Matt Chandler Interview

Matt is an up and coming guitarist originally from the Midlands and now based in London with his exciting trio, he’s released 2 albums so far “After Midnight” and “It Goes Like This” to critical acclaim and has worked with Tony Kofi amongst other top artists. He was picked this year as the winner of Eastman Guitars International ‘Future Guitar Legend’ which included a trip to LA to play with the legendary John Pisano so the future is looking great for Matt. Make sure you drop by his website or see him at a gig www.mattchandlerguitar.com
He kindly agreed to answer a few questions for us; cheers Matt!

What/who were your initial influences?
I have to say, Joe Satriani. Listening to him made me want to play guitar, then later, Pat Metheny got me into Jazz.

Are you gigging much at the moment and any projects in the pipeline?
At the moment i have a new trio. This has Sophie Alloway on drums and Jason Simpson on Bass. We hope to be getting out playing soon. There are some videos of us up on my website :www.mattchandlerguitar.com.
I also have a few shows coming up in Autumn in the midlands with the BoHoP Trio and Wendy kirkland.

What’s your ‘desert island’ guitar or have you got it!?
I already have it . My Gibson es 175.

Best (jazz guitar) gig you’ve ever seen?
Best jazz guitar gig i have ever seen must be Jonathan Kreisberg at the pizza Express this April. Kreisberg, for me, is one of the best. He has it all, very rich harmonic and melodic content and, of course, a great tone!

Which guitarist(s) would you recommend for other people to check out?
If you can try and check out, Filipe Monteiro, Richard Rozze. both really good players, they can be found online. Also, i think people should check out John Pisano more. My reason is to do with actual comping and rhythm work in the sense that i think this area of jazz guitar can tend be overlooked by most of us. John Pisano is an excellent example of superior comping.I am a firm believer in you are only as good as the guy that is comping for you or your rhythm section. What the other guy/girl plays can have an enormous effect on how good, or bad, you are going to be on a gig. , whilst i was in LA i had the pleasure of playing a couple of tunes with John. Right from the word go my performance was really comfortable, its almost like John sizes you up and knows what your going to do before you do and adjusts his comping style to suit. We should check John out more for the benefit of who we are going to comp for!

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What a year (so far!)

I’ve been lucky to see and play some great gigs this year; below are some of the highlights.

Jim Mullen in Nottingham in February, legendary UK guitarist with a smoking rhythm section, in particular a very nice version of the Lennon tune “Love”

In April I saw Jonathon Kreisberg in Birmingham with his trio, other worldly jazz guitar sounds. I was intrigued by him putting his hand in (olive?) oil in between all the tunes, not seen hand lubing like it! Also got to hang out with Howard Alden in Wales and had a little play as well, what a complete jazz guitarist, amazing. In May I had the pleasure of Sheryl Bailey as a house guest for a week and we got to have many jams in the sweltering UK summer, yes, it was the one really hot week we had… Did a gig with her as well on the Sunday which was great fun. Sheryl has worked so hard and got to such a great standard of musicality, I urge anyone to search out her albums. In July I saw Pat Metheny at the Barbican with Antonio Sanchez, Chris Potter and a bass player Ben ? What an incredible band, Pat puts on such a great show and displayed every side of his complex music from solo acoustic to Orchestrion to full on wig out, legend. October I got to see a band I’ve always wanted to check out, the amazing Soulive with the smooth but funky guitar of Eric Krasno. All three are just incredible musicians and play so well and tight, we had unbelievable seats at Ronnie Scotts, my leg was literally resting on the stage next to Neal’s heavyweight Hammond/Clavinet/bass keys set up. I still think I’m deaf from the Ampeg/Vox AC30 and Leslie combos…This month I’ve caught 2 gigs with one of the UK’s best guitarists Phil Robson who is a good friend; man what a smoking player!

Playing wise I’ve done 35 gigs this year (up to now) which have been great fun, still got a residency at Number Five in Derby and done plenty of gigs with the Moja Quartet and various quartets including the  Tea Curfew organ band.

I hope to meet and have interaction with of few more of you next year, stay in touch!

