Musical Genres

I really don't have a single genre - I crossover several.

Blues

I was brought up in the British blues boom years; I learnt Eric Clapton's guitar licks note for note off every track on the legendary 'Beano' Album (with John Mayall). It was on a vinyl LP and I slowed it down from 33rpm to pick out the exact notes by manually pressing the turn table on my Dansette record player! Clapton's nick name was 'Slowhand' and I guess his influence has stuck with me in regard to being economic with notes. That and my musical brain does not keep up with my fingers; I simply can't play fast.

My worship of Eric melted the moment I heard the first side of 'Are You Experienced' by Jimi. People forget that Jimi invented and played all the best licks that we rely on today, he was that innovative. He took the guitar to new levels, places no one else had been. I later realised that this was the definition of Jazz and went searching for more exponents of unpredictability in that Genre.

Rock

Sometimes you need a hard, guitar based music with attitude. That's why Rock and roll was invented!

Rock was the first off mainstream genre to make an impression on me. I listened to all the great British rock acts like Cream, the Stones, the Who, Pink Floyd. One early guitar influence on me was Paul Kossoff the guitarist with the band Free. I picked up vibrato from him. I picked up those squeaky harmonics I do from Rory Gallagher (Taste).

My taste in Rock music is a bit more mid Atlantic these days. I'm not interested in Stadium Rock. I really like Little Feat, started by the great Lowell George.

My current interpretation of rock manifested in the 2013 Relentless album.

Relentless (album)download
  1. F-Bomb    F-Bomb by
  2. Third stone from the sun Jimi Hendrix cover    Third stone from the sun Jimi He... by
  3. Who'da Thunk It!    Who'da Thunk It! by
  4. Keep on, Keepin' on    Keep on, Keepin' on by
  5. Relentless (track)    Relentless (track) by
  6. Shaky Ground    Shaky Ground by
  7. Mwah!    Mwah! by

 

Pop

I'm not just a guitarist but a composer too. I've a strong commercial streak and have written and recorded many strong vocal tracks.

Pop is a mixed up, muddled up place these days. It is still dominated by corporations rationing network access but you'll find the true innovators these days on alternative channels like Soundcloud, rather than MTV.

You'll never catch me doing pure pop music but let's not forget that pop stands for popular. I've been heavily influenced by bands like Steely Dan and Earth, Wind and Fire and artistes like Michael Jackson who manage to combine Jazz and R&B with much commercial success.

click to hear the Smile album Smile
My song writing showcase featuring rock/pop/R&B vocal tracks - (released 2010)   

Jazz

Ouch! The "J" word is a real turnoff for many people when it really shouldn't be. To me Jazz is any music that twists and turns in unpredictable directions and has a high degree of improvisation.

In the seventies Jazz embraced electric instruments, crossed over genres with Rock, Funk and Latin and morphed into a new genre that no one has quite managed to put a name to yet. There has been Acid Jazz, Nu Jazz and Smooth Jazz - all names to confuse us.

Herbie Hancock and Miles Davis are my Main Men but I also love Weather Report and Yellowjackets. I love bass players like Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and (of course) Jaco Pastorius. I hope my covers of their classic tracks add something to the originals.

Miles Davis Miles Davis
This album features my Miles Davis re-works including In a Silent Way, Tutu, and So What!