Two categories of Jazz guitarists

[Donnie]

I'll bite... I always wanted to learn to read music, but the form of dyslexia I have (inability to sequence), really made anything like this almost impossible. I've told the story a few times about my first "serious paying" gig as a guitarist in a Soul Group, right out of high school. The Key Board Man, Uncle Gordy, taught composition at a Jr. College in Everett Wa., and I soon realized just how much he knew and how gifted he was. I sang a song to his Wife's Cousins Daughter, Louizza (the other female Vocalist), and she wanted me to sing it to him. As I was singing it, he wrote the basic chart out without actually sitting down to the key board. Afterwards he sat at the key board and refined it, writing out the horn and bass charts. AMAZING! That Fall I came home and went to College as a Music Major- short lived choice. The Dept Chair of the music program saw that I was struggling the first week, saying "you can't read music can you." I told him I couldn't; he asked me to play something on the guitar for him. I did and he asked "why do you want to do read music?" (Me) "so I can read a chart and play the music." (He) "don't become a slave to a piece of paper. You have a feel for music; I can tell it's almost a Sixth Since, you know where the arrangement is going as you hear it. Don't loose that." I've always played that way. Sure, I know my chords and what chords are in what key, (circle of fifths), but that's all I know. I've been playing as a full time, part time, and sometime guitar player longer than anything else. If you get a chance to learn to read music, DO IT, but if you're like me, don't let not knowing how, stop you.

[Robertkoa]

I will say it again...
Wes was an alien from another planet...
sent here by the Gods to show us mortals how great music should sound...
and how to look super-cool whilst doing so.

Case in point...

You absolutely made your point- this is some VERY Urban Sounding Jazz too ....( like an extreme *R&B feel - yes I know Jazz owns it) and Wes in the Pic looks as cool as the coolest Hip Hoppers or Actors -
agreed.
The Alien Part is on a given night on a given Tune or one Phrase etc. - you might Play this well - but you will never look as cool doing it.....

*The Urban R&B thing I hear is the African drum/ bass feel in the Rhythm Track plus Wes' time feel...just noticed.

Did Wes blow people's minds almost like Hendrix did when Wes fully emerged?

[Vladan]

...Did Wes blow people's minds almost like Hendrix did when Wes fully emerged?