Here is a mini interview that I'm conducting with various jazz guitarists that are listed on this site. Some of the same questions are presented to every guitarist.

Eric Elias

Eric Elias is a versatile musician.  As a soloist and with small combos, Eric's music represents a unique blend of jazz, Brazilian music, blues, and even some folk music. Free Time Magazine (Rochester, NY) has described Elias as being one of the funkiest acoustic guitarists around. Eric has been called “one of the new generation of guitarists who transcend style and remarkable skill on his instrument.” On the steel string acoustic guitar, Eric has refined the two-handed tapping and open tuning acoustic style made popular by Michael Hedges in the 80's. His musical skills embrace a number of instruments (banjo, mandolin, upright and electric bass, dulcimer) along with the guitar. Elias appears comfortable with nylon, steel and arch top and even upright bass as his most recent recording (Solos, Duos, Trios and Quartets) indicates as well. His jazz playing has been his focus of late and Eric appears to be blending his styles even further on several instruments.

   

Touring experience has taken Elias from London   to Toronto and across the eastern and central United   States, playing at clubs and festivals.  He has opened for   Maynard Ferguson and performed live with world-renowned   finger style guitarist Phil Keaggy.  Eric has also been   featured on two CDs for the Connecticut Classical Guitar   Society as well as recordings with guitarists Robert   Messore and Luke Nelson. Eric's compositions have been   used for local and national PBS television shows and have   been recorded by other artists as well.  He recently   received honorable mention in the John Lennon Songwriting   Contest. Eric has written for several jazz and guitar and   has authored 11 instructional books in the area of   mandolin, bass and guitar performance for Phunquie Pholk   Music Publishing.

The Interview (August 2004)

(JazzGuitarResources) As a Jazz guitarist who where you early influences?

(EE) A lot of rock players at first: Hendrix, Jimmy Page and then Phil Keaggy, who isn’t a jazz guitarist, but he uses a more broad melodic and harmonic approach to playing. Listening to him sparked my interest in getting into jazz more. Then I heard Pat Metheny’s American Garage in the early 80’s and I really was blown away by his sound.

So I guess my progression was Rock to fusion then to straight ahead jazz. I really got into Joe Pass and players like Herb Ellis, Emily Remler in the early 90’s—more straight ahead players.

(JGR) What about jazz drew you to the form?

(EE) I think the challenge of wanting to know how to do what those players were doing was what first drew me. I was really infatuated with interesting sounds and the more I listened to various jazz and fusion players, the more I felt like I “had” to try to play like that too.

(JGR) Do you see any commercial potential in jazz?

(EE) Yes, I have to hold on to hope! (laugh). I like a lot of popular music, but of course most of it is no jazz. I guess unfortunately, jazz seemed to fall out of the mainstream (for popularity) so long ago. I hope (and think) that the there will be some kind of resurgence in popularity. I imagine that there will be more blending of jazz and whatever is popular (hip-hop/jazz, etc…). The swing dance thing a few years back was a nice change in the music scene. I think that things will continue to evolve in our popular culture and within that we revisit the past in various forms.

(JGR) For all the guitarists with GAS out there what is you current gigging setup?

(EE) I endorse the new Stromberg Guitars and I love them. I have 3: the Newport (floating pickup no cutaway—for traditional gigs), the Montreaux (two pickups & cutaway, like a 175—for most gigs) and a Monterrey (thin like a 335—for more bluesy and fusion gigs). My acoustic gigs are done on a Larrivee C-03R steel String, a Yairi C127CE Nylon String, an Ibanez Django style guitar and a Jose Ramirez classical. I have one strat, one tele and an Epiphone Les Paul. I think that’s is for guitars. I play through a Fender Princeton, Acoustiasonic Jr, 65 reissue Deluxe and I just picked up an old Bassman Head (all Fender stuff).

My basses include a ‘69 Jazz Bass, a ’68 Precision Bass, a Precision Bass-Lyte, a 5 string fretless Jazz Bass, a Ken Smith 5 String and a Kay upright and a Mitthias Thoma upright. I play bass through a Behrringer unlrabass 1200. I have a banjo, mandolin, dulcimer, Yamaha drums, Yamaha keyboard, Yamaha alto sax and LP congas, bongos and Djembe. I studied percussion for a few years and play most of those instruments fairly well (I’m not a good keyboardist or set drummer). Yikes, that’s a lot of stuff when I write it down!

(JGR) How do you manage to balance playing all of those instruments and different styles?

(EE) It’s interesting, I think my fascination with sound (and compulsive practicing) have led to that eclectic interest. My dad has always had instruments around the house (trombones, banjos, saxophones, guitars), so I probably inherited that diverse interest from him. I think once I got an instrument I just wanted to get where I could jam a blues or some tunes and that is what has happened. No one would hire me to play sax for a jazz gig, but I’ve doubled on a lot of instruments for various bands or studio gigs that I’ve worked with and just having the ability to noodle, jam or actually play the variety of instruments had helped me get a lot of work—plus it’s just fun for me.

(JGR) How do you feel the internet adds to jazz guitar? I for one have gotten a lot of value from it for my jazzguitarresources.com site and my personal site. Also, allows one to interact with lots of great jazz guitarists.?

(EE) I agree totally. I have gotten a great deal of instructional material and gotten to connect with so many guitarists as well as other musicians (networking, gigs, made new friends, etc) through connections on the internet. Also the business that it has generated has been great. I have launched my instructional books and CD sales have grown. I couldn’t have done this without the web. Just finding a graphi designer/printer like you has helped my business and I wouldn’t have found you without the web.

(JGR) Thanks for you time.

(EE)

Thank you Curt. I really appreciate all of your support and this opportunity.