorite axe-slingers from a variety of musical persuasions, click on each person's name for a more detailed article

Dick Dale: The undisputed King of Surf Guitar. Since the late 1950's Dick Dale has set the standard of a style we all know as surf music, defined by fiery intense rhythms and the reverb-drenched twang of a Fender Stratocaster that conjures up mental pictures of daredevil surfers catching that perfect wave at locales like The Wedge in Newport Beach CA. To this very day, Dick is still touring and bringing the unique strains of surf music to new audiences all the time. There are many imitators, but only one Dick Dale!

Duane Allman: A master who died way too young. With a gift for improvisation, an amazing mastery of slide playing and a deep knowledge of the blues in its many forms, Duane blew people away with his singing, soaring playing. He had a storied career that ran from psychedelia (Hour Glass, Allman Joys) to session work (with MANY soul music legends of the 60's) and most famously, the Allman Bros. Band formed with his brother Gregg (who started on guitar, but switched to keyboards). Duane had carved out a unique niche for himself with soulful melodic playing, advancing the art of slide playing to where it had never been before (inspired by Taj Mahal and Ellmore James) and taking the listener on inspired flights of fancy while grounded in the blues. Sadly, on October 29, 1971, Duane met a horrible end in a motorcycle crash in Macon GA, the band's adopted home base. He's not with us anymore, but his special brand of musicality is kept very much alive to this day.

Jimmy Bryant and Speedy West: The dynamic duo of what I would call Instrumental Country. Jimmy Bryant wielding a Fender Telecaster playing with an ungodly hybrid of country picking and jazz sophistication, and Speedy West, a virtuoso who could do things on a pedal steel guitar that sounded absolutely IMPOSSIBLE! Individually they were stellar players in their own right, but together they were DEVASTATING! Witness this film clip of them in action.

Chet Atkins: Chet was credited (or blamed, depending on who you ask) with creating the "Countrypolitan" or "Nashville Sound", bringing the raw authenticity of country, the sophistication of jazz and more adult pop music together . But no matter what side of that argument you land on, there was no denying that Chet was VERY accomplished as a musician as his numerous recordings will bear out. By the time he was signed by RCA in the fifties, not only was his playing of such high caliber, but he honed his skills as a producer and solo artist in his own home studio (which was quite a luxury back then). Versatile as could be (even doing a highly acclaimed album with Dire Straits axemeister Mark Knopfler), Chet really stood above the rest in his own way. When he passed in 2001, we truly lost a gem.

Wes Montgomery: By the late 1950's or so, the guitar in jazz had finally stepped out front after formerly being relegated to a strictly rhythm instrument. People like Jimmy Raney, Tal Farlow and George Van Eps for example really took the jazz guitar into new frontiers, but there was NOBODY like Wes Montgomery. Wes developed a singularly unique style partially out of necessity, utilizing his thumb to pluck the strings (his landlady used to complain he played too loud when he used his amp). Soon, he was able to not only spin forth beautiful and challenging melodic lines but extended that to his trademark octave passages and piano-like block chords. From the late 50's onward he was a solo artist in his own right (previously having played with people like Lionel Hampton, Freddie Hubbard etc). Along the way, he made a couple albums with organist Jimmy Smith that are classics, swinging, bluesy and just great fun! From the mid-60's onward, Wes changed direction to a more "commercial" form of jazz, more orchestrated but still featuring his unique playing style. Sadly, he passed away in 1968 from cancer, not even having begun to reach his peak as a musician.

John Abercrombie: Coming to prominence in the early 70's, Berklee educated Abercrombie made a name for himself in the nascent jazz-fusion movement and was just as much at ease playing through a jazz standard. He was and still is a true musical chameleon yet retaining some very core attributes that make him unique. Whether tearing it up with the likes of drummer Billy Cobham, waxing poetic with acoustic guitar virtuoso Ralph Towner or making his mark on post-bop jazz, Abercrombie NEVER failed to amaze me. Having long-resided onthe ECM label, he has been nothing short of prolific and incredibly varied, some of my favorite outings of his include his debut, "Timeless", the "Gateway" collaborative album with Jack DeJohnette on drums and Dave Holland on bass, and a pair of beautiful albums with Ralph Towner, "Sargasso Sea" and "Five Years Later"

Ralph Towner: Ralph Towner for me has done for acoustic guitar what others have done for electric, namely stretch its boundaries and show new possibilities. Originally a pianist (he still plays beautifully in a Bill Evans informed style BTW), Ralph decided to study classical guitar for a year in Vienna. After having to borrow money to fly back to the US, he set about following his own muse, armed with just classical and 12-string acoustics. Drawing on seemingly equal amounts of post-bop jazz, folk, 20th century classical music and other things I can't readily identify, Ralph Towner can hold you spellbound with his playing AND writing (he also plays some occasional French Horn and flugelhorn when the mood strikes him). Another long-time resident on the ECM label, he has created music that is simultaneously beautiful, haunting, jarring, contemplative and NEVER dull. He's also reknowned for his continuiing stint with the acoustic group Oregon and collaborations with the likes of John Abercrombie, bassist Gary Peacock and more.

