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Posts: 1945
Joined: Jul. 12 2004
From: San Francisco
Jason McGuire
Has anyone heard his CD? I've heard bits of it until today when I heard the whole thing. Oh my god, can this guy play. People have posted about how one day someone not from Spain is going to come out and really do it. And there is already the great French player Juan Carmona, as well as others who work in Spain. But Jason lives in the US, where he works with his wife, who is a wonderful dancer. Perhaps I'm not quite neutral because I did study with him several years ago. But he plays so much better now than then. I was hoping to hear a few of the things he taught me on the cd, but it's all new since then. And the record, it smokes. Great music, great flamenco player. From Texas.
I bought his CD about a year ago. In all fairness, yes he is a very talented guitarist, but his playing tends to get on my nerves. It seems like he can't play ten seconds without an earth shattering golpe (and I'm not exaggerating). For the non-initiated US crowd he plays for, I'm sure they eat it up, but it's a bit over the top for me, but the guy has major chops. In my opinion, he just needs to take it down a notch or two.
Great player, great chops. But he really blasts those golpes constantly. It loses its effect when you do it every few measures.
The composition sounds flamenco, but for some reason, it doesnt suck me in enough to listen to more than a couple of minutes. Where as i could listen to Ricardo M's Bulerias over and over again. As i have done.:) TK
The composition sounds flamenco, but for some reason, it doesnt suck me in enough to listen to more than a couple of minutes.
TK
I agree fully. I have my own method to judge what I like or don't like. It takes me about 25 to 30 minutes each way to the office. The last time I played his CD going into work, it didn't last the trip. If a CD stays in the player for two or three days, I know I have a winner. Last week Emilio Maya's was in for four or five days! Now that cat can play flamenco.
Interesting perspectives. I agree about the golpes, but the cd lasted two days in my car. Pele w/ Vicente is in there now. Maybe the personal angle is part of it-I know the guy and know how great a musician he is. Maybe I need to listen to a few cd's back to back along with his, but is it fair to compare him to the top guys? I don't know, but I do know the cd sounds good to me. Kinda depressing-the guy's been playing all his life, and by virture of his resume and ability is clearly one of the top players in the US, but he gets dismissed. I was talking about him to a good dancer once, and while she agreed he played really well, she preferred to be accompanied by a local Spaniard who had half the chops because he made her feel "more flamenco". I suspect she was yielding to the same additude some Spanish have for foreign players. Any way you shake it, it's a tough gig for a non Spanaird to play flamenco for aficianados.
I was recently reading about a German female trombone player. She was mistakenly asked to audition for a prestigious symphony. A novelty was that they were holding the auditions behind a screen to lessen appearance bias. Well, after she played they told her she had the job and sent everyone else home--except that they didnt' know she was a she until she stepped out from the screen, full of happiness!
All of a sudden, they recanted their decision. No way a female is strong enough to play trombone! They don't have large enough lungs!
My friend Chris the violin guy, who incidently plays on the opening cut of Jason's record, auditioned for the SF symphony and after two hundred players were reduced to a dozen finalists, the players were put behind a curtain. He got the gig, and later found out that even though the players were hidden, the judges knew who was who. Politics......are everywhere.
Last week Emilio Maya's was in for four or five days! Now that cat can play flamenco.
The thing I find about some of the non-Spanish players, is that they play "cold". Bags of aggresion and "look at me..." sort of attitude. Emilio on the other hand, plays with a lot of warmth and affection in his music, even though it can be pretty adventurously dischordant, in tune with the modern fashion. Probably because he has something to say...and nothing to prove. I still feel he's really at home though on that final Bulerias in E...LOL! A lot of the guys I've heard on this Forum, have a nice honesty to their playing, which is good and well balanced IMO.
I was talking about him to a good dancer once, and while she agreed he played really well, she preferred to be accompanied by a local Spaniard who had half the chops because he made her feel "more flamenco".
Mark,
I don't know if that's the case. I've thought about this a bit last night and in all honesty I believe most dancers and signers would find his style a bit distracting. When he is accompanying, it sounds like he's competing, at least that's the way I see it.
Well, can hardly blame him. Guitarists aren't really brought up in America to be "accompaniasts". And a foreigner playing guitar is going to have a chip on his shoulder. And he's pretty young right? Maybe he'll find home with a few years...
Interesting observations. The quotes "something to prove" and "look at me" are thought provoking. But consider the medium-solo flamenco guitar. Didn't it start as a way for guitarists to show off? From Ramon Montoya on. And PdL has been quoted saying he "had something to prove" in that he thought flamenco music could compete with great music anywhere. Thinkin about Paco's technique, especially his picado, it's pretty "look at me". Perhaps guitarists in Spain today have passed that stage in that it may be impossible to shatter the current technical barrier the way Paco did. I didn't want to imply that Jason is not considered an excellent accompaniest- he surely is as he regularly plays for pros from Spain. I truly believe the dancer in question was showing her predjudice.
Jason has lived and performed in the San Francisco Bay Area for several years. His background is not flamenco and one can either like his playing or not. At least I would like to express that opinion.
I few years ago my life was threatened for daring to state that I did not like flamenco that required someone to say after a performance, “And that was Alegrias”! I mentioned no names or performances. However, someone thought I meant Jason (no comment) and thus the threat.
When Pepe Ramero playes flamenco to me there is something lacking. Midi can play flamenco but it does not mean that I have to like it! In fact I like what I like and you (third person singular) can like whatever you like.
