Many of the worlds greatest guitarists started out with an even better teacher. And about 25% of the time it would seem that teacher was Joe Satriani. Pretty much anyone who takes up the instrument with serious ambition for superior technical skill will delve into his many, many albums. I’ve followed his music for a while, keeping up with the last few albums, and occasionally treking down to Massey Hall to take in his concert…
I can’t remember the first time I heard Santana. I don’t mean to imply that it never left an impression. My whole life I’ve been exposed to his music and ideas in many forms, whether through the sultry, seductive guitar playing through the speakers, or the general message of peace and love which permeates the character of my grandparents. I remember in the early teen years sifting through my grandfathers record collection in the darkly…
One of the beautiful things about music is that it’s all about being in the moment. Many of our favourite songs are in reality just an example of being in the right place at the right time. Sure, sometimes the right time happens to be somewhere within 4 consecutive days of being in the studio doing the same thing over and over and over and over again until the stars align and some mythical force…
The blues have always been a mainstay for me throughout this musical journey. Something about that minor pentatonic scale, that little triad of notes which rings oh so inharmoniously enough to make some people (mostly of religious concerns) shudder in place, being used to create such music of the soul that has the power to lift people and bring a sense of awe. For me, this fascination of the genre started much like I imagine it does…