The Anthony Pirog Interview II

Anthony Pirog is a modern guitar hero on the level of his heroes Bill Frisell, Nels Cline, et al. In some ways he transcends them in his ability to deftly navigate a variety of genres—Jazz, Rock, Noise, Country, Ambient—genuinely but with his own take. At the time of this interview, his latest release is a collection of ambient guitar duos with Nels Cline, John Frusciante, Luke Stewart, Andy Summers, Janel Leppin, Brandon Ross, Wendy Eisenberg and Ryan Ferreira called on Otherly Love Records called The Nepenthe Series Vol. I.

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The Oz Noy Interview

Oz Noy and I go back 20 some years. From the beginning, it was obvious that he was unfettered by the limitations of technique—the guy could play anything from SRV blues to avant sonic explorations. We talk about his new record with Dennis Chambers and Jimmy Haslip, the second Ozone Squeeze record, and much more.

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André Cholmondeley: Modern Guitar Tech Extraordinaire

André Cholmondeley has worked with some of the premier modern guitarist legends: Adrian Belew, David Torn, Pat Metheny, to name a few. Here is are a couple of great Rig Rundowns featuring guitarists who have been pushing the technology envelope for a long time.

hnology for a long time. The Metheny rundown includes Cholmondeley talking about some of Pat’s history with technology.

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The Adam Levy Interview

Adam Levy and I go back decades and it was a pleasure to talk to him about how he developed his distinctive voice, what makes a modern guitarist, and more. For more about Adam’s history and great gear talk, click “more” to watch his interview with my friend Zac Childs.

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Oz Noy Honors Monk

One commenter on this video laments Oz Noy’s use of effects for this tune as self-indulgent.  What they apparently fail to understand is that by pushing the sounds into the future, Oz is honoring another pioneer. Thelonious Monk was often misunderstood during his lifetime by people who wanted to keep hearing the basic swing of an Oscar Peterson or an Earl Hines. Many performers of Monk tunes over the years miss the spirit of his quirky style and merely play standard bebop and blues licks over the changes (Bill Frisell being a notable exception). Oz’s work here displays a mastery of modern effects, as well as blazing chops.

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