One of the most lauded and daring modern jazz guitarists of our time, Stanley Jordan is excited to be bringing his solo show down to Australia in August. “The best way to experience the musical core of what I do is see my solo show,” Stanley told us.
Jordan’s first headline tour of Australia will see him perform at The Gov in Adelaide, Brisbane’s Old Museum and four shows at Melbourne’s Jazz Lab, plus a special performance at Enmore Theatre as part of the Sydney Guitar Festival.
Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips caught up with Stanley Jordan to discuss his career, gear, the soon to be released album ‘Feather In The Wind’, and the upcoming Australian tour.
A true maverick, Jordan is known for his signature mastery of a special technique on the guitar’s fretboard called ‘touch technique’, which sees the charismatic virtuoso use an advanced form of two-handed tapping, instead of conventional strumming and picking.
In an illustrious career spanning four decades, Jordan has earned four Grammy Award nominations, with worldwide commercial and critical acclaim throughout, since first coming to prominence with the release of his 1985 album Magic Touch, a revolutionary project that placed him at the forefront of re-launching legendary Blue Note Records into a contemporary entity in jazz and beyond, and also established the then-twenty-something Jordan as among the most distinctive and refreshing new voices of the electric guitar.
Jordan consistently displays a chameleonic musical persona of openness, imagination, versatility and innovation. He can always be counted on to take listeners on a breathless journey into the expected … be it bold reinventions of classical masterpieces or soulful explorations through pop-rock hits, to blazing straight ahead jazz forays and ultramodern improvisational works—solo or with a group.
While a handful of other players use similar techniques, Stanley’s fluid, multi-layered textures and sheer virtuosity have raised the bar for excellence. But his technique, though impressive, is always a means to a musical end. His music is imbued with a warmth and sensitivity that has captured the imagination of listeners worldwide. A classically trained pianist before playing guitar, Jordan wanted greater freedom in voicing chords on his guitar, so he applied piano principles to do so.
Jordan’s touch technique allows the guitarist to play melody and chords simultaneously with an unprecedented level of independence. It also allows Jordan to play simultaneously on two different guitars, or even on guitar and piano. He says, “I think of it as a single instrument, but one with a wide range of tonal colours—that’s why I do it.”
Tickets to see Stanley Jordan live are on sale now through venue and event websites.
Stanley Jordan (USA) – 18+
Thursday, August 4 – Adelaide
The Gov, 59 Port Rd, Hindmarsh 7.30pm
$90.30 thru Oztix
Friday, August 5 – Melbourne
The Jazz Lab, 27 Leslie St, Brunswick 6.30pm + 9.30pm
$65-$82.50 thru The Jazz Lab
Saturday, August 6 – Melbourne
The Jazz Lab, 27 Leslie St, Brunswick 6.30pm + 9.30pm
$65-$82.50 thru The Jazz Lab
Sunday, August 7 – Sydney Guitar Festival
Enmore Theatre, 118-132 Enmore Rd, Newtown 7.00pm $79-$99 thru Ticketek
Thursday, August 11 – Brisbane
Old Museum, 480 Gregory Terrace, Bowen Hills 6.30pm
$69-$86.50 thru Old Museum