Happy Birthday to the Best Guitar Teacher I Ever Had...
Andrew Wasson...
Jazz guitar master Joe Diorio is 80 years young today...
Joe embraces the true exploratory experience of jazz. With over 40 years of experience as a performer, recording artist, and instructor, Joe has worked with such jazz luminaries as; Sonny Sitt, Eddie Harris, Ira Sullivan, Stan Getz, Horace Silver, and Anita O'Day.
Joe taught jazz improvisation at L.A.'s prestigious Musician's Institute, the University of Miami, and the University of Southern California, and has conducted seminars throughout the United States, Europe, and Brazil.
He is a highly respected educator, and while I was studying at G.I.T. (back in 1991) I had the pleasure of attending a number of sessions in where Joe taught a fantastic series of classes on jazz improvisation methods. His classes were unlike any guitar lesson that I'd ever had, and they still resonate as some of the most unique learning strategies for guitar that I've ever been exposed to.
This video below is very indicative of his teaching style. In it, he discusses and demonstrates his techniques of composing and building solos with motifs along with many unique patterns for major and minor II-V-I progressions.
Joe also includes his system for expanding your chord vocabulary to help you develop more contemporary and more exotic chord changes. Joe's inspiring solos and demonstrations will give you a rare look at jazz from one of the world's greatest guitar players.
By the way, it was due to Joe's classes (and his attitude of never-ending stress toward musical creativity) as to why I named my studio "Creative Guitar."
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