John Stowell
Encyclopedia
John Stowell is an American Jazz
guitarist, composer, author and lecturer.
had private studies with Linc Chamberland and John Mehegan
. Several years later he met bassist David Friesen
in New York City
, and they formed a duo in 1976 that recorded and toured prolifically for seven years, with performances in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. The duo continues to perform thirty years after their first meeting. In 1983, Stowell and David Friesen joined flutist Paul Horn and Paul’s son Robin Horn (on drums) for a tour of the Soviet Union
. In 1977 Stowell recorded his debut album Golden Delicious; his sidemen were Jim McNeely
, Mike Richmond
, and Billy Hart
Stowell teaches internationally. He has been an Artist-In-Residence at schools in Germany
, Indonesia
, Argentina
, the United States and Canada
. He served as assistant director and performer at Oregon Public Broadcasting’s PDX Jazz Summit in 1991, and since 1995 has been a contributing columnist for a number of magazines, including Down Beat
, Guitar Player
, Canadian Musician
, Soundcheck (Germany), and Guitar Club (Italy). In Germany, he teaches at Jazz & Rock Schulen Freiburg with Frank Haunschild, with whom he playes regularly in a duo. He has also worked with Uwe Kropinski
, Dave Liebman
, Hiram Mutschler, Gérard Pansanel, Gustavo Assis-Brasil
, Kelley Shannon, and Nicolao Valiensi. In 2005 Stowell published Jazz Guitar Mastery (book and DVD). Stowell currently lives in Portland, Oregon
.
Stowell plays holds the guitar in an almost vertical position, not unlike a cello player which allows him to reach unusually large stretches in his soloing and chords.
Stowell's Through the Listening Glass with David Friesen was chosen of the best Jazz Albums of the Decade by the Los Angeles Examiner; he was chosen as a Talent Deserving Wider Recognition by Downbeat’s International Critic’s Poll in 1978 and 1979.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
guitarist, composer, author and lecturer.
Biography
Stowell, who plays electric and acoustic guitar, raised in ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
had private studies with Linc Chamberland and John Mehegan
John Mehegan
John Mehegan was an American jazz pianist, lecturer and critic.Mehegan was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut, and began playing the piano at the age of five. He taught himself to play by matching his fingers to the notes played on a neighborhood player piano. His mother gave him violin lessons,...
. Several years later he met bassist David Friesen
David Friesen
David Friesen is an American jazz bassist born in Tacoma, Washington. Friesen plays the double bass as well as the Oregon bass, which is an electrified acoustic bass....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and they formed a duo in 1976 that recorded and toured prolifically for seven years, with performances in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. The duo continues to perform thirty years after their first meeting. In 1983, Stowell and David Friesen joined flutist Paul Horn and Paul’s son Robin Horn (on drums) for a tour of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. In 1977 Stowell recorded his debut album Golden Delicious; his sidemen were Jim McNeely
Jim McNeely
Jim McNeely is a Grammy award winning jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.Jim was born in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois, and moved to New York City in 1975. In 1978 he joined the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band...
, Mike Richmond
Mike Richmond (musician)
Mike Richmond is an American jazz bassist.Richmond played guitar as a youth but picked up bass during high school. He attended Temple University and taught and played locally in the late 1960s...
, and Billy Hart
Billy Hart
William "Billy" Hart is a jazz drummer and educator who has performed with some of the most important jazz musicians in history.-Biography:Early on Hart performed in Washington, D.C...
Stowell teaches internationally. He has been an Artist-In-Residence at schools in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, the United States and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He served as assistant director and performer at Oregon Public Broadcasting’s PDX Jazz Summit in 1991, and since 1995 has been a contributing columnist for a number of magazines, including Down Beat
Down Beat
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
, Guitar Player
Guitar Player
Guitar Player is a popular magazine for guitarists founded in 1967. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print since the late 1960s and during the 1980s, under editor Tom Wheeler, the publication was...
, Canadian Musician
Canadian Musician
Canadian Musician is a Canadian magazine that is published bi-monthly by Norris-Whitney Communications Inc. Published since 1979, the magazine's primary area of interest is to profile Canadian musicians and musical events. The magazine also writes articles on the Canadian music business and...
, Soundcheck (Germany), and Guitar Club (Italy). In Germany, he teaches at Jazz & Rock Schulen Freiburg with Frank Haunschild, with whom he playes regularly in a duo. He has also worked with Uwe Kropinski
Uwe Kropinski
Uwe Kropinski Uwe Kropinski Uwe Kropinski (born February 20, 1952 is a German jazz guitarist.Born in Berlin, Kropinski studied jazz and classic guitar at Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler", Berlin from 1973 to 1976, during which time he became influenced by Conny Bauer....
, Dave Liebman
Dave Liebman
Dave Liebman is an American saxophonist and flautist. In June 2010, he received a NEA Jazz Masters lifetime achievement award from the National Endowment for the Arts.-Biography:...
, Hiram Mutschler, Gérard Pansanel, Gustavo Assis-Brasil
Gustavo Assis-Brasil
Gustavo Assis-Brasil is a Brazilian jazz guitarist. Based in Boston, he is considered a major pioneer in organizing the study and development of the hybrid picking technique for guitar. In 1999 he received a full scholarship to get his Master's degree at Berklee College of Music and The Boston...
, Kelley Shannon, and Nicolao Valiensi. In 2005 Stowell published Jazz Guitar Mastery (book and DVD). Stowell currently lives in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
Stowell plays holds the guitar in an almost vertical position, not unlike a cello player which allows him to reach unusually large stretches in his soloing and chords.
Stowell's Through the Listening Glass with David Friesen was chosen of the best Jazz Albums of the Decade by the Los Angeles Examiner; he was chosen as a Talent Deserving Wider Recognition by Downbeat’s International Critic’s Poll in 1978 and 1979.
Discography
- Through the Listening Glass (Inner City, 1978) with David Friesen
- Somewhere (Semaphore, 1985)
- The Banff Sessions (Origin, 1998) with Dave Liebman
- Jazz Duets with Chema Vilchez
- Resonance (Origin, 2003/04) solo
- Listen to This (acoustic music, 2004) with Frank Haunschild
- Summer Nights (Jardis, 2005 with Kelley Shannon
- Swan Tones, Vol. 1 (Soloway, 2005)
- Solitary Tales (Origin, 2008) solo