Author Archives: jschott

Guitar Player Reader’s Poll

       Now, I don’t want to beat up on ol’ Guitar Player magazine, which I’ve read since I was a kid, and still read today at the library. They publish great things, and naturally, some less than great … Continue reading

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New Page Up Above: “See Hear”

      I’ve added a page of videos of various projects, from various low budget sources.

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For Guitarists: Classical Shred Shed

     The concert I wrote about a couple of posts ago has come and gone. Among the pieces on the program was the World Premiere of Sebastian Currier’s Artificial Memory. How exciting! Guitar-wise, I was stepping onto a new … Continue reading

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The Blues and “Voice Throwing”

     Last year the venerable Chicago independent label Delmark released Magic Sam: Live at the Avant-Garde, a recording of a gig in the summer of ’68, Milwaukee. This is the 7th CD I have of Magic Sam, and I … Continue reading

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Lighting the fuse

     As much as I enjoy the exceedingly complex music of Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Carter, et al, as an electric guitarist, my enjoyment is strictly limited to listening and studying scores. I’ve rarely had the pleasure/terror of performing it, of … Continue reading

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Yoga Garden Dancers at Berkeley Arts Center

     Hey, remember the Berkeley Arts Center? That cute little gallery in Live Oak Park? So nice and cozy, and it seems like no one knows about it! I hadn’t been there in many years, but it’s just as … Continue reading

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The horror! The horror!

       It’s not that I don’t think about my website; I think about it frequently. It’s just that thinking isn’t doing. It’s as if there’s an invisible force field preventing me from getting anywhere near “johnschott.com”. I’ll spare … Continue reading

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I Remember Hubert Sumlin

Hubert Sumlin died last month. He was Howlin’ Wolf’s guitarist from the time Wolf came to Chicago around 1954 to his last performances in the mid ’70s. Those twenty years on the road, in the clubs and on record are … Continue reading

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Thank You Paul Motian.

       My wife is a Scrabble fanatic. She’s very, very good. I tried, when we first started going out, playing with her a couple times. She whupped me so bad, I quit. In one of our only games, … Continue reading

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Speaking of Trios:

     I had never seen footage of Paul Motion playing with Bill Evans before (which doesn’t mean there isn’t any, I’m far from systematic about watching jazz videos). But it’s wonderful to see him, here with Chuck Israels in … Continue reading

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