John McLaughlin: A man who really needs no introduction. Originally born in Scotland, John grew up with the sounds of blues, flamenco, classical and jazz in his home. Picking up the guitar at a young age, he took to blues at first, then jazz and was fascinated by flamenco music as well. Eventually moving to London, he made quite a splash in the late 60's, gigging with people like Brian Auger, doing session work and teaching.In 1969, he was heard on tape by Miles Davis and before long was recording with him on "In A Silent Way", "Bitches Brew" and others. Along the way, John recorded a brilliant album called "Extrapolation" with his own original music and capable players like Brian Odges, Tony Oxley and John Surman. In 1969, drummer Tony Williams persuaded him to join his groundbreaking Lifetime band with organist Larry Young in the fold, the result was groundbreaking, VERY foreboding and psychedelic and not for the faint of heart. After that version of Lifetime dissolved, John took the next leap (while studying an Indian instrument called the Vina) forming the Mahavishnu Orchestra, fiery pacesetters and innovators in the up and coming jazz-rock fusion movement of that time. Marked by rapid ensemble passages, adventurous harmonies and free-flying improvisations, they were the example to follow. John continued to change course in a myraid of ways with several other incarnations of Mahavishnu, his acoustic Shakti group, the One Truth Band, and so many other groupings of brilliant musicians. Despite a few missteps, John's artistic integrity has been nothing short of stellar and his creativity unceasing.

John Scofield: A rare individual loved by both jazz fans and jam-band enthusiasts alike. 'Sco came up playing mainly angular post-bop jazz with a strong grounding in the blues and over time, developed a singularly unique voice of his own whether as a sideman (Cobham/Duke Band, Miles Davis) or as a bandleader in his own right. In more recent years, 'Sco has been exploring a mutant form of funk/soul-jazz with collaborators like Medeski, Martin and Wood among others. Like John McLaughlin, 'Sco is so versatile and very happy with exploring different avenues of jazz , from the funk-laden ("Scofield A Go Go", "Blue Matter") to beautifully orchestrated ("Quiet") to angular post-bop ("Time On My Hands") to tear the roof off the joint exuberance ("Uberjam") and even a mutant jazz/funk/electronica experiment ("Bump"). I'll put it this way, I never met a 'Sco album I didn't like.

Allan Holdsworth: Every so often , somone comes along and completely revolutionizes how an instrument is played, and Allan Holdsworth is one of those people. Originally wanting to play sax, he was givien a guitar in his teens, and set to work developing a unique musical vision, and the end result is what's known today as the "legato" style of playing, that is, platying the notes in such a manner that no pick attack is heard and the notes flow together as if being played on a horn. By the mid 70's, Allan found himself very much in demand as a soloist by people as diverse as Tony Williams, Jean Luc Ponty, Bill Bruford, Soft Machine, Gong and others. by the early 80's, disillusioned with Britain's disinterest in creative music that wasn't punk or trendy, he relocated to the US and found a very welcoming fanbase. Since then, he has continued to advance and create in ways that defy most mortal humans. Allan's most important formative influence was John Coltrane, along with classical composers like Debussy and Aaron Copland (Allan's unusual chordal voicings and such definitely bear this out). A true original if ever there was.

Scott Henderson: Hailing from the southeastern US, Scott travelled a unique course that ranged from top-40 bands to hardcore funk to heavy rock early on, and then the jazz bug bit him. Moving to LA in the early 80's, Scott attended Muscian's Institute and before long landed a teaching gig there. He also found himself getting calls for his blazing 6-string atristry, which at first bore some similarity to Allan Holdsworth, but before long, Scott found his own unique sound and style. He played with bassist Jeff Berlin, violinist Jean Luc Ponty, Chick Corea's Elektric Band and the Zawinul Syndicate while simultaneously playing with his own band Tribal Tech. Tribal Tech evolved from having the music HEAVILY written out to becoming far more open-ended. And as if that wasn't enough, Scott also did some gigsa nd recordings with his mutant take on the blues, all of which is great fun and musically very meaty! Scott has aknack for coming with quirky and unique melody lines, beautifully crafted emotionally charged solo lines and VERY interesting compositions.

