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Last year while attending a Chet Atkins Society event in Nashville, TN, I caught a young jazz guitarist, Craig Wagner, performing a few solo sets which knocked me and everyone else out. This year Craig was back and all I can say is he gets better all the time.
At twenty four years of age, Craig has incredible chops and command of the instrument as well as a sound all his own. You can't confuse Craig Wagner with anyone else. His fingers remind me of Tal Farlow's in that he can stretch incredible distances on the neck. According to Craig, he practices 8-10 hours a day plus teaching privately and playing gigs around the Louisville, Kentucky area. He admits to being a "guitar geek" and having time for nothing else. His band Java Men received a good review in one of our previous issues. I interviewed Craig in Nashville during a Chet event.
EB … How did you get involved with the Chet Atkins event?
CW … A friend of mine, guitarist Pat Kirtley, has been a member of the Chet Societv for many years and told me to get a video audition of myself. So I went to Pat's home in Bardstown, KY since he had the equipment and I taped about ten tunes. Pat edited it down and sent the tape to Mark Pritcher who runs the event. Before I did the tape, I had to get my solo chops together. Up till then, my only experience playing solo guitar was a thankless, low paying gig at a restaurant with a largely geriatric clientele whose attitude toward me could best be described as "aggressive indifference". Besides that, most of my work has been with an organ trio called Java Men. We've done two recordings of all original compositions.
EB … Did you study music in school?
CW … Yes, I went to Bellarmine College in Louisville for four years and studied with Jeff Sherman. Bellarmine is one of the few colleges in the area where you can get a bachelor's degree in guitar performance with an emphasis on Jazz.
EB … Are you doing some teaching yourself?
CW … Yes, at a store called Steilberg String Instruments here in Louisville, and I have some private students also. I don't teach chords in the usual guitar way. I teach students piano type chords and inversions like triads on the first three strings for example. After learning the basic forms on three strings. the students can see patterns developing on all the chord shapes. I try to make the students visualize the fretboard all over and expose them to all forms of music whether it's Jerry Reed, Eric Clapton or Joe Pass. The most important thing I learned from Jeff is teaching myself how to learn. He always encouraged me to be creative and write out tunes. I spent a lot of time transcribing tunes like Johnny Smith's version of "My Romance" or "Golden Earrings", as well as some ensemble things which helped me develop my ear.
EB … Anyone you would like to study with?
CW … Yes, Jack Wilkins. He was at a clinic last year at the college. Jack knows the guitar! I would also love to study with players like Gene Bertoncini, Jimmy Wyble and Ted Greene. I wish I could go and study with someone like that for a few months.
EB … Who influenced you?
CW … I guess the first people to influence me were Bluegrass players like Doc and Merle Watson who I had seen at a concert when I was fourteen. My family wasn't very musical, and it wasn't till I got into about 8th grade that I became interested in other forms of music. I got into Rock for a while just because I wanted to play and there weren't any Jazz teachers around my area. I then began doing a lot of writing and playing more acoustic guitar. I fooled around with a 12 string and alternate tunings and took a few lessons but stopped after several months and just did my own thing. I wasn't going to go to college, but I noticed the guitar program so I thought I'd be able to take lessons. That's why I went.
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EB … What happened when you got to Bellarmine?
CW … Jeff Sherman got me into Jazz immediately. He's an incredible reader with a vast knowledge of the instrument. I wasn't the best student for a year or year and a half since I wasn't sure what direction I wanted to go. I practiced a lot but probably not the things I should have been doing. I was always a bit obsessive about the guitar and probably didn't spend my time wisely. I remember Christopher Parkening came to the college for a concert and clinic and I got a real kick in the ass. I had to perform in front of him and I was so nervous and my performance sounded terrible. That experience changed me. It made me rethink what my approach and direction should be. I then started to devote myself to Jazz. I practiced a lot and used my time, a lot more efficiently. Parkening said he would always slow things down to at least half speed until he got it down perfectly and then he worked on the speed. He talked about using the metronome and other proper ways to practice. Then things began to fall in place for me. I remember Jeff would bring players like Howard Roberts to do a clinic so I was exposed to people like that. Jimmy Raney was a mainstay at the college. I was able to take master classes with these artists. I remember having a conversation with Jimmy. You never forget it. He had a great voice. I used to see Jimmy at his solo and duo gigs with Scott Henderson in the Louisville area. Scott had studied with Jimmy. Jeff made me tapes of a number of Jazz players and the first ones to stick out in my mind were Pat Martino's version of "Days of Wine and Roses" and Hank Garland's "Jazz Winds" recording. What struck me was the tone that both these players got. Then I got a tape of Johnny Smith doing "Golden Earrings"! It took me a year to where I could play these tunes that well. Besides writing out some transcriptions, I listened to them and memorized them. Afterwards I became more interested in solo guitar and did a lot of writing myself. I noticed that my writing had more harmonic depth now as I listened to more Jazz and developed my ear more. I don't listen to many guitar players now. I listen to piano players like Keith Jarrett, Lenny Tristano and Bill Evans.
EB … Do you do much playing in the Louisville area?
CW … Yes, I do a lot of freelance Jazz gigsw ith pickup bands as well as my own group Java Men. I've been working quite steadily. I'm also doing a lot more solo gigs. I teach about twenty students also. I don't eat much so I don't require a lot of capital.
EB … What's your main guitar and amp?
CW … A Gibson ES350T. It's a 1992 reissue. I also use a Mesa Boogie Mark III for my amp.
EB … What guitarists do you listen to?
CW … Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Mike Stern. I also like Tuck Andress, Jim Hall, Joe Pass and Jimmy Raney. There's a guy by the name of Charlie Hunter who is just amazing. He's from the San Francisco area and is from the Tuck Andress school of playing. He plays 8 string guitar in a trio but there's no bass player. He has a couple of CDs out now. I'm also getting interested in Lenny Breau.
EB … Best of luck and I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more from you in the future.
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