In the past three years, I've had the most wonderful time finding myself in a personal conquest seeking my creative waterway. Going to school at Greensboro College for the last few years has been a wonderful experience for me and my growth as a musician. I came here as a rock and roller, but I will be leaving fairly soon as a more well-rounded musician and individual. It was here, that my eyes and ears were opened to this wonderful music we call Jazz, mainly due to great teachers, a great jazz community, and a willingness to practice and learn. Through this music, I've been able to broaden my sense of imagination as many musicians do. It's also been through this music that I have been able to take part in many opportunities that would further my knowledge and growth as a musician. As of recently, I carry two great experiences that I feel obliged to share.

The first was in the summer of 2006, when a lot of things were beginning to sink in with me. I had returned to Maryland from college for the summer and was steadily becoming bored with my daily summer routine: work, eat, practice, and sleep. Finding a decent gig or some musicians to play with back in my area of Maryland was a particularly difficult task. The only thing I had to look forward to each day were emails from my guitar teacher from college, Greg Hyslop, that he and I were writing to one-another discussing music on a variety of levels. I was nearly on the verge of spontaneous combustion until I went out on an evening drive listening to music (which I did damn near every night to keep me occupied) and I heard some burnin' guitar coming from my speakers. This was the first time I heard Jimmy Bruno.

Jimmy's playing is just so damn good. I had never heard a guitarist with chops like his. When listening to him, it becomes impossible to turn your ear away for even just a second; you just want to hear more and more until your head explodes. He builds so much momentum in every song and every chorus is just better than the one before it. I had to immediately get my car back to my house and do some web-surfing to find out more about him. I bumped into his website and it was there at the bottom in bold letters that I found, "I give lessons at my home, $100/hr," with his email attached to it. I immediately emailed him and got a response the next day, then proceeded to schedule my lesson.

A few weeks later, I arrived at Jimmy's house. I got there very early; he was still in the middle of another lesson. I hung out with his son for a little while, who was one cool fellow. I have to admit, I was nervous as hell, but proceeded my way down into his basement where he gave lessons. He lightened the mood and asked some questions about myself and my abilities, and then wanted to play a little to see where I was. He told me to pick a blues, and my first response was "Tenor Madness." Jimmy and I jammed for a little while, and I'm just glad that he let me take the first few choruses. It was kind of then and there that I realized, "wow, I'm jamming with one of the most phenomenal guitar players that I've ever heard." The lesson was definitely worthwhile as he helped me construct better lines in my playing and gave me a few pointers and his outlook on improvisation. Jimmy's quite popular for his "No Nonsense Jazz Guitar" approach, which is something I was interested in after meeting him. He puts aside a lot of the theoretical terms that most musicians use, which is cool and obviously a valid approach.

I'm not trying to discourage or encourage this approach because your own methods of understanding are entirely up to you. He offered another lesson, which I took. At the next lesson, we covered some more material working with more ii-V-I progressions and he taught me to limit myself in practice. By that, I mean- taking any progression in any key, and restricting it to one area of the fretboard. These are some basic concepts, but as musicians- we often neglect the simple things and try to jump straight into the more complex areas of playing. Jimmy's one of the coolest guys I've met and his enthusiasm for teaching made our lessons very enjoyable.

I returned to college still pumped up about studying with Jimmy Bruno. It was really such a great experience that inspired me to continue working in the jazz direction. After a few more months in the woodshed and continuing my studies with Greg Hyslop (who is an exceptional guitarist), my playing starting moving in many more directions all at once (balancing jazz, classical, and rock is sometimes frustrating). In October, I was able to get in touch with Pat Martino. He spends a lot of time touring, so getting together with him took a few tries. I have been well aware of Pat Martino for quite a long time and I am well aware of his exceptional ability as a musician. My lesson with him was on January 4th, 2007 at his home in Philadelphia. Once I arrived there, I was fairly early so I decided to get a bite to eat around the corner from his house at this great little Italian place. The employees there noticed I had my guitar in hand and naturally asked a few questions. I told them I was there to study with Pat, and for the next 25 minutes- I enjoyed conversation with a few of Pat's biggest fans.

I knocked on Pat's door and he greeted me with a warm welcome. We proceeded upstairs to his office area, and he suggested that I let my guitar out of the case to allow it to breathe a little and he made room on one of his guitar stands for my instrument to sit for a few minutes while we talked. Pat is one of the most heartfelt, deepest, human beings that I have ever met in my life. I knew right then and there that I would enjoy this lesson with him. We picked up the guitars, plugged in, and Pat opened up his mind and experience for me to listen and learn. He placed a copy of his book, "Martino Fundamentals", in front of me and through the entire lesson- we worked through it. He explained to me the patterns that he had discovered on the guitar and how he's found ways to move the way he does. He also explained his approach using nothing but minor scales. In his words, "I play minor scales best. That's what I'm good at so I've found a way to always do it." It was very different from Jimmy Bruno's approach, yet unique and valid nonetheless. This experience was also something that has inspired me to continue to do what I do- go to school for music and sit down with my instrument for hours a day while listening non stop. I admire Pat Martino for his accomplishments, his playing, and his personality. Since my start as a jazz musician, Pat Martino's playing has always sounded best to my ears. His playing makes me feel a certain way that most musicians don't do for me (I'm sure everyone has their #1 pick), so maybe you can understand the value of me taking this lesson with him. I saw Pat again the following week at IAJE in New York City and spoke with him briefly.

I would encourage any young jazz musician to seek out their living hero's and ask for their wisdom. You will find that most of these guys are more than happy to share their knowledge and experience with you. Check out their tour schedules and search the web for some contact information, most of them have their contact info posted and will respond to you immediately.