Stanley uses a technique called the "Touch" or "Tapping"
technique to achieve a level of orchestral complexity equaling that
of a keyboard instrument. He can sound like two or three
guitarists at the same time with no overdubs or other studio
techniques. He says, "Basically, I use 'hammer-ons' and 'pulloffs.'
These techniques have been around for a long time." But Stanley
Jordan has raised this art form to an unprecedented musical level,
and has used it to express his unique musical vision. Other
players, such as Jimmy Webster, Lenny Breau, Edward Van
Halen and Emmett Chapman have also used the technique, but
Stanley Jordan discovered and developed it independently, and
today he is widely regarded as the first "Touch Virtuoso." He also
uses traditional flat-picking and finger picking. He can be heard
using a pick quite skillfully in many of his live shows and on a
number of his recordings, including, "When Julia Smiles" from the
album Flying Home. Much of the hype surrounding his sudden
rise to fame in the mid 80s was based on his technique. Because
the technique is so startling, so strikingly unusual, it is easy to see
how it can get "Center stage" in discussions of Jordan's music. But
what has become more and more apparent through the years, is
that he has the musicianship and creativity to match. Few
contemporary artists can match his combination of passion,
sensitivity and shear brilliance. His technique never overwhelms
his music. In fact, he says that since the early 80s he has been
focusing much more on expressiveness than on speed and
complexity. Could it be then, that many of his listeners still have
not heard the full range of his abilities? Certainly what they have
heard has made his live concerts legendary.
The Music
Stanley Jordan plays with an uncommon depth of feeling. Many
who see him perform for the first time are struck by the emotional
intensity of his playing. There are times when he seems totally
immersed in the music. As a listener, it is hard not to be affected
by this feeling. Before you know it, you are drawn in to a new
musical world with its own rules and its own seemingly limitless
possibilities. And whether he's spinning out ever-new variations on
songs he's played for years, or creating new songs on the spot, his
shows are dependably unpredictable. You could see him play
twice in the same night and it would be a different experience. So,
what kind of music does Stanley Jordan play? Although he was
originally classified as a jazz artist, his direction has boldly evolved
into a broad synthesis of styles. How do you classify an artist who
freely mixes baroque and blues in the same phrase? Or who can
lay down a jazzy walking bass line plus chords with one hand on
one guitar while simultaneously playing a rock lead with distortion
and feedback on another guitar with the other hand?
Career Beginnings
The story of his career as seems as legendary as his unique
playing technique. Stanley Jordan was earning a living as a street
musician in New York, Philadelphia and various towns in the
Midwest and the South. Before long, word began to spread about
the incredible guitarist playing for pocket change. Stanley
auditioned for record executive Bruce Lundvall, who was then
heading the Elektra Musician label. Lundvall offered him a record
deal on the spot. But Stanley felt that he wasn't quite ready, and
he continued to focus on his music, his plans and his new family
(with the recent birth of his daughter). It was a year and a half
before he was ready to sign. Bruce Lundvall had moved to the
newly-reactivated Blue Note Records, and Stanley Jordan became
the label's first new artist. The album that followed, Magic Touch
(1985), was a phenomenal success (#1 on Billboard's jazz chart
for 51 weeks, two Grammy nominations and certified Gold in
U.S. and Japan). Offering an intelligent, sensitive synthesis of jazz
styles, Magic Touch touched a nerve in the general public. His
cover of Michael Jackson's "The Lady in My Life" is considered a
definitive standard for the genre known as "contemporary jazz."
In 1986, Stanley made a cameo appearance in the movie Blind
Date, with Bruce Willis and Kim Basinger. He made frequent
appearances on TV shows such as The Tonite Show with Johnny
Carson, Late Nite with David Letterman and Regis and Kathy
Lee. His music videos were widely seen, appearing on national
channels such as VH-1 and BET. Video proved to a good medium
for Stanley because of the visual impact of his unique technique.
He released the album Cornucopia (Blue Note) in 1990.
Critically-acclaimed and Grammy-nominated, Cornucopia left no
doubt that Stanley Jordan was continuing to grow musically. A
live set followed-- Stolen Moments (Blue Note 1991), recorded at
the Blue Note in Tokyo with Charnett Moffett on bass and
Kenwood Dennard on drums. Jordan then moved to Arista
Records, and in 1994 he released Bolero, which includes a
groove-oriented remake of Ravel's "Bolero."
Two reissues on Blue Note followed--The Best of Stanley Jordan,
and Stanley Jordan Live in New York. The "Best Of" was Blue
Note's compilation of some of Stanley's biggest selling
previously-released tracks, while Live in New York contained
alternate mixes from the Cornucopia live session plus some
previously-unreleased material.
