TK Smith (2014)

Desert Oasis: The Midcentury Modern Guitars of TK Smith by Nick Rossi, photos by Jacqueline Di Milia, courtesy of the Fretboard Journal

Issue number 32 of the Fretboard Journal is now available at newsstands everywhere. I am very pleased to announce that it includes an article penned by yours truly profiling guitarist and guitar-maker TK Smith. I first heard about TK in 1990 when Big Sandy & The Fly-Rite Trio released their debut LP on Dionysus Records and played in San Francisco to support the disc. I've been a fan of Smith's playing ever since. The path his life has taken is a very interesting one and it intersects with a lot of the topics covered on the pages of this weblog. I find his work to be beautiful, not only from the aesthetic perspective of someone who appreciates modernism, but also as someone who respects true craftsmanship. I also like that TK is part of a Southern California tradition - not in a convoluted way, but simple because he is both creative and curious. Plus he has great taste!

Fretboard Journal 32, Ry Cooder cover story, out now

TK Smith may be found online and you may also follow him on Instagram. And here's just a snippet of why he is one of the most interesting guitar players around…

Dave Pell (2009)

Image courtesy of the Los Angeles Times, c.1957

Hot on the heels of Marc's excellent blog about the current state of "jazz journalism", has been 2 days worth of interviews (with more to come) with Dave Pell.  I have really been digging it.  Today's interview especially really puts some aspects of the West Coast thing into perspective.  Being a native Southern Californian, I love reading about the history of the area, particularly when music is involved.  There is just something about LA that gets in you and stays there. To paraphrase someone: if you don't understand, then you just don't know.

P.S. - Don't go lookin' for the Crescendo Club on Sunset...the building was razed a long time ago.  After a successful run as a Sunset Strip jazz club in the 1950s-1960s, it became The Trip in the mid-60s hosting the likes of the Byrds (who incidentally were one of my first introductions to jazz - more on that some other time).