All the best, Dan

David Preston Interview

If you’re down London way then make sure you check out the David Preston’s monthly residency at The Cornershop
Great writing and flawless execution, these guys have really got their stuff together, have got a very hip sound and are great players. You can keep up with them via Youtube Soundcloud & Twitter

Make sure you do; ones to watch!

Q: What/who were your initial influences?

I started off listening to John Williams and the Beatles very early on, that led me to Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Zepplin and Cream.
My first big jazz influences however were Pat Metheny, Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass. Metheny’s Question and Answer and Miles Davis’s In a Silent Way are the records that gave me the jazz bug. I still remember exactly how I felt when I first heard Roy Haynes’ intro to the first tune ‘Solar’.
I also have a special place for Oasis, Noel Gallagher is an incredible songwriter and guitarist, an uncommon influence I know but I guess it had to happen sometime!

Q: Are you gigging much at the moment and any projects in the pipeline?

I’m really excited to be starting a monthly residency in April with Kevin Glasgow and Laurie Lowe. We’ll record an album this summer. I’m hoping to do some more gigs with Peter Ind this year as its always a blast playing with him and to tour my own group later in the year. Fingers crossed i’ll also be working again with Melody Gardot at some point too.

Q: What’s your ‘desert island’ guitar or have you got it!?

I play a Gibson cs356 and I’m pretty happy with it at the moment, she’s temperamental with the weather so a desert island might put her out of shape. If i had a choice between anything built by Gary Mortoro or Linda Manzer i’d be one happy guy.

Q: Best (jazz guitar) gig you’ve ever seen?

Its a tie between Metheny at the Royal Albert Hall, Speaking of Now Tour or Metheny at Hammersmith Apollo for the Way Up Tour.

He played really raw at the Albert Hall, really going for it, but I remember literally not being able to speak after seeing him at the Way Up show however, so maybe that one!

Q: Which guitarist(s) would you recommend for other people to check out?

Obviously all the greats, but some guys lesser heard and/or known playing on the scene now:
James Muller, Julian Lage, Joe Cohn, Greg Duncan, Nir Felder, Chris Thile (mandolin player but he’s awesome) and Jakob Bro to name a few. Alex Machacek & Bryan Baker are doing some really interesting things in the fusion area.
For classical guitar, Su Meng and Roberto Aussel, they both sound absolutely incredible.
As far as older guitarists, I recently came across a guitarist who (I think) is still alive called Bill Jennings who plays on alot of Jack McDuff albums whos great. Also George Van Eps, Ed Bickert, Tiny Grimes, Tony Rice and Billy Bauer are all awesome.
Ant Law is worth checking out here in London, he’s writing some really interesting music.
I really wish Stuart Hall, Steve Topping and Paul Stacey would play more in London too because they are ridiculously good players and I’d go to every show!

