- Des Glasford (Drummer, bandleader) - who, in my opinion, inspired all of us through his group "Combo 7."
Later on the most influential musicians in my life were:
- Jaco Pastorius (bassist, pianist, bandleader) - who lived with me, and with whom I played. What a character!!! I remember asking him to show me how he gets his harmonics. One night he returned home late and said to me, "You said you want to learn the harmonics." He just held his hands up and showed me 'nimble fingers.' I got the idea. That was his lesson. What was remarkable about Jaco was his dedication to his instrument. One day I left him practicing. I returned home that night to find him sitting in the same place still practicing - but now in the dark. (At that time, he was preparing himself for a European tour with the French gypsy guitarist Bireli Lagrene).
- Frank Hewitt (pianist) - who also lived with me, with whom I played gigs, and with whom I recorded an album entitled "All That Jazz and Blues." Frank once said to me, "You can't play." I asked, "What do you mean?" He responded, "Guitarists always clash with the piano because they voice their chords wrong." (sic) That statement caused me to commit to a series of intense lessons late at night. Frank showed me how to voice a chord by using 1, 3, 5 and a 9 on top. Needless to say, I had to learn playing chords and arpeggios all over again. This got me to practice like a little boy again, until my fingers hurt.
- Otis Harley (guitarist, pianist) - with whom I learned the art of reading in patterns rather than the "do, re, me fa, approach," as he calls it. He also introduced me to everything about music, down to definitions, such as the 'appoggiatura.'
L-R: James Cannings, Jan Jankije, Jaco Pastorius, Bireli Langrene. Photo: Fat Tuesday's Night Club during Les Paul's show 1985.
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