Plus, as a special feature, the entire Bay Street Bounce Mp3 (6 megs) is freely available for download directly from About.com! (copyright rant1997 - all rights reserved) |
Interview - In the Beginning...
Hi Reg. Local legend has it that you've been involved in music ever since you could walk. When did you start playing guitar?
I started playing guitar when I was about twelve years old. I had been figuring out tunes on the ukelele and the guitar looked like a step up. I played mostly blues and folk tunes till I ran into a teacher who showed me the tools I'd need to play jazz.
So, you were drawn to music before you started playing guitar. Was this something encouraged by your parents? Was there a lot of music being played around the house?
Yes, my parents are enthusiastic and educated fans of many types of music, especially jazz and classical. They claim I was conceived to a Wes Montgomery record.
Do you remember what your first guitar was?
It was some old no-name acoustic with an impossibly high action. When I started taking lessons my parents bought me an Ibanez acoustic and later a Univox copy of a 335. In 1978, after I'd been teaching for a while I bought the ES-175 I play now.
I really love the very individual sound you get from your ES-175. What sort of amp do you generally run it through?
For most live gigs I use a Roland Cube-40. It's a pretty fair compromise between sound and portability. For recording I have a Pearce that I usually use.
Do you remember who the first guitarist you really admired was?
I wanted to be Joe Pass. I had all the new albums by Herb Ellis and Joe Pass on Concord and Pablo and I wore them out.
Were you transcribing their solos?
I didn't really transcribe much of the Ellis/Pass stuff. I was just listening a lot and playing along a bit. I was transcribing more later on when I got into Kenny Burrell ("I Never Knew" and "Freight Trane" from the album with Coltrane), Tal Farlow ("What is This Thing Called Love" with Red Norvo) and Ed Bickert ("What Is This Thing" from the duo record with Don Thompson).
Has transcribing played a major role in the learning process for you?
Definitely. After I'd learned the basics of jazz theory this was the main focus of my studies.
Do you still do any?
Sometimes. I've been trying to lift some Warne Marsh solos lately. And I was on a real Dexter Gordon kick a few years ago.
Gigging, Education, and Influences....
