There is no guitarist quite like Stanley Jordan, a star from the moment Blue Note Records launched its second life in 1985 with his own commercial debut, The Magic Touch. In response, a respected reviewer stated that the lanky 26-year-old fresh from several years spent refining his craft as a Manhattan street busker had extended the limits of the guitar, adding that few players in the history of music of music have brought an instrument to a more radical crossroad.
He reached the public for reasons pertaining both to his astonishing chops (his sui generis touch technique, a pianistic approach that enabled him to play melody, chords and basslines simultaneously), exemplary musicianship, and consistent devotion to melodic and creative imperatives. But at a certain point in the early 90s, Jordan retreated from his career, and although he soon returned to public performance he operated without a label until 2008, when he released State of Nature on the rising-star Detroit-based indie Mack Avenue.
Whether playing in public or in the studio, it has been Jordan s intention to make his own inventions the primary focus of the occasion. But on his forthcoming release,Friends [Mack Avenue] (said friends include guitar heros Mike Stern, Bucky Pizzarelli, Charlie Hunter, and Rusell Malone; saxophonists Kenny Garrett and Ronnie Laws; and violinist Regina Carter), Jordan is a consummate team player, prodding and igniting the flow on an 11-piece program that runs a 360-degree gamut of stylistic food groups.
At 52, Jordan has something consequential to SAY in each genre, as though he s thought deeply about each mode of expression over many years. Highlights include a four-to-the-floor, George Benson on steroids cover of Katy Perry s I Kissed A Girl (without overdubbing, Jordan plays the melody on piano while chording for himself on the guitar), an idiomatic investigation of Bela Bartok, a lively samba for Laws, and various ebullient, spectacularly executed interactions with each member of his guitar cohort. ~ Ted Panken
He reached the public for reasons pertaining both to his astonishing chops (his sui generis touch technique, a pianistic approach that enabled him to play melody, chords and basslines simultaneously), exemplary musicianship, and consistent devotion to melodic and creative imperatives. But at a certain point in the early 90s, Jordan retreated from his career, and although he soon returned to public performance he operated without a label until 2008, when he released State of Nature on the rising-star Detroit-based indie Mack Avenue.
Whether playing in public or in the studio, it has been Jordan s intention to make his own inventions the primary focus of the occasion. But on his forthcoming release,Friends [Mack Avenue] (said friends include guitar heros Mike Stern, Bucky Pizzarelli, Charlie Hunter, and Rusell Malone; saxophonists Kenny Garrett and Ronnie Laws; and violinist Regina Carter), Jordan is a consummate team player, prodding and igniting the flow on an 11-piece program that runs a 360-degree gamut of stylistic food groups.
At 52, Jordan has something consequential to SAY in each genre, as though he s thought deeply about each mode of expression over many years. Highlights include a four-to-the-floor, George Benson on steroids cover of Katy Perry s I Kissed A Girl (without overdubbing, Jordan plays the melody on piano while chording for himself on the guitar), an idiomatic investigation of Bela Bartok, a lively samba for Laws, and various ebullient, spectacularly executed interactions with each member of his guitar cohort. ~ Ted Panken
Tracklist:
01. Capital J [6:40]
02. Walkin' The Dog [6:10]
03. Lil' Darlin' [5:39]
04. Giant Steps [4:30]
05. I Kissed A Girl [5:43]
06. Samba Delight [5:26]
07. Seven Come Eleven [5:29]
08. Bathed In Light [7:45]
09. Romantic Intermezzo From Bartok's Concerto For Orchestra [8:29]
10. Reverie [3:56]
11. One For Milton [4:07]
02. Walkin' The Dog [6:10]
03. Lil' Darlin' [5:39]
04. Giant Steps [4:30]
05. I Kissed A Girl [5:43]
06. Samba Delight [5:26]
07. Seven Come Eleven [5:29]
08. Bathed In Light [7:45]
09. Romantic Intermezzo From Bartok's Concerto For Orchestra [8:29]
10. Reverie [3:56]
11. One For Milton [4:07]
Personnel:
Stanley Jordan: guitar, piano (5, 9);
Bucky Pizzarelli: guitar (3, 6);
Mike Stern: guitar (4);
Russell Malone: guitar (6, 11);
Charlie Hunter: guitar (2, 5);
Regina Carter: violin (7, 9);
Kenny Garrett: soprano sax (1, 8);
Ronnie Laws: soprano sax (7);
Nicholas Payton: trumpet (1, 8);
Christian McBride: bass (1, 8);
Charnett Moffett: bass (5, 6, 10);
Kenwood Dennard: drums (1-8, 10, 11)
Bucky Pizzarelli: guitar (3, 6);
Mike Stern: guitar (4);
Russell Malone: guitar (6, 11);
Charlie Hunter: guitar (2, 5);
Regina Carter: violin (7, 9);
Kenny Garrett: soprano sax (1, 8);
Ronnie Laws: soprano sax (7);
Nicholas Payton: trumpet (1, 8);
Christian McBride: bass (1, 8);
Charnett Moffett: bass (5, 6, 10);
Kenwood Dennard: drums (1-8, 10, 11)
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