At sixteen years old I heard John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme.” In the first listen I heard an expression of personal unfoldment, struggle, truth, passion, creativity and love. I was already a guitar player and loved music, but this lit up within me an intent and purpose of what music could be. It was a searchlight for me, connecting the worlds of music and personal realization. There was no doubt to me that the band’s playing demonstrated an excellence that was at the highest level on their instruments.
Jazz seemed to me to be a limitless endeavor. I heard in that music the first touches of Mastery that I’ve sought ever since. The value of what was played on those four songs is as tangible in my life’s meaning as my teachers, friends and loved ones.
For me the value of music is its ability to reach a listener in a transformative manner. Music has helped me to live life deeply. I’ve learned lessons from my experiences in music that have allowed me to grow as a person, connect with others, and has called me to give to others of my very best. Music has accompanied me through ups and downs and I’ve found by focusing on the music that I resonate with I’m able to experience a greater degree of understanding in my own life and playing. Music often mirrors back my own state of mind and heart.
Music is embedded in human society. People love music. It accompanies us everywhere, in the car, a coffee shop, movies, commercials etc. People have favorite songs that excite them, remind them of loved ones, give perspective to their lives, or take them to another world.
The different forms of music resonate with the attitudes and beliefs of different groups of people. For me, jazz is what it is. I hear meaning in the lines of my favorite players. I hear stories in their solos and places in their compositions. Their playing conveys a state of being.
Three elements that I hold dear in my own playing and study of music are substance, touch and intent. Substance for me is what I connect to in others playing. The substance I am interested in expressing is from the hard won lessons of life. I’ve lived through some stuff, as we all have. I would like that to be what is felt in what I play. I’d like to take what I’ve known and express it on the guitar. I’d like to play beyond my own beliefs of myself and venture into what I hear in my favorite artists.
The concept of Touch on the guitar is one of my favorite studies. What does it mean for me when someone says that a player has a great “touch”? It is the way they play a note. I love the sound of guitar and what physical components go into the sound of my favorite musicians. For me, it isn’t just what note to play but how to play it. This can convey worlds of being. With help, I believe I’ve begun to develop this and continue to work at it. I want the guitar to sing, speak, and hint at the continued effort towards greater awareness of love and purpose.
Intent seems to be the closest I can come to describing what I hear in my favorite music. Purpose is another word to describe it. I feel that my favorite musicians are bringing to bare a vast awareness of music and a focused presence to what they play. I can hear the years of practice and hard work that manifests as excellence.
My mission on the guitar is to manifest this area of mastery. The value of what I do is that I am working to be consciously involved in the flow of meaning, purpose and love in music. I do the work, as only I can practice the guitar and learn the lessons I need for my next steps. I do it because of the tremendous gift that I have found in music and I believe I can play and live as to give that to others.
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Theme Song, Dispute, Dear Ones, Approach and Mountain View are the first release of a three part project. I have 8-10 tracks that will be uploaded and available for free here and on ReverbNation. I'll release them every week to ten days through December. These tracks are the groundwork for a recording that I'll begin in early 2010. The first phase is this serial release. The next two sections of the project will be taking this music and having a different look at it by recording it in two different settings with different instrumentation. I plan to record with a jazz trio/quartet, and also in a two guitar, electric bass, drums format.
You can hear and download the music for free here or at Reverbnation.com/JoshuaMaxey
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| Theme Song. This is one of those songs that initially wrote itself. I hit record, improvised the melody and did a second take outlining the chords. I used my Martin acoustic for the rhythm part, tuned down to C#. The D'Angelico is the melody and solo guitar. I have a drum sample and use my fender electric bass to round out the recording. Rodney indirectly helped to title this one. We had played around the time I was working on this track and he suggested that I make sure to develop themes in improvisations. I've often mentioned call and response in lessons that I've taught about improvisation. I used those principles on this track.
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Dispute has a conceptual title. It was the first recording for "Theme Song". I'd completed the bass/rhythm guitar/drum parts. I took four or five passes at recording the melodies and solos. I didn't have a take that I liked. I told myself, "I CAN'T record!" I got up, got a drink of water and it occurred to me that this statement was not entirely true. I COULD record. I could hit record with the mouse and then I would be recording. The next step was to set up a more realistic belief. I could record, the playing might be really good, ok, or bad, but I could record. The next take was the one you hear and it is a dispute of both that unrealistic idea and to an extent, the cds/etc that I recorded years ago.
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Dear Ones has a similar harmonic structure to a few of the other tunes. I'm using the same instrumentation as Theme Song, the Martain is tuned down again, electric bass and the D'Angelico. It is about and for loved ones. Family, friends and teachers. It's written for those I have learned the most from. Jessica wrote the B section's theme. She plays flute and I wanted to have that influence mixed in with the intent of the song. It has a simple form that I enjoyed playing over.
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Approach. This one is the precursser to Mountain View. It's the approach or climb necessary to rise up to another perspective. I've played this riff for the past few years with my friend and fellow guitarist David Nicholson. This one mixes my favorite elements in jazz. It is in three and the riff is similar to Coltrane's "Compassion" from Meditations. I look forward to recording this one in a trio or quartet setting. The feeling of the tune will be rounded out with bass and drums. A few of my favorite jazz soloists are Trane, Mccoy Tyner, and Rodney Jones. This piece reflects for me the excitement and purpose I feel when I listen to their playing. It also has a hint of Stevie Ray Vaughan in the main riff. He was one of my earliest guitar influences.
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| Mountain View. This is the expression of a recent personal understanding. I was reminded that I have had high goals and big dreams. Essentially, to "climb the mountain" of mastery in music and also in my personal study. I understood that I shouldn't be surprised to then find myself on a mountain, and for it to be steep. The over all lesson was that I believe that my challenges are the answer to my requests and dreams.
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