Jazz

"Jazz from a rock musicians point of view"
Alright lets talk jazz .1976 I'm watching the "Midnight Special" because Carlos Santana was on. Out steps this black guy dressed in a suit with this huge hollow body guitar.Starts singing This Mascaraed . My life was never the same again.His Name George Benson. I wore out Breezin Weekend in LA and In Flight. fy It was thru George that I got exposed to Joe Pass, Herb Ellis ,Barney Kessel then from guitar players to horn guys Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Dizzy Singers like Ella Dianna Krall. Let me qualify all this.I am dyed in the wool shredder. I love ripping thru a solo with loads of distortion. Like Hendrix I love to coax odd sounds out of an amp some peddles and a guitar. I love the blues. I love hard music. Megadeth,ACDC Priest, Sabboth. So why the Jazz and why have I dove so far in? I will never be what I consider to be a true Jazz musician. That is a mountain I'm always climbing and falling off. I guess it goes back to my G.I.T days. Siting around with my buddy Steve from Jersey playing Real Book tunes. What has appealed to me about those songs is how strong and beautiful the melodies are. They stick. When I used to do solo jazz gigs I would notice that on my brake as I was getting a coffee the wait staff would be humming the last song I did.But I find that I need them both. Rock and Roll is all about performing and energy.Jazz is all about harmony and melody. It was funny I was sitting in the local music store back in AK once and I played this chord melody piece I was working on for a friend of mine. He said why are you still playing rock and roll? Good question, there are elements of both the scenes I love. A jazz crowd is way different than a rock crowd. I like being able to fit into them both. At school we (obviously) studied jazz. I found the theory to be applicable in any situation not just jazz. A harmonic minor scale is the same no matter if you are playing it in the middle of "Green Dolphin Street" or "Miss You" by the Stones.It is where you were born in a sense. I was born in the bosom of rock and and roll. I am even at 54 a metal head. Yet I am a swinger as well. my second birth was that night seeing George Benson. Over the years I've wondered what could I bring to the world of Jazz that hasn't already been done. I have no answer for that one yet. As a rock musician what may make me unique is I read music,I understand theory and harmon,I can compose a chord melody piece on the spot given the chart. As a Jazz musician what may make me unique is I can two hand tap Ala Eddie V, I understand the power and sounds of heavy music. I can "shred" and really how many jazz guys play with their teeth! I will leave you with this. While I was attending school there was a great guitar player named Peter Sprag that came and performed for us. Sometime later they featured him in Guitar Player magazine. He had worked for a time with Chic Corea. Chic said this and I have tried to adopt it. (speaking of guitar players) "Rock musicians live with their SOUNDS, Blues musicians live with their TONES, Jazz musicians live with their NOTES!"...I am trying to find my place there somewhere... killer sound,great tone,the right notes.....I continue to climb that mountain....s