Excited to announce I will be both playing AND teaching at the Folk Alliance International Conference this year. On Thursday, February 15th, I'll be performing with Missy Raines at the Benton's 20th Floor location, at 7:30pm. In addition, I'll be teaching two classes part of the Louis Jay Meyers Music Camp, held in conjunction with Folk Alliance. One will be an intro to jazz guitar, aimed for students primarily with a folk background. We'll be discussing some brief jazz guitar history, how it relates to the folk tradition, and then dissect a few idiomatic jazz passages, revealing how "folky" they can actually sound at their core. My hope is to unveil the perhaps covert similarity between jazz and folk music, and to anticipate more of the exciting future that lies ahead in their mingling. My second class will focus on creative improvisation within fiddle music, where I'll discuss ideas, techniques, and a few exercises to help spark a fresh and personal approach. I hope to illuminate the real self-expressive potential I believe one has when playing this music, and to encourage players to think outside the box of what's "expected" in a great fiddle tune solo.