Mark, Just to clarify..I wasn't implying anything against Jason's character or his abilities as a guitarist....in fact he's a remarkable player. I agree with Pat that I really think he would sound better if he had to pull it back a couple of notches, but that's only my opinion. On the "showing off" thing. A lot of Flamenco is about showing off, even amongst the Flamencos themselves and that's what makes it fun. However the Flamencos seem to do it in a sort of modest way...if that makes sense LOL! To me it's part and parcel of this whole Flamenco "sound" that I keep harping on about. So my observation was really about the difficulty in getting this sound rather than a criticism of any foreign guitarists.
I'm listening to it as i write this and all i can say is DAMN the boy can play BUT i do agree with the statement about his earth shattering Golpes. Other than that, before this day is out i'm gonna learn some of his moves. Stay Real larone
There are a handfull of MONSTER flamenco guitarists here in the US, that are the top working accompanyists for Dance shows. Jason is on that list along with Pedro Cortes, Chuscales, and Roberto Castellon. These guys all have an extremely agressive attack when playing, and no doubt, is probably the result of "working" together for many years with various groups.
Accompanying dance is hard work sometimes, and very improvisational. If another guitarist is there doing his own thing, different style or level, you feel like you need to watch HIM instead of the dancer. If you don't, then the sound is like the guitars are stepping on each others toes. So when there is a time to take the lead, the lead guitarist needs to be A LOT louder. So with two leaders you can imagine where things go...CHOO! CHOO!-KA-BLAM!!!
Even guitarists in Spain have this problem. I saw the guitarists for Farruquito and Juana Amaya, each had his own style and did brilliant work on there own. But at the end they came together for a number, and it was like two fighting dogs RUFF! RUFF! Each tried to get something in there under the feet, and I found it a little distracting.
But even those guys would have to look out for a real locomotive like Roberto Castellon. I had the opportunity to play with him last year. I have seen him play many times. I love his style, and he is the nicest guy. Very cool, rhythmic and modern. In the rehearsal it was cool, we gave each other room to improvise a little. But on the stage, man he squashed me like an ant-"SPLAT!!!" Sound system and miking had a lot to do with it, but still, I would have prefered to just be in the audience and watch him go. I actually enjoyed the experience quite a bit, but man He said afterwards he wished we had more time together to work some stuff out. For me, I prefer when there is one accompanist, unless they are doing a real duet, because there needs to be some improv. Or one guy is lead on one dance, then they trade. Like in Jazz, you can't have two pianos. But when there is a guitar and piano, they have to becareful not to step on each others toes when comping.
Anyway, if you are into Jason, you should also check out Robert's CD, it has some really great stuff. Pedro and Chusco have CD's too, but they are more on the commercial side.
He sounds good. You guys are haters! Let the man do his golpes! At least he plays in compas!
Ok but seriously, just trying to bring a little perspective into this. The music is pretty enjoyable. And..last I checked, that had a lot to do with it.
I took a few lessons from Pedro, but I haven't seen him on stage. My friend Monty said he is a "force of nature." He is very modern and into avant-garde stuff. He is into studying theory and jazz and new chords and says you never stop studying. Chuscales plays very hard. He toured with my friend Miguel Rodriguez, and Miguel told me that Chuscales wanted to be the loudest guitarist anywhere, and to that end was very much into lifting weights, etc. Miguel claims that Chuscales is too strong, and that it now holds him back a bit in his technique. When I was in Spain, I went to a concert that had Eduardo Rebollar and Enrique de Melchor on stage. For some reason, Enrique's mic kept feeding back, and so he basically disappeared and just sat there exasperated. It's too bad because I wanted to hear him rip some picado :).
I've heard one of pedro's cd's and I liked it-he had some cool stuff on it. I reall like his playing and respect his approach. I've never heard Roberto, but I've heard he's really good. Chus, I've heard live-he's really a powerhouse who can really play. I saw him play with another guitarist for Tania, and the other guy was swallowed whole. I was sitting in the front row with some girl, and I had told her we were about to see a famous guitarist who was incredible. So the cuadro comes out and chus tears it apart while the other guy can hardly get a lick in. this goes on for the entire set. after the girl asks "which one is the famous one?" I said if you have to ask, forget it!
Hes a great player. Big emotions in his playing.(Ok sometimes I looks like he would burst his guitar in two halfs with the next golpe. But thats GREAT!! He plays his compositios, and these compos. are really good. Its his style and nor a paco or somebody else copy. That important, I think. I like his style very much.
I watched the videos again and again. Hes still fabulos! And the crazy sound of golpe from above comes from the cajon player. He allways hit the box like the box would be a buzzer in a gameshow where you can win 1000000000000000000000$ when you hit the buzzer most hardest! Jasons golpes are ok I think, the cajon-mr knows the compositions and does it syncron that we think its the effect of jasons golpe. eeehh did somebody understand me? ^^
I'm a beginner, so all I can say is wow!! I say the same thing when I watch Ricardo, Todd, Flamencoguru, Henrik, Escribano and all the other people who upload videos on this site and others. I'm watching some of Jason's videos he has on his site as I'm writing this - just awesome, thanks for the link Mark.
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Sound system and miking had a lot to do with it, but still, I would have prefered to just be in the audience and watch him go. I actually enjoyed the experience quite a bit, but man 
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