In my musical journey, things tend to go in full circles.  At the moment, I find myself memorizing popular songs in bands that include in their repertoire covers, as well as originals.  Much earlier in my teens, I came across these classic songs, many of them consisting only of 3 chords.  This time I am relearning and performing them with greater maturity and respect.  Dissecting and memorizing them is definetely heightening my appreciation for songwriters who have mastered writing memorable singles using only a few chords.  Through this I have learned to shift my perspective, listen and play in a different manner.

Music is a funny thing.  It’s able to move us in an unknown realm and often the listener doesn’t have the proper terms to express what’s going on.  My 8 year-old son is doing a science fair project this month and chose the topic of sound waves.  With the use of a tuning fork and a shallow bowl of water, he will demonstrate how an activated tuning fork can create a splash when placed into the water.  We don’t see sound waves, but they certainly exist and possess force.  What a perfect analogy for the power of music in our lives.  I want to remind us there is much to learn, places to see, people to meet and souls to be touched through making music.

This also makes me reflect on Joe Pass, a jazz guitarist of cosmic grandeur, and Ella Fitzgerald, a jazz vocal icon.  They had a jazz guitar/vocal duo together.  The way Joe played guitar, dancing around Ella’s rich melodic vocals and giving her all the support akin a big band was stunning.  Ella and Joe are artists of the highest caliber, and not only have they internalized countless jazz classics, but more significantly, they found their own voices and interpreted them in a unique and sincere manner.  Their recordings and performances influenced all vocalists and guitarists in that genre.  They possessed the gift of spontaneity, and playfulness and you can sense that magic in the air.  

Learning to play Jazz guitar calls for journeying into the world of Jazz.  Any musician interested in playing Jazz needs to become well acquainted with the works of Jazz masters by striving to memorize the melody, chord progressions and even the lyrics of their favorite Jazz tunes, many of them being known as Jazz standards.