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==ChatGPT version, sept 2023==
Vanguard Guitar
Mariano Steimberg/Esteve Ripoll
Total Guitar, April 2000
The ambition to explore new territories, even going against the current, is possibly one of his greatest virtues. Creator of a unique and highly personal language, a master of the MIDI guitar with over thirty years of music under his belt, the unclassifiable English guitarist has just released "The Sixteen Men Of Tain," a stunning album that will not leave anyone indifferent.
He jokes in the moments leading up to the interview, "Today will be a tough day. I have a bunch of interviews," he comments. "I think I'll have a drink afterward to take it easy, you know." He wears a tattered leather jacket, jeans, and black canvas sneakers. He firmly grips his large hand and meticulously shows us his precious guitar. Throughout the conversation, he looks into the eyes and tries to be clear in his speech, especially when discussing intervallic permutations. However, he can't stand having his picture taken; he says he doesn't look good in them.
What does the album title, "The Sixteen Men Of Tain," refer to?
It was chosen from one of the tracks and suggests a kind of vacation, something festive, almost like Christmas. And I thought, what do people do during these times? They mostly drink. Occasionally, I receive an expensive whiskey from Scotland, from the town of Tain. At the bottom of the bottle, there's a label that says, "Manufactured by the sixteen men of Tain."
How long did it take to record, and which studio did you choose?
We took three days to record the basic tracks, around three weeks for the rest, and three months for mixing. I recorded it in my garage, which is a small space, but I have good equipment. Besides, it saved me some money. However, it took me almost a year and a half to secure a contract with a record label, and until then, I had no incentive to promote it.
What can you tell us about the producer and the musicians who collaborated on the album?
They are very talented musicians, that's all I know about them. Unfortunately, during tours, I had to change musicians because they all have different commitments. Besides, if they go on tour with me, they'd probably end up losing money (laughs).
What is your relationship with Gary Novak and Chad Wackerman, the drummers who play on "The Sixteen Men Of Tain"?
My relationship with both of them is the same, but their interpretation is completely different. I never tell them what to play; I like them to take the initiative themselves. I think it's good to give them space to do what they want, as long as it contributes to the music. I like to give my musicians a lot of freedom.
What's the reason for including Walt Fowler as a melodic element?
I've always liked the sound of the guitar with the trumpet. Plus, I've known Walt Fowler for a long time, and I really like how he plays, so I asked him to come and collaborate on two of the tracks. It would have been easier to bring in a pianist or a saxophonist, but it wouldn't have worked as well; I prefer the trumpet.
Tell us a bit about each of the album's tracks.
"0274" is the area code of the city where I was born.
"The Sixteen Men Of Tain" is the name that comes from the distillery.
"Above And Below" reflects the reality of human beings, how they do some things very well and others very badly, and how humans harm each other. It's the contrast between these two things.
"The Drums Were Yellow" is like a free improvisation piece. I like to play something of that style from time to time. When I first heard it, I liked the idea of taking out the bass. I was playing a solo, and I don't know why, suddenly and by mistake, I played a chord from the song "The Moon Was Yellow." Later, Dave Carpenter suggested that I should dedicate this song to Tony (Williams). So we named the track "The Drums Were Yellow."
"Texas" is a simple song because, at one point, I had to write very simple songs for a friend of mine who owns a music store. He needed to sell some equipment and asked me to write something simple to use as a demonstration, and one of the pieces I wrote was this one. I called it "Texas" because that's where I was at the time.
"Eidolon" is like an image of a ghost, like an apparition, something unresolved. That's the feeling I get when I use the SynthAxe.
Above And Below (Reprise): The original version had a guitar solo, and the musicians liked the idea of recording it without the solo, so they asked me to do that. When I first composed the song, it was for a quartet, and it sounded really good, but it was important to hear the chords behind the solo. It's simply the same version as the beginning but with a solo.
Why do you think you're one of the few guitarists who use the SynthAxe?
I don't know! I always felt like the SynthAxe was made for me; I thought it was something that came from heaven. There was a time when I didn't even want to look at the guitar because the SynthAxe gave me everything I wanted. I could get more sounds, use a controller for depth, and make it sound more like a wind instrument. On the other hand, I wasn't limited to using distortion to get sustain, which is something I hate. I could achieve sustain with a clear and clean sound, which isn't as easy to get with a guitar. Dealing with distortion is pretty tough and can take you to places you really don't want to go. And then they stopped making it. For me, it was like falling in love with a dinosaur. A dinosaur in love with another... There came a time when I got depressed and sold everything, even the two SynthAxes I had. But after six months, I was crying because I wanted them back. A guy who is now a friend of mine had saved up and bought a SynthAxe because he thought it looked cool, but he never even played it. He found out that I played it and contacted me through a music store and said he had this SynthAxe and offered it to me. I told him I wanted it but couldn't afford it because I was broke, and he said it didn't matter. So I told him I had a few guitars I wanted to sell, and he came to my house, and we made the trade; he took two guitars.
What can you say about Master Classes and the guitarists who offer them?