Bill Connors: Another musical chameleon, Bill Connors came to prominence in the early 70's playing with Chick Corea's Return to Forever when it went full-tilt electric on "Hymn of The Seventh Galaxy". What came out of those grooves was pretty amazing and especially the young Connors with his thick, slicing legato tone and lines that found a meeting ground somewhere between Coltrane and Cream-period Eric Clapton. Leaving RTF, he continued to do session work and before long traded in his Les Paul and Marshall setup for steel and nylon string acoustic guitars, doing a series of brilliant albums on the ECM label (Of Mist and Melting, Theme to The Guardian, Swimming With A Hole In My Body). by 1980 or so, Bill was asked by saxophonist Jan Garbarek to play with him, on electric. Bill reluctantly picked it back up at first but soon found himself playing it with renewed vigor and a new approach derived from his acoustic period. In the 80's, Bill put out three albums in an electric vein that were strikingly similar to what Allan Holdsworth was doing at the time (to the puzzlement of many, including Holdsworth imself, who always loved Bill's playing) albeit with more of a bluesy funk slant. BY the end of the 80's Bill stopped recording altogether, rather disillusioned with the music biz in general, and made his living as a teacher. In 2005, Bill was feeling the urge to again play and record, so at the urging of longtime fan, rock guitarist Pat Thrall, Bill returned to playing and recording again, this time with a radically different sound, approach and attitude. Nowadays, Bill is playing a more angular post-bop jazz thing (somewhat reminiscent of Pat Martino), to thankful audiences the world over and with Pat Thrall behind the desk, recorded "Return". Very good stuff and it's great to see Bill out there again.

Steve Khan: Coming up as a veteran of the studio circuit in the 70's (his list of credits must be several miles long), Steve Khan was just about everywhere at one point in time or another. By 1980 or so, Steve underwent a time of some disillusionment and then re-evaluation of his musical direction. Despite that, Steve put out a beautiful solo disc called "Evidence" with just himself tackling a number of very deep and beautiful jazz compositions (his reworking of Wayne Shorter's "Infant Eyes" has to be heard to be believed). In 1981 or so, Steve started to find himself and put together a remarkable band called "Eyewitness" with uber-genius bassist Anthony Jackson, drummer Steve Jordan and percussionist Manalo Badrena (formerly of Weather Report). This foursome spun forth music that was open, airy yet intense, harmonically deep, unpredictable and just great fun to listen to. Steve played with a distinct clean tone that was big as all outdoors (recommended are Eyewitness, Modern Times, Casa Loco and Public Access) Although not doing as much studio session work as in the past, Steve still found himself very much in demand by many, even touring with Joe Zawinul in a transitional band between Weather Report and The Zawinul Syndicate called Weather Update. Steve's playing is an embodiment of well thought out note choices, harmonic freedom and melody like no one else. To me, he's VERY underrated in the guitar world, check this man out!

Wayne Johnson: Deserving of wider recognition, Wayne Johnson, when not playing with the Manhattan Transfer, John Tesh or doing occasional studio work or teaching, spins forth a very unique sound and style of his own, ranging from fairly written out pieces to things that SOUND written out yet are completely improvised on the spot. His sound is somewhat like Pat Metheney's but only brighter and more shimmery. His writing style, totally his own, drawing on equal parts jazz, rock and country (he played bluegrass banjo growing up). When I lived in So Cal, I used to go watch Wayne weave his unique artistry at a little club in Venice called The Comeback Inn with a trio of drummer Bill Berg and veteran studio/tour bassist Jimmy "Flim" Johnson. The 3 originally met in Minneapolis/St Paul but relocated west. More times than not, my jaw would be scraping the ground at what took place between these 3 musicians.

Robert Fripp: Another true original that will NEVER be duplicated. Often called The Mr Spock of Rock, Fripp armed with a genius level IQ, and a musical pallette that ranged from Stravinsky, Bartok, Jazz, Hendrix and Balinese Gamelon Music for instance made his mark by first forming a quirky and inventive trio, Giles Giles and Fripp. Doing something that was almost like The Beatles meets Monty Python with a virtuoso guitarist, it paved the way for King Crimson to tread far more serious territory (Fripp once wondered out loud what if Hendrix played Bartok). With their 1969 debut album "In The Court of The Crimson King", KC blew people's minds with a mix of classical-inspired orchestrations, frantic energy, fantasy lyrics, odd time-signatures, crazed improvisation and Fripp's unique evolving guitar style (characterized by soaring sustained lines, insanely difficult cross-picking and beautiful warm jazz chords among many attributes). KC changed and evolved constantly over the years but Fripp remained constant in his vision, along with taking part in a number of production and collaborative projects. Some may be put off by his seemingly pompous intellect and dry wit but the man is a genius no two ways about it.

