Let’s start our wine reviews with a look at an inexpensive vintage that has something to do with guitars. Red Guitar hit the crushed grape scene back in 2005 and its distinctive brand name and very Miro inspired label that was as bold as it was whimsical.
The pentatonic scale is often the first scale guitarists learn when they begin to explore the realms of blues, rock and jazz improvisation. Though most guitarists learn the basic fingerings of this oft-used scale, maybe in different keys and positions across the neck, few players delve deep into the scale’s vast harmonic and melodic possibilities. Whereas rock and blues players such as Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jimmy Hendrix and Jimmy Page made careers by using common application of the pentatonic, and its closely related cousin the blues scale, during their improvised solos and riffs, jazz musicians such as Pat Metheny, John Scofield and Mike Stern have applied their knowledge of modern harmony to the pentatonic scale, greatly expanding the array of sounds and tonal colors that this scale can produce. In his book Jazz Guitar Soloing Concepts: A Pentatonic Modal Approach to Improvisation, Dr. Ronald S. Lemos dives into the modern world of the pentatonic scale and presents an exhaustive volume detailing the many harmonic and melodic variations this commonly used scale can produce.
Guitar builder, Abe Wechter, has come a long way since opening his first guitar business in Seattle, Washington, over 30 years ago. During that time, Abe found himself immersed in world-class guitar building, that included spending over a decade with Gibson Guitars as a model-maker and designer. He designed and built handmade guitars for such luminaries as B.B. King; John McLaughlin; Al DiMeola; John Denver; Steve Howe; and Earl Klugh.
Hailing from Boston, Gerry Beaudoin first took up the guitar at the age of 10 and has since evolved into one of the finest jazz guitarists and music arrangers in the country. He is the recipient of a 1992 National Association of Independent Record Producers award for best jazz recording, a 1994 Cadence Magazine Editor’s Choice Award for his CD Sentimental Christmas, as well as a submission for a 1998 Grammy nomination. He has also defined himself as a businessman through his experience with the logistics, legalities and other sundry affairs related to the business side of the music industry.
April 1, 2008 Jed Leiber Interview by Geoff Byrd. Jed Leiber. Photo by M. Bilham. I met Jed Leiber in Aspen when I was asked to write some songs with John Oates. I didn’t even know there was going to be a third person there. Soon after the session, I understood why John likes to […]
April 5, 2008 Wrecking Crew Interview by Lynne Margolis. Wrecking Crew members Tommy Tedesco and Carol Kaye in the studio In the heyday of ‘60s and ‘70s pop and rock, L.A.’s so-called Wrecking Crew dominated the airwaves, creating some of the most indelible sounds of the 20th century on some of the most beloved songs […]
May 16, 2008 Sam Andrew Interview by Mary Shaver and Michael G. Stewart. Sam Andrew. Photo by Michael G. Stewart. Late last year, Big Brother and the Holding Company performed at the campus of Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland. D.C. Photographer Michael G. Stewart and I met guitarist Sam Andrew, who talked about the group, […]
May 21, 2008 Kurt Neumann (BoDeans) Interview by Skip Daly. Kurt Neumann. Photo by Morgan Hemphill. The determination and resilience expressed in the lyrics from “Round Here Somewhere” on the BoDeans’ new record, Still (2008, He and He Records), makes for an appropriate anthem for a band that has seen its share of highs and […]
September 2, 2008 Behind the Lens: Randy Jennings by Rick Landers. Randy Jennings. Photo by Jennifer Jennings/2-artists.com. Modern Guitars caught up with photographer Randy Jennings a while back to check out his inventory of rock and other live-music photography. His body of work includes photos of major rock guitarists that have grippped our imaginations over […]
September 30, 2008 Wayne Henderson Inteview by Rick Landers. Wayne Henderson. Photo credit: Michael G. Stewart. Modern Guitars had the good fortune to catch master bluegrass guitarist and guitar builder Wayne Henderson while at a gig in Rockville, Maryland. Henderson has played all around the globe and getting a chance to see him in an […]