I never do Master Classes. I don't know if any of these schools are helping anyone; I think they cause more problems. I have my own way of thinking about this, and since I don't believe in these systems, it makes me not want to give Master Classes; I prefer to play. Unfortunately, you make more money doing clinics than playing, but I prefer not to do either. If they told me I could only do a concert if I first did a clinic, I would say no, although I did it once. It's sad. Also, it's difficult for me to explain what I do because I have my own system, and I can't communicate with the audience; they don't understand what I'm saying, and I don't understand what they're saying. Another interesting thing about this is that I've played with many pianists, and when they play my music and want to write it down, I look at how they notate the chords, and for me, it has nothing to do with what I ask for. The chord is something else; it doesn't describe the sound at all; it doesn't work in my music. I can't give names to my chords. This is inappropriate, but it's also what they teach everyone. That's why I don't want to go to a school and tell them that everything they're doing is wrong just because I'm doing everything backward.
You have your own trademark when it comes to chord voicings. What is your approach regarding harmony, tension, and resolution?
Long question, long answer! (laughs). My approach is my way of feeling the music. When I started learning, I looked at books that my father had bought for me, and I saw these chords with ten different names. I mostly referred to dominant chords because you can't play all the notes of a dominant chord, and when I was young, I was ignorant about it, and now I'm still a bit ignorant... I wondered why things were that way and not another. One day, my father sat down and showed me a chord with ten different notes. I was only playing half of the chord. So, I started to understand and began to think about intervallic permutations. It's like if I hear a chord, I start thinking about what diatonic harmony could work with that chord. When I hear a chord progression, I associate them with colors. If the first chord is orange, the next one blue, and the next one green... besides, there are different shades of each color. In other words, there could be many scales that work with the same chord changes. That's how I think about music. As for the lines, I play scale-based lines and blend them. I like creating symmetrical things. Or, for example, if I play something that's not diatonic but repeat it enough, I manage to create another kind of color, like overlaying something on what's already sounding.
How do you develop your approach to composing?
I simply sit down with the guitar and try to improvise. I have two ways of composing: one is sitting down to study something specific, and the other is not thinking and just playing. Sometimes, I find interesting things when I'm not thinking about it, then I step away from it for a while and come back to it. I also like changing keys in my compositions and modulating them.
Do you follow any routine when you compose?
No. Many guys sometimes ask me to play a lick, but I refuse. That means if you play a lick, you're not improvising because if you were playing licks, you could play the same thing every time you play the piece. Everyone does this at some point; if you have other things on your mind, like your girlfriend leaving you for another guy or something like that, and you're not thinking about it, it's something that will come out automatically. But if you're having a good night, you won't play licks; you'll try to draw out the things you have inside from the experience accumulated over time, and you'll express it unconsciously and naturally. It's like an unconscious release.
You use certain scales to "go outside," sometimes between certain chords. Can you explain what that is?
Yes, it's a personal thing. The thing is to improvise; you have an idea and you realize it. I'll never try to do the same thing twice. I don't know how to answer this question because I don't have a specific way of doing things; it's all interconnected. It's like an "unfinished" way of playing. Over the years, I've learned that I know nothing. And not knowing is a pleasurable feeling because it forces you to seek. If you think you know everything, you've reached a point where you're either deceiving yourself or you can't absorb more information. I try to imagine a situation in which I already know enough, but it's impossible; it's something that has no end. Now there's an advantage because you can listen to what was done years ago. In contrast, back then, they couldn't hear anything because there were no records. If you listen to John Coltrane, you'll realize that over the years, no one can play like that. That's one of the beauties of music; each person feels it differently. And at the same time, that's one of the things I hate about schools; you'll have someone teaching everyone the same thing. And many of those things don't work, but this is just my opinion.
Can you mention some of your favorite musicians and bands?
Oh, there are so many... Michael Brecker, Keith Jarrett, obviously John Coltrane... all these that everyone already knows. The list of guys I don't like is much shorter. I like most guitarists. I really enjoy classical music. But it's been two or three years since I stopped listening to music because I have strange dreams. I dream that I'm walking down the street, and I pass by a music store, and I can hear someone playing the guitar, and it's incredible what they're playing, but this person has their back to me, and I can't see who it is. It happens to me a lot, and I think, "If only I could find a record by that person!" Maybe I'll spend more time sleeping to figure it out. In general, what happens is that when I play with young people, they always bring me something new to listen to, but it's not like before when every Saturday I would go to the record store and buy everything by Coltrane and classical music. I feel that influences don't help me anymore; they just distract me. Everyone is becoming too good! (laughs).
Is there any current rock band that particularly attracts you?
I don't really like rock that much. When I was young, I did like it because that's all I could play. And there are many very good heavy metal guitarists, but I can't stomach their music; it's not made for me, it drives me crazy.
What projects do you have in mind for the future?
There's an album I just recorded with Gary Husband and Jimmy Johnson; it's not mixed yet, but it turned out very well. Now I have a contract with this small company, and I've signed up to make three albums. So, I was thinking of making an album with Gordon Beck, but I didn't want to do old songs, and another thing is that when we tried to do it in my garage, it didn't work because he's very used to the piano, and if you give him an electric keyboard, it doesn't work, and he doesn't play as well. But it happened. However, he's an excellent pianist, and I'd like to make another album with him and Dave Carpenter and maybe Vinnie (Colaiuta).
Finally, any advice for guitarists who are just starting out...
Aim for the best but expect the worst. Cross your fingers... Perseverance. I think that's all I can say.
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