Phil Robson Interview

Phil is one of the top jazz guitar players in the UK and has an amazing CV including stints with Big Jon Patton, Charles Earland, David Liebman, Steve Lacy, Mark Turner, Billy Hart, Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Marc Copland, Wayne Krantz, Mike Gibbs, James Genus, Peter Herbert, Bob Brookmeyer, Tim Garland, Tommy Smith, Django Bates, Tom Rainey, Drew Gress, Stan Sulzmann, Jeff Williams, John Hebert, Ben Street, Duane Eubanks, Bobby Wellins, Denys Baptiste, Iain Ballamy, Donny McCaslin, Ingrid Jensen, Jean Toussaint, Cleveland Watkiss, Julian & Steve Arguelles, Gary Husband, Mike Figgis (film director), Jason Yarde, Jiggs Whigam, Sir John Dankworth & Dame Cleo Laine, & as member of BBC BB with: Joe Lovano, Patti Austin, Maceo Parker, Eliane Elias, Giavanni Hidalgo, Rufus Reid, Vince Mendoza, Madeline Bell, Horatio El Negro Hernandez, John Riley, Barbara Dennalin, Anne Hampton Callaway, Mark Murphy, Georgy Fame, Martin Taylor, Michael McDonald, Pee Wee Ellis, Sammy Nestico & Bud Shank. Lalo Shiffron, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Ken Peplowski e.t.c….!!!! Check out his website and in particular have a listen to his latest release “The Immeasurable Code” EDIT: JUST NOMINATED FOR THE PARLIAMENTARY JAZZ AWARDS 2012 or catch him on tour this year. I hear a rumour he may be opening up for Pat Martino at Ronnie Scotts soon as well…!
Q: What/who were your initial influences?
My initial influences which made me really want to play guitar were rock bands, particularly Black Sabbath, Hendrix & Led Zep. The 1st people who inspired me to play jazz were Miles Davis & Barney Kessell.
Q: Are you gigging much at the moment and any projects in the pipeline?
I am doing various gigs at the moment but my big projects for 2012 are a UK CD launch tour with my band ‘The Immeasurable Code Quintet’ in September & gigging throughout the year with Christine Tobin’s amazing ‘Sailing To Byzantium’ & ‘A Thousand Kisses Deep’ projects. I will post full details on my website www.philrobson.net & there is info about all my projects up there.
Q: What’s your ‘desert island’ guitar or have you got it!?
My desert island guitar would be the Gibson L5 which Pat Martino played around the late sixties/early seventies.
Q: Best (jazz guitar) gig you’ve ever seen?
4. That’s a tough one! Have seen so many great ones (Frisell, Martino, Bernstein, Scofield, Kessell, Rosenwinkle, Eubanks, Metheny etc etc). I think Kenny Burell trio was very special in Nottingham sometime around the late eighties.
Q: Which guitarist(s) would you recommend for other people to check out?
All of the ones I’ve mentioned already but I would say Kevin Eubanks to pick 1 as many people are not really aware of him. Seeing him play in trio setting with Dave Holland & Marvin ‘Smitty’ Smith many times in the early nineties really changed my own direction. Ralph Towner is also very interesting. There are also many ones here in the UK which I admire such as Mike Outram, Mike Walker, Alan Weekes, Mark Ridout, Dave Okumu, Colin Oxley to name just a few & there are many really exciting young guys coming up.

John Clarke Interview

John Clarke from the Southern Jazz Guitar Society contacted me and very kindly answered our interview questions. I will do a feature on UK jazz guitar societies soon.

What/who were your initial influences?

Jim Hall (‘Jazz Guitar’ with Carl Perkins and Red Mitchell), Barney Kessel (‘Four’ with Hamptom Hawes), Wes Montgomery (all the Riverside recordings)

Are you gigging much at the moment and any projects in the pipeline?

I only average half a dozen gigs a year, and this year it’s less than that, but I play in public twice a month at jam sessions. Last year, one of the bands I play in supported the Clark Tracy Quintet at the Reading Jazz Cafe, and another band I play in has played at The Marlborough Jazz Festival, the Brighton Jazz Club, the Reading Jazz Club and the Southampton Jazz Club in the past. The close proximity of London, and the dearth of gigs there for pro musicians means that, now, these local gigs can attract London jazz musicians for modest fees, so there are fewer opportunities left for local semi-pros and good amateurs.

What’s your ‘desert island’ guitar or have you got it!?

My ’59 Gibson L7 with Kent Armstrong custom archtop pick-up, but a similar vintage L5CES would be even better. I also have an Ibanez AS200 bought c. 1990, which is an exceptionally nice guitar.

Best (jazz guitar) gig you’ve ever seen?

Wes at Ronnie Scotts, I guess, but Pat Metheny at The Shaw Theatre c. 1980, and Mike Stern at the Bracknell Jazz Festival c, 1987 also stand out

Which guitarist(s) would you recommend for other people to check out?

Depends on the era (my taste covers all from fifties to the present). Pre 1980 – Wes Montgomery, Jim Hall, Kenny Burrell, Grant Green, Pat Martino, and Jimmy Raney are my favourites. Post 1980 – Pat Metheny, John Scofield, and Mike Stern, or for a more conventional sound, Peter Bernstein and Jesse Van Ruller.

John Clarke
Basingstoke

Dan Martin interview

INFLUENCES

My initial influence from the perspective of the guitar starts with Jimi Hendrix. He, like other similar artists opened up the guitars capability. Working alongside Dan influenced the majority of music and artists I listen to today. During this time I have been introduced to: Indian music through Shakti with John Mclaughin, Flamenco/Classical music, and most importantly Jazz  The players that have influenced me in Jazz are: George Benson, Johnny Smith, Barney Kessel, Jim Hall, Ted Greene, Lenny Breau, Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery and Dan Johnson.

