Jazz Guitarists Pat Metheny, Mimi Fox

As I was cruising around my record collection I ran into some Pat Metheny records. Now, I’ve always really liked Metheny. Especially his older albums, like American Garage.

I can’t always relate to every single thing he’s done, but I truly respect him and I like his different sounds. Some people don’t like the whole guitar synth thing; I really do. I get tired of hearing jazz guitar players, even the really great ones, using the same sound. I think that their playing deserves more than that, and I like the boundaries that Metheny has pushed in this area.

Recently Metheny’s played a bass/lute/harp invention called a “Picasso guitar.” If you’re unaware of what I’m talking about, check out the video below. This is a good example of doing something a bit different, then going into his older style of just plain ol’ fast fingers. Also, check out this concert footage with extreme closeup of his fingers. It’s not an example of his super-fast playing, but for you guitarists it shows how he gets around on the neck with “thumbovers” a great technique, one that I’ve had to try to get used to since I didn’t really do it while I was first starting out (Jimi Hendrix employed this technique a lot instead of barre chords which makes it worth mentioning that it’s easier if you have bigger hands).

As Pat Metheny fans will know, he’s added a “world” sound to his jazz albums, which suits his style of playing quite well. You can just go to a certain unnamed video Web site and search for his name to get great footage of this.

While I’m on the subject of jazz guitarists, it’s worth mentioning Mimi Fox here. I think she’s still based in San Francisco that’s where I’ve heard her play. I’ve also played a little bit with her at a music festival years ago when she taught a workshop there. Anyway, here’s some Mimi playing for you. I really like her whimsical style, and the fact that she always looks so happy when she’s playing! Always great to hear those female guitarists.

Keep your eyes peeled here for next time when I’ll be mentioning more of them!

Kristin Kirby

(photo credit: feuilllu)

April 7th, 2009 by admin | Posted in Artisits | (0)