In 1995, after a week spent in a cellar, two men emerged clutching the fruits of their labour – an album of ten guitar instrumentals of varying degrees of pottyness. Twenty-four years later, having re-discovered the original master tapes in the shed, I decided to reboot the album, replacing the original programmed drums with some proper, human groove, adding proper bass and a guest guitar solo or two, all courtesy of a cadre of fine and dedicated musicians.
Why? Because I can’t really operate the guitar any more, due to old age, infirmity and Parkinson’s. I thought it would be a fun idea to collaborate with some of the musicians I used to work with, as well as some that I trained back in the day.
The resulting music will not only be fun to listen to, it will also have a fair amount to say about how I used to play, and how music is done these days.
Ultimately, it’s an excuse for me to duet with a bunch of fine musicians, while also raising awareness of young-onset Parkinson’s, and maybe a little money, to boot.
The album will, eventually, be joined by a memoir-cum-manual in which I talk about my experiences as a musician, my theories on music and learning, and other stuff. A sort of extended liner notes quintuple gatefold edition.