Tough Choices
When Jordan first rose to fame in the mid-80s, there was a flurry
of critical acclaim and opportunities for major appearances in TV
and film. The range of his talents was so broad that there seemed
to be no limit to his potential. Many separate musical factions
claimed him as their own. He became all things to all people -- a
position that can never be sustained for long, because it is based
on illusion.
Competing expectations were placed on him from all directions.
Depending on whom you asked, he was either the next George
Benson, or the Next Al Dimeola, or even the next Jimi Hendrix.
Musicians wanted him to be John Coltrane, jazz critics wanted
him to be Wynton Marsalis, radio stations wanted him to be
Kenny G. In truth, he was all of those people, but then again
none. His musical range spanned several conventional categories,
yet the real core of his sound was something new that didn't fit
neatly into any preexisting label. People came to realize he was
not who they thought he was, yet his true identity had not yet
been clearly articulated. "I saw that as an opportunity for me to be
re-presented in a more accurate light, but my involvement into the
marketing was somewhat limited at that time.
"I always had a lot of great advisers around me -- experts in the
business. But when you're dealing with something as vast as
music, there is really no such thing as an expert, none of us. So I
was getting all this expert advice, but at the same time, my own
inner voice was telling me something else."
He was also somewhat paralyzed by his own perfectionism. He
explains, "I have this sound inside me that is greater than anything
I have ever played on my guitar. Developing a new technique
helped me get closer to it, but that only took me so far. I also had
to develop a new notation system, and some new approaches to
music theory, and I had to assemble some pretty sophisticated
production tools. But even all that was not enough. I found that I
had to look inward and develop myself physically, emotionally,
mentally and spiritually so that I could overcome whatever issues
where keeping me from bringing out that inner music, that deep
sound that had tormented me since my youth and had become the
measure of all things. Until I had achieved that, nothing else would
do. I didn't want to releasing any music at all if it wasn't going to
be my best." So even though he made an enormous amount of
music in the 90s, very little of it was ever released to the public.
Music And Healing
Beginning in the late 80s, Stanley's lifelong interest in health was
rekindled when a chiropractor got him back on his feet in one
session after a week of crippling leg pain. This intervention saved
a major European tour and altered Stanley's concept of health and
healing. He explains, "The textbook definition of pain is that it's
the experience of tissue damage. We assume the pain will diminish
slowly as the tissue heals. But pain could just as easily be caused
by an imbalance in the energy flow within the body, which can be
corrected sometimes within a matter of minutes. This is why five
physicians could not find the problem, yet the sixth one actually
healed it. It was actually a strain from running in an airport
carrying heavy objects. A casualty of the rat race.
"He also gave me some advice about cleaning up my diet and
detoxifying my body. I was amazed at how much better I felt in
general. This led me to investigate other areas of natural healing as
well as conventional medicine. I came to realize that we were in
the midst of a paradigm shift from disease treatment to disease
prevention and ultimately to health enhancement. Around that
time I also met a music therapist who sent me a huge stack of
literature about her profession. I could see it was all coming
together. I realized that a part of my calling in life was to enhance
the healing process through my music." This also coincided with a
strongly felt need to get out of the rat race and focus on his
spiritual growth.
Stanley disbanded his entire management, touring and production
organization and went into deep study. He eventually left New
York for a quiet reclusive life in the mountains of the Southwest.
He then joined the AMTA (American Music Therapy Association)
and became an artist spokesperson. He became actively involved
in promoting the cause, observing music therapists in action and
seeking out whatever information he could find. Recently he has
enrolled at Arizona State University to pursue his own degree in
music therapy.
"If we keep up the learning process, eventually we really do start
to figure things out. I began to see a connection between the
paralysis in my leg and the paralysis in my music. In both cases, I
was trying too hard, rushing too fast, trying to do everything at
once. I had to learn to be more patient and realize that some
things take time, just like playing a song at the correct tempo. If
you rush it you destroy the music. Everything is in divine order,
and when we think about it musically, that order is easy to
perceive."
Current Projects
Today Jordan is busier than ever, though with a more relaxed
attitude. He is still deeply involved in his music therapy studies.
His touring schedule is quite full, making it very likely that he will
be in your area soon. He feels that his break in the 90s and his
new knowledge and skills have been good for his music and he is
eager to share the results of this growth with his fans.
Stanley summarizes, "Spirituality often works in circles. At times
it may require a decisive break with the outside world to try to get
in touch with your true self and your Spirit. Then again, the same
drive to actualization might lead you back into the mainstream,
because when we find our calling, we generally come to see
ourselves in a service capacity. I feel good about the music I'm
making these days, and I'm really enjoying bringing it to the
people. I've been recording a lot of the shows lately, and I'm
getting lots of new material to put out a live album in the near
future."
It's surely a good sign when even the relentless perfectionist is
pleased.