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Guitarist Ron Jackson brings his artistry to the Park Theater

Ron Jackson
Wikimedia Commons
/
Wikimedia Commons
Ron Jackson

Jazz guitarist Ron Jackson in Holland

Guitarist Ron Jackson's new album featuring his work on 7 string guitar is Standards And My Songs. He will be bringing his artisty to west Michigan to perform at the Park Theater in Holland, Friday
March 11th at 7pm. Ron Jackson has released 10 albums, beginning with his debut A Guitar Thing on Muse Records in 1991, at the age of 27. Jackson was born in the Philippines in 1964 where his father was serving with the Marines. He began playing guitar at the age of 11 and began his professional career at 15. He studied at Berklee College Of Music and in 1987 made the move to New York City. Jackson has also worked as an educator at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory of Music and at Jazz At Lincoln Center. Standards And My Songs begins with a version of Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)...(music) I spoke by phone with Ron Jackson and asked him about Standards And My Songs.

Jackson: It's an album that's a follow-up to my album before this, which was my first 7 straight guitar album which was called Standards And Other Songs.
So, you know, it's like a sequel and this album actually has Standards And My Songs...usually I record albums where I feature my original music.
So this one has my original music... the previous album have all covers, which I've never done before. So I think this is the best recording I've ever done.

WGVU: On the recording you've got some great players. Ben Wolfe the bass player, Willie Jones III on drums, with Brian Ho on organ, and Clark Gayton on trombone. Talk about these players.

Jackson: Willie Jones I've known for quite a while, I've been on recordings for other people as a sideman and I love the way he plays the studio, so I have him on the album...he's really great in the studio. Ben I've known for years, you know, he's a good friend of mine, and I've played some gigs with him, but I've never had him on a recording before. And then Clark Gayton, I actually went to school with him at Berkeley. He's a great trombone player, he plays with everybody, with all the big rock bands like Bruce Springsteen and Sting, along with McCoy Tyner. And Brian Ho is a great Hammond Organ player I know from the west coast.

WGVU: There are tributes on Standards And My Songstandards, including one for Bucky Pizzarelli, the great guitar master who died early in the days of the COVID-19 pandemic
and also guitarist Pat Martino who died late last year.

Jackson: Well, first, Pat Martino, I studied with him, I took a few lessons with him. So, he's a great teacher, a great player. So that tune in particular for Pat, you'd expect it to be more like a burning Pat Martino, guitar filled lines... you know, more complicated guitar line song. Pat actually wrote music like that for guitar, that's rarely heard about. There's one song Country Road that reminds me of that song. So when Pat died, I dedicated this song to him. Bucky was actually one of my teachers to, that's how I started playing 7 string guitar. This Nearly Was Mine was one of the songs that he used to play on 7 string guitar with a really a great arrangement for7 string guitar, so dedicated that to Bucky. I did my own take on it, playing in 5/4 instead of 3/4 in time signature.

WGVU: Guitarist Ron Jackson. His new album is Standard And My Songs. He's appearing in concert at the Park Theater in Holland, tomorrow, at 7pm.