Steve Hackett: Coming to prominence with Genesis in the early 70's, Steve Hackett developed a very unorthodox approach to guitar in a rock context. He saw his role as more melodic and textural than that of an ego-crazed guitar hero. Some of his stock in trade included unusual textures employing effects pedals, two-handed tapping that predated Van Halen by several years and a mastery of nylon-string classical guitar as well. Not only that, Steve was quite a songwriter, such that his frustration with Genesis under-utilizing his writing contributions became too much to bear, so that by October of 1977 he handed in his resignation to concentrate exclusively on a solo career. His first solo outing "Voyage Of The Acolyte", made while he was still in Genesis is still one of my favorites, along with 1979's "Spectral Mornings". Steve's writing could run the gamut from beautiful and pastel-like to utterly dark and horrifying with a bit of black comedy thrown in occasionally. After the 70's, Hackett experimented with a number of musical styles, even going through a pop phase with "Cured" and "Highly Strung". He even experimented with Brazilian drumming on "'Til We Have Faces". Not all his experiments were successes, for instance, the ill-conceived supergroup GTR in 1986 with Yes guitarist Steve Howe, which turned out to be nothing more than bland, generic corporate pop in the mold of Asia at best. After GTR, Steve did get back on track and continued to produce interesting and diverse albums.

Peter Banks: The former Yes guitarist (he played on Yes, and Time and A Word) had a VERY unique sound and approach to music, somehow having a sound that composed equal parts Pete Townsend sonic anarchy and Barney Kessell bop lines and dense jazz chords. Pete's stint with Yes was tension-filled towards the end and led to his dismissal. Undaunted, he did sessions, played with Blodwin Pig (a Jethro Tull offshoot) for a short time before forming his own band Flash. Flash contained certain elements of Yes but with far more teeth and roughness around the edges, not to mention far more guitar at the center. Flash did 3 albums before disbanding in 1974 or so. Pete did his first solo outing ("Two Sides of Peter Banks") and then forming a sequel to Flash called Empire (where me met fell in love with, married and divorced his first wife, singer Sidney Fox) Aside from occasional session work, Pete kept a pretty low profile but in the 90's started issuing recordings under his own name. Along the way, he married a Peruvian woman he had met over the 'net and nowadays, is playing with an improv-based band called Harmony In Diversity.

Stevie Ray Vaughan: Playing blues as ferocious as a Texas twister was this man's specialty. Stevie made me think of what might happen if Jimi Hendrix grew up in Texas. Their tones were similar yet their approaches totally diferent. Stevie was also blessed with a gritty and perfect blues singing voice, this man really connected emotionally through his playing and writing. He also cut a distinct figure onstage with his trademark hat and beat up old Fender Stratocaster. With his band Double Trouble (drummer Chris Layton, bassist Tommy Shannon and later keyboardist Reese Wynans, who ALMOST joined the Allman Bros. when they first formed), Stevie ripped into and cried the blues like nobody before or since. And he wasn't limite to the old I. IV,V progression, he had some SERIOUS musicianship going on (check out "Riviera Paradise" for example). Sadly, his life was cut short by a helicopter crash enroute to Chicago in 1990 on his way to a gig.

Albert King: Armed with the rather audacious Gibson Flying V played left handed, a gruff voice, biting wit and a uniquely biting sound and economical choices of notes, Albert was truly one of the greats of electric blues, spinning off such classics as "Born Under A Bad Sign, "Personal Manager" and "Laundromat Blues".

Freddie King: Probably best remembered for his blazing blues instrumental "Hideaway" (a song that ANY serious blues guitarist worth their salt should know how to play). Freddie had a thick vocal tone to his Les Paul and just played with so much feeling and grit. Folks like Eric Clapton cite him as a MAJOR influence (and they became buddies while touring together).

Frank Marino: Canadian Frank Marino is quite unique in the realm of heirs to the Hendrix throne, namely, he was influenced by Jimi yet sounds NOTHING like him. Frank came into the realm of music through a rather unfortunate set of circumstances, namely taking LSD to the point it landed him in a hospital for a stretch. He began learning guitar as a form of therapy, completely countering a now famous urban-legend that he was visited by the spirit of Jimi Hendrix (a concocted by the press story that Frank is VERY quick to repudiate). By the time he fully recovered, at age 16 he put together the first of many incarnations of his band Mahogany Rush and recorded their first album. Each album showed Frank's growth as a musician rather dramatically, at times somewhat reminiscent of Hendrix yet taking the influence somewhere else altogether. Gifted with a quick improvisational acumen in his idiom and a LOVE of melody, Frank would never cease to amaze you. Check out this live performance of a song called "Poppy" to see what I mean. Personal fave album, has to be Mahognay Rush 4. To this day, Frank still tours and records to a loyal fanbase. Besides that, Frank gets awarded 1000 extra bonus cool points from this Owl for playing my favorite guitar, the Gibson SG!