Stanley Jordan at Jazz Alley

I wandered down to Jazz Alley tonight to hear Stanley Jordan -- somebody who over the years has definitely helped to expand the technical possiblities of the guitar, both within and outside of jazz music. I've listened to his playing quite a bit over the years, particularly his album Cornucopia with Kenny Kirkland, Jeff 'Tain' Watts, and Charnett Moffett from 1986, and have always been impressed by his virtuosity on the instrument. If you are interested in learning more about how he plays the guitar, visit this page on his website titled, Getting Started with the Touch Technique.

With all that said, the set I heard left me a little cold. Without question, Jordan is a monster on his instrument and is certainly capable of a great deal, but I still found something missing. At times, I felt like certain ideas just came off sloppily, and the endings of most of the tunes were disjointed and ineffective. The highlights of the evening -- on a positive note -- were his collaborations with visiting tap dancer Roxanne Butterfly, where they weaved in and out of each others' rhythms and accents to create a great set of duets, including Miles Davis' All Blues. I should alos mention that Stanley Jordan is one of the world-class, nicest and generous musicians on the scene today. If you've never had the pleasure of hearing Stanley Jordan live, I would have to say that you should get out there and try and check out a show. But, for me, myself, and I -- I'll definitely keep supporting and listening to his music, but I didn't feel like I got the best Stanley Jordan tonight.