John Jorgenson has a highly eclectic résumé. The masses know him as the lion-haired guitarist in Elton John’s band, but he’s also a session cat who tracks guitar, mandolin, pedal steel, and saxophone for the likes of Barbra Streisand, Marty Stuart, Bob Seger, and Bonnie Raitt. Loyal fans know that Jorgenson cofounded the Hellecasters with fellow twangers Will Ray and Jerry Donahue. And some will remember Jorgenson from his days in the Desert Rose Band—an outfit that scored numerous Top Ten country hits.
But years before he embarked on any of these musical adventures, Jorgenson was playing Gypsy jazz on a Selmer 6-string in the L.A.-based Rhythm Brothers. For more than two decades, he has continued to hone his Django Reinhardt-inspired chops, and, in the process, earned a rep in Europe as one of the few Americans who can truly wail on a manouche guitar.
Modern Gypsy-jazz guitars, or guitare manouche (named in honor of Django Reinhardt and the Manouche Gypsies of Belgium and Northern France), stem from an instrument designed by classical guitarist and inventor Mario Maccaferri. From 1932 to 1934, Maccaferri built instruments for Selmer, a woodwind manufacturer based in Paris. “The original Selmer Maccaferri guitars had a 12-fret neck, a D-shaped soundhole, and an interior resonating chamber,” says Jorgenson. “Later, when Maccaferri and Selmer parted ways, Selmer switched to a 14-fret neck, removed the chamber, and changed the soundhole to an oval shape. Django played that model until his death in 1952.”
Read on for the Gypsy jazz guitar lesson with Power Tab, charts, audio, and text…
.Learning how to play jazz guitar is no cakewalk but then again that is what attracts most of us to the style to begin with. Jazz guitar is indeed challenging, however, it is also extremely rewarding because the form allows you the ultimate freedom of expression as a musician. But before you can exercise that freedom, you have to put your time in listening to jazz and learning the requisite theory, chords, rhythms and vocabulary.
Do you like the idea that rock sometimes talks about the times?
Sure, man. Yeah! It’s a like a newspaper for people that can’t read. Rock and roll will tell you right where everything’s at. It’s just something to move your feet, man, and move your heart and make you feel good inside–forget about all the bullshit that’s going on for awhile and fill up some of the dead space.
You said before that you thought blues and jazz are the same thing.
Yeah, it really is, man. It’s just that as human feelings become more complex, as the world gets a little bit more divided and intelligent, complexity is the only difference between blues and jazz. It’s all the portrayal of the feelings and the soul in a medium other than words. You can either complain and say, “Oh man, I really feel bad,” or you can put you sadness into a musical context and make it desirable. Nobody wants to hear anybody bellyache, but everybody want to hear him play the blues. You can say the same thing, but make it to where it’s a little less offensive to your fellow man by playing it with music.
Develop your talent, and leave the world with something. Records are really gifts from people. To think that an artist would love you enough to share his music with anyone is a beautiful thing. That’s fascinated me ever since I piled up my motorcycle. Miles Davis does the best job, to me, of portraying in the innermost, subtlest, softest feelings in the human psyche. He does it beautifully. He’s a fascinating talent, man, a marvelous, marvelous man and a great entertainer. And John Coltrane, probably one of the finest most accomplished players, took his music farther than anybody I believe I ever heard.
You mentioned “entertainer.” It’s all a matter of the communication, rather than a guy standing over here making other people feel differently. It’s sort of like a different means of communication, man. Sometimes you can have things to say, but you can find no words for them–and I’m sure everybody gets caught in that position–or there’s a feeling inside you that there are no words to explain. You can say “heartbreak” or “jubilation,” but you can also set it up in music to make people actually feel it without ever saying anything about it. That’s the grace of music; that’s the blessing. You know, there’s a lot of different forms of communication, but that’s one of the absolute purest ones, man. You can’t hurt anybody with music. You can maybe offend somebody with songs and words, but you can’t offend anybody with music–it’s just all good. There’s nothing at all that could ever be bad about music, about playing it. It’s a wonderful thing, man. It’s a grace.
There are things that every guitarist should know, and how to play jazz is one of them. While jazz guitar is notoriously challenging, Bruce Arnold shows the beginner just how rewarding hard work can be, in Jazz Guitar for Beginners. As director of the Summer Guitar Intensive at New York University, Bruce Arnold has developed a hands on introduction to jazz; from tuning the guitar, to hearing jazz – and ultimately – to playing jazz. This course is designed for newcomers to guitar and for those who want a core understanding of the jazz form.
It’s often the case that, as a jazz guitarist in an ensemble, you’ll find yourself without much backup when it’s time to solo – much less when you’re performing solo. This is where Jazz Textures comes in; 216 minutes of instruction on how to accompany your own solo improvisations. The course creator, Christopher Woitach, is a performing jazz guitarist and composer who brings his command of the guitar and his imaginative ideas as a soloist to full mast in this course. If you’re looking to step up from good to great with your jazz soloing, then step right up to this course.
