No Idle Frets

It's amazing how the web can create a new technology, seemingly overnight. How many people know what a podcast is? Very, very few, I would wager. Well, if you don't know, and you're interested in a definition, click here.

If you'd just like to hear a podcast - the first podcast to be devoted solely to jazz guitar - click here. This podcast, conceived and created by Nick Carver, is excellent, featuring jazz guitarists from all over the country, most of whom haven't quit their day jobs and have no plans to do so anytime soon. I keep wondering how deep the talent pool is, but it may be inexhaustible. Nick is 29 weeks into this weekly show, and he shows no signs of slowing down.

I'll be highlighting the No Idle Frets podcast, and linking to some of the artists featured, in later posts.

D'Addario Artists

The string maker D'Addario has a page of "Artists" where they link to interviews and videos of a number of great guitarists.

The page is here.

Check out the the interview with Pat Metheny here.

Geography is Destiny

Ulf Wakenius, Swedish jazz guitarist, doesn't get the credit he deserves in the U.S. Check out this amazing solo video performance. Ulf's web site is here.

Update, June 2008: It appears that Ulf's website is now on MySpace.

Frank Gambale Riff

D'addario strings has a lot of guitar information on their site - interviews, performance videos, and so on. Click here to see Frank Gambale showing off some pretty cool riffs.

The Wes Montgomery Doctoral Dissertation

What could be more interesting to a Wes Montgomery fan than a doctoral dissertation entitled Wes Montgomery's Improvisational Style (1959-1963): The Riverside Years?

This dissertation, along with several other academic studies of Wes Montgomery's music, is available at Reno De Stefano's web site, here.

[Update: De Stefano is selling this dissertation, so only teaser chapters available now]

Introduction

The amount of material relating to jazz guitar that is on the web is enormous and seems to be growing exponentially. This blog will collect and feature some of it. And, since the guitar is not the only instrument that is worthy, from time to time I'll wander into other instruments, most notably the piano and saxaphone, and other styles, including blues and rock.