dcoleman@vlnvax.DEC (04/03/85)
[Just like Crazy Fingers] Last Thursday night a friend and I went to the Boston Globe Jazz Festival Guitar Night. When we walked in, we could here two guitars playing, but we couldn't see the stage. At the end of the song, we were able to find our seats and watch the show. Although we thought we heard two guitarists up on stage, there was only one guitarist playing, so we waited for his next song to figure out what was going on. He started playing, but it still sounded like two guitars. Turns out he plays with a very unique two-handed style, where the left hand plays the rhythm and the right hand taps out the lead, both hands independent of each other. I know other guitarists like Eddie Van Halen use this right hand technique sometimes, but this guy plays full leads with it, playing mini-chords and all, not just little riffs. It was amazing to see, but it sounded even better. The guitarist was Stanley Jordan, a 25-year old from Princeton. The concert program says he learned music on keyboards but switched to guitar as soon as he first heard Jimi Hendrix. According to his writeup, he is still an unknown, playing a lot for change on the streets. Has anyone ever heard of or seen this guy? If you're a fan of great guitarists or jazz, you should check him out. Dave Coleman "Logic gives man what he needs, magic gives him what he wants"
joyceb@ptsfc.UUCP (J. Black) (04/03/85)
In article <1457@decwrl.UUCP> dcoleman@vlnvax.DEC writes: > [Just like Crazy Fingers] > > The guitarist was Stanley Jordan, a 25-year old from Princeton. The >an unknown, playing a lot for change on the streets. > Has anyone ever heard of or seen this guy? If you're a fan of great >guitarists or jazz, you should check him out. > > Dave Coleman I saw part of an interview of Jordan from a Japanese television station. He was touring Japan at the time, so I guess he's no longer playing for change on the streets. The hostess of the show said he is a guitarist who must be seen as well as heard. She was right. He is an audio-visual delight. I've recently heard him on the radio here in the Bay area. I have no doubt we'll be hearing more about Mr. Jordan. Joyce Black
mfs@mhuxr.UUCP (SIMON) (04/03/85)
> The guitarist was Stanley Jordan, a 25-year old from Princeton. The > concert program says he learned music on keyboards but switched to guitar as > soon as he first heard Jimi Hendrix. According to his writeup, he is still > an unknown, playing a lot for change on the streets. > Has anyone ever heard of or seen this guy? If you're a fan of great > guitarists or jazz, you should check him out. > > Dave Coleman Stanley Jordan has an album out on the revamped Blue Note label. I forget the title now, but WBGO has been playing it constantly and it sounds excellent. I once heard an interview with him where he described his how he got his technique. He concurred that he got his musical training on keyboards and learned to carry a lead and an harmonic line at the same time after switching. He is a brilliant musician. I don't, however, think he is still playing on the streets; he headlined at the Village Vanguard and was a big hit at the Return of Blue Note concert three weeks ago. Marcel Simon
sullivan@harvard.ARPA (John M. Sullivan) (04/07/85)
> Has anyone ever heard of or seen this guy? If you're a fan of great > guitarists or jazz, you should check him out. > Dave Coleman I saw him a few times giving outdoor concerts in Princeton perhaps 4 years ago. He also used to be a DJ at WPRB I think. His playing really is great. I believe he has issued at least one album, but I haven't gotten a copy yet. -- John M. Sullivan sullivan@harvard
wjhe@hlexa.UUCP (Bill Hery) (04/09/85)
> Has anyone ever heard of or seen this guy? If you're a fan of great > guitarists or jazz, you should check him out. > Dave Coleman There was an article about him down beat magazine either this month or last month. The db articles always include discographies. Bill Hery
med@astrovax.UUCP (Mark Dickinson) (04/15/85)
> > Has anyone ever heard of or seen this guy? If you're a fan of great > > guitarists or jazz, you should check him out. > > Dave Coleman > > I saw him a few times giving outdoor concerts in Princeton perhaps 4 > years ago. He also used to be a DJ at WPRB I think. His playing > really is great. I believe he has issued at least one album, but I > haven't gotten a copy yet. > > -- > John M. Sullivan > sullivan@harvard Stan was a music major at Princeton (class of '83), played a lot of gigs on campus and in the area during his time at the school, and achieved some significant noteriety even then (at least among those who saw him). He has two LPs to date: the first, a privately released effort (part of his thesis at Princeton) called Touch Sensitive (sorry -- I don't have label info on me) and now his "big time" debut on the revived Blue Note Records. A very talented guy, he is. And yes, he was a Jazz DJ on WPRB (used to do his shows with all the lights out in the studios...) Mark Dickinson
peggy@ism70.UUCP (04/25/85)
Stanley Jordan is an amazing, new guitar player who uses a two-handed technique (both hands produce notes by tapping on the finger-board without plucking or strumming). With this new technique, Stanley is capable of creating a whole new vocabulary of possibilities for the guitar. He has two albums out. The first, Touch Sensitive (on a small label out of San Jose), is very difficult to find. The second, Magic Touch (on Blue Note - BT85101), is a digital recording produced by Al Di Meola. It has solo and group performances and contains tunes such as Round Midnite, A Child is Born, Eleanor Rigby, and The Lady In My Life. Stanley's technique is phenomenal, and his musical taste is also highly refined. He really sounds like two GOOD guitarist playing simultaneously. As a guitar player, I feel that Stanley Jordan is seriously challenging the accepted tradition of the guitar. If this guy gets the attention he deserves, guitar playing will be permanently changed. "It's nice to hear a new guitarist who can stretch from Round Midnite to Eleanor Rigby and The Lady In My Life, free and daring...my favorite kind of musician. Stanley Jordan may you forever grow. You and Wynton have made my last five years." -- Quincy Jones Submitted by Peggy Lerch for Tim Lerch