John Jorgenson interview

[smokinop]

I don't know how many here have watched Zac Childs interviews on the Truetone Lounge YouTube channel but the latest features multi-instrumentalist John Jorgenson. The interview covers John's vast career & although he's mostly an electric guitarist, he also plays mandolin & great gypsy-style acoustic guitar along with just about every other stringed and reed instruments. After listening to these interviews I purchased John Jorgenson box set Divertuoso. It's a three disc set with the first being the JJ Quintet (gypsy jazz), the second J2B2 (bluegrass) & disc three is all electric showcasing specific iconic guitars per each track. What a great collection of music.

Here's the link to the first of 4 interviews. I hope you enjoy.

[Ray(T)]

Yes, John is an incredible instrumentalist. I saw him with his "quintet" some years ago; it was surreal, there were nine of them, and they played to a vast audience of around 90 people. There was a young chap on the front row who had come a long way to see him and, the last time he saw him, he was playing with Elton John. He simply couldn't believe that he was playing six feet in front of him and that he was prepared to stop off for a chat as he left the stage.

A thoroughly decent bloke.

[CarlM]

My impression of John Jorgenson is that he is possibly the finest all around musician on the planet, playing more instruments at an extremely high level than anyone else.

I would not say he is primarily an electric guitarist. That is only one area he excels at. He has a wonderful bluegrass band that tours where he plays mandolin and acoustic guitar as well as the gypsy jazz band who are at the top of that genre where he plays guitar, bouzouki and clarinet. He has studied Django's style closely and has played Django in a movie. When he toured with Elton John it was mostly steel guitar and dobro. That is in addition to his work with the Desert Rose Band, the Hellecasters and touring with Dan Fogelberg. More instruments and styles of music than anyone I can think of all at the top of the field.

He also takes the time to speak with fans directly and treats everyone with respect. I once asked him a fairly simple question on crosspicking at a workshop and his response was a demonstration of several techniques and approaches within bluegrass and the Django style that answered my question and ten times more. At shows he seems to come out at the break and afterward to sign cd's and chat genuinely happy to talk with anyone.

[Ray(T)]

As an example of his virtuosity, the night I saw him, he arrived, all too soon, at the big final number. I can't remember what it was but it was fast and furious and concentrated on his top E string. About four bars in, it snapped. Rather than calling things to a halt, he simply moved down a string and up five frets and carried on. I think I was probably the only one in the audience who actually noticed.

[Charlieshafer]

+1 to all those comments. As a presenter who has showcased him on three occasions, he is a true gentleman to work with. Every nice thing someone says about him is true. That simple. As an aside here, I had asked him at one point about his playing with Elton John before he went with his true love, gypsy jazz. I was anticipating a sort of "yeah, glad to be off doing that stuff and on to this..." sort of response, but he couldn't stop talking about how much fun he had playing in that band, and how professional, and frankly, good Elton John was. He said that in the six years playing with him, and all the jumping around the piano and basically clowning around, he could only remember one missed chord or note by Elton. Anyway, go see John Jorgensen whenever he comes close to wherever you are, no matter the band it'll be as good as it gets.

[Ray(T)]

Although I'm not a fan, there must be something about Elton John. His other guitarist, Davy Johnstone (or is it Johnson) has been with him since he left the UK folk band, Magna Carta, way back in the 1970s.

[TonyP]

Great interview, thanks for posting that. John is an incredible musician. What floors me is whatever genre he's doing he's authentic. He gets it inside and out. I'm totally blown away at his total recall of everybody he's ever met or played with. That would be one basic skill for a mega networker like himself I would think.

[Verne Andru]

I'm a fan. Saw him and a paired-down version of his quintet in a small-ish church setting decked out like a Paris cafe. I was pretty close to front row. His clarinet playing is equally amazing. I loved the sound of him playing in sync with his fiddle player - the two instruments compliment each other so well.

My main mando - my avatar - is a John Jorgenson signature model and it's fabulous!

[Ivan Kelsall]

I saw John Jorgenson with 'The Hellecasters' at a guitar show at the Wembly conference center in London UK several years back,& i have to say that the whole band was off the wall awesome !!.
I first saw JJ play mandolin in this Desert Rose Band YouTube clip.Until then,i knew nothing about his Bluegrass connections. He's a pretty terrific all round musican,
Ivan