Another reason to throw your guitar stand onto the bonfire in thanks to the guitar gods, (in the event that you might never put your guitar back down…): Jazz Up Your Blues. This super targeted course, aimed at injecting large doses of soul and groove into your improv playing, was designed by Frank Vignola – one of the most accomplished, multi-dimensional players walking the planet today. Boasting 42 videos that cover essential vocabulary, technique, and improvisational insight, your family might never see you again.
If your idea of “jazz improv” is thumbed octave runs and the diatonic scale, think again. As John Stowell’s latest course, Modern Jazz Improv proves; we’ve all got a lot to learn about jazz. Stowell, world renowned as one of the most original players on the scene, has put together a master class in single line improvisation and substitutions that will yield immediate results, but can take several years to fully absorb and master. Simply put: this course is not for the faint of heart.
Stowell is, by all accounts, a calm man when you’re sitting face to face with him in an office kitchen conducting an interview. But if you bother to peer a little deeper you soon see the intensity – the l’esprit de feu that no doubt drives his playing. Playing that, for lack of a better word, can only be called jazz, but for the better part of 30 years has also been called “daringly original,” “transcending,” and “unique.”
Friends and fans of Stowell all say his playing is as original as he is. That to let his music in, you also need to let in a piece of his spirit; a slow-burning ember that will eventually grow into an inferno. And in the span of 30 years, Stowell has started a lot of fires with his music; bright beacons that lead him all over the world. He says he just tries to be inclusive.
”I want to try to, as quickly as possible, establish a flow of energy back and forth between me and whoever I’m playing for,” said Stowell. “And if we can invite them in, then we can take them on a little journey with us and in some cases ask them to listen to something that’s fairly challenging.”
In many ways, Stowell’s music is challenging. You’d expect that from a master guitarist. But listening to him play leaves the average person scratching their heads with heavy hands of awe, and respect, which unfortunately seems to leave their hands too busy to pick up his records. His music isn’t terrible, it’s hauntingly good, but Stowell challenges you to listen to music in a way that isn’t done anymore – with patience, curiosity and a sense of wonder.
And some would say that’s why John Stowell still has one hurdle: finding his next gig.
The harmonies of jazz are what attracted Stowell to the style. He got his start in Connecticut, before moving to a small town north of New York City in the 1970’s. “Every jazz musician spends some time in New York,” explains Stowell. Looking for more opportunities to perform, Stowell built a tightly knit network of musician friends and started traveling the country to play gigs. His motto and advice is that when an opportunity presents itself, see if you can go with the flow. Eventually, Stowell’s gigs were not only in different towns, but different countries. He hasn’t stopped traveling since.
“I don’t have any regrets,” said Stowell. Most musicians Stowell’s age are teaching, have homes, families and responsibilities. He admits that he knows very few guys in their late fifties who are out on the road as mush as he is. But John Stowell’s only responsibility is his music and that’s exactly the way he wants it, “I’m doing what I have to in order to keep the music out there.”
John’s dedication is slowly paying off. He’s cultivated a small international following which has allowed him to perform on over 4 continents — to audiences of sometimes no more than 50 people. But even when he’s performing in the living room of a fan’s home, Stowell often makes more money than if he had performed in a club. An interesting trend that’s starting to pick up momentum.
But after 30 years, it becomes clear that each gig is still only the beginning for him.
”My goal is to just be the best musician I can be and hopefully have some people enjoy it along the way.” Stowell says, looking out the window. It’s a gray November sky. “I’m not a money maker for anybody. It’s a little grassroots life that I still like enough to keep doing. I don’t have a family, no debt, so I can travel around as much as I want to. But I’m basically surviving on the road from the good graces of friends.” Stowell references an email he received, that basically said if you can find 1,000 fans in the world, you’re fine. I tell him he has a new fan in me. His response is humbling and gracious.
Hanging on the wall behind Stowell’s head is a framed print of Van Gogh’s At the Foot of the Mountains (seen right).
“In my case, my goals have been the same for the past 30 years. To be the best player and teacher I can, travel as much as I can, play with as many good players as I can, stay positive, stay ethical, keep going, document my work, record my CD’s and keep it growing,” Stowell said.
There is a famliar allure to Stowell’s life. He has no teather holding him back from his dreams. And perhaps that notion is the little piece of his soul you have to let inside. That is the ember that lights the path. Because to discover John Stowell‘s music, you are discovering what’s really at the end of a road less traveled.
Check out these two beautiful performances by John during his last trip to TrueFire:
“Useless Landscape”
“How Deep Is The Ocean”
Learn from John Stowell with his latest jazz guitar lessons in “Modern Jazz Improvisation” – now available for instant download
John Jorgenson has a highly eclectic résumé. The masses know him as the lion-haired guitarist in Elton John’s band, but he’s also a session cat who tracks guitar, mandolin, pedal steel, and saxophone for the likes of Barbra Streisand, Marty Stuart, Bob Seger, and Bonnie Raitt. Loyal fans know that Jorgenson cofounded the Hellecasters with fellow twangers Will Ray and Jerry Donahue. And some will remember Jorgenson from his days in the Desert Rose Band—an outfit that scored numerous Top Ten country hits.
Learning 
