Guitar Player Magazine Feb 2023 Bill Frisell Les Paul Jakob Bro Nils Lofgren

Guitarists on the Cutting Edge! Guitar Player’s “Outlier” Issue presents more than a dozen players who are shaping guitar’s future.

It begins with Bill Frisell, our cover artist. Over his more than 40-year career, Frisell has distinguished himself as a master of improvisation. Whether working in jazz, pop or rock — with artists ranging from John Zorn to Elvis Costello to Paul Simon — Frisell has shown himself to be the most stylistically fluid of guitarists, one for whom no borders seem to exist. In our extensive cover feature, he reveals the techniques and mindset behind his dialogue-based style of playing that has made him one of the most in-demand guitarists of today. It’s a story that will change how you think about guitar and approach ensemble playing.

Next up, we speak with Danish guitarist Jakob Bro who, like Frisell, has forged a distinctive musical identity with in the world of jazz and beyond. He combines his deft fingerstyle approach with subtle use of looping technology, backward effects and the occasional onslaught of distortion to create darkly introspective compositions that draw listeners in. In our conversation, Bro talks about his work with Paul Motian and offers insights into his approach to guitar.

From there, we delve further into the world of outlier guitarists, those cutting-edge artists who are experimenting across multiple genres, from jazz to metal and beyond. They include guitarists Tom Misch, Sarah Lipstate, Julian Lage and Mateus Asato, each of whom shares details about how their unique approach to guitar takes the instrument into new realms.

In our upfront section, the masterful Jeff “Skunk” Baxter shares his top guitar tips, Bryan Adams guitarist Keith Scott reveals the stories and sessions behind five hit songs, and electric blues–soul firebrand Eddie 9V tells us about his new album. While on our back page, Warren DeMartini tells us the story behind how his offhand riff became Ratt’s breakthrough single, “Round and Round.”

In lessons, we take a deep dive into the style and sound of Boston founder Tom Scholz. And as always we serve up the best gear reviews, with a look at the latest pedals from Maestro, the Slick SL56, the Donner Rising-G Pro acoustic guitar, Origin Effects M-EQ Driver and much more.

Collections: Bros, Other Magazines


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