GIGGING

Currently I can only seem to manage a couple of gigs a month. We are very lucky to even have this opportunity to play the music we want too, rather than ‘restaurant’ music. Most of my time is spent in the woodshed at the moment as well as balancing all the things that are happening right now. I have been enjoying a duo with a bass player recently as this really encourages me to stretch my ideas over the course of an evening whilst attempting to keep interest. A future project would be to build on this format, coaxing the many possibilities with a view to perform more and record.

GUITAR

I am always lusting after guitars and over the years have owned many different types. Currently I am playing a D’aquisto Jazzline Junior (Japan), with its laminate construction and size the guitar is very comfortable to play and handles loud volume. The ‘Desert Island’ guitar would be the Tom Painter P-16 with its fantastic sound, although I would imagine the Benedetto guitars would certainly tempt anyone.

JAZZ GUITAR GIG

Joe Giglio w/ Bucky Pizzarelli, New York at the 107 West, circa 2006. This was perhaps the most significant gig of them all. It was my first time in NYC, taking in the wonderful surroundings, with a developing curiosity for Jazz. The warm reception I received from Joe, not to mention the extravagant guitar playing that I was blown away by, made my mind up on the music I wanted to study and enjoy. I have also had the opportunity to see Pat Metheny, Pat Martino, George Benson, John Mclaughlin, Phil Robson, Howard Alden, Jack Wilkins and many more.

OTHER GUITARISTS

I would always seek ‘local’ players out to share ideas with……… and hopefully gigs!! As well as the tremendous players listed above I would suggest:  Tony DeCaprio, Sheryl Bailey, Tuck Andress, Gary Potter, Jimmy Bruno. Two players that amaze me with their ability to capture the essence of Bill Evans on the guitar are: Stephen Anderson and Sid Jacobs.

Tiago Paiva interview

Thanks Tiago, for someone who hasn’t played jazz for that long it sounds like you’ve got some great influences there!

What/who were your initial influences?

What got me into jazz was Pat Metheny, later on I started to listen a lot to Miles and Coltrane and also Wes Montgomery. I’m still in the beginning of playing jazz guitar, I’ve been playing guitar for 4 years and started playing jazz 2 years ago. Now what I’ve been listening more to modern jazz and that’s probably my biggest influence so far.

Are you gigging much at the moment and any projects in the pipeline?

I’m not gigging much but a fair bit actually, but nothing regular so far. I’ve a couple of active projects, one of those being a modern jazz quintet (guitar, saxophone, piano, drums and double bass), we play originals which is really fun, and a more standard oriented quartet (vocals, guitar, double bass and drums). Apart from that I’ve also been playing trio (guitar, double bass and drums) in a jam session where we are resident musicians. In the future I would like to try to get more with busy with this (or another) trio since I love to play in a formation like this.

What’s your ‘desert island’ guitar or have you got it!?

Difficult one since I’ve never played many jazz guitars. I really like how those sadowsky guitars look and sound, so I would guess that my desert island guitar would be a sadowsky semi-hollow. But I’m really satisfied with main guitar (Peerless Manhattan), which I bought recently from Foulds Guitar, I’ve already had a couple of really good experiences with it while gigging and rehearsing.

Best (jazz guitar) gig you’ve ever seen?

I live in Portugal and there are really good guitar players here and I’ve not seen many international guitar players like so I would say that the most incredible jazz guitarist I’ve seen was Kurt Rosenwinkel but it was in a masterclass not a gig, and the most incredible jazz gig I’ve seen was André Fernandes (I totally recommend it) with is quintet here in Lisbon.

Which guitarist(s) would you recommend for other people to check out?

Well there are a couple of portuguese jazz guitarrists that I really like for example André Fernandes, Afonso Pais, Nuno Costa etc. I recommend, if you can, to grab their albuns, they are really good. Internationally I’ve recently found Lage Lund and I’m really impressed with is playing I’ve been listening a lot to him and also, if you don’t know him already, Ben Monder you got to love that sound he has.