Described as Robin Trower meets Miles
Davis!
Guitarist Rex Shepherd has released
three albums digitally: “Ohio”, “Sonority” and “Duets”.
Combining elements of jazz improvisation and harmony with an approach
to guitar playing heavily influenced by diverse players such as Jim
Hall, Robin Trower, Fred Frith, and sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar, Rex
Shepherd has forged a niche for himself with original music that
typically lies somewhere just outside the usual genre labels but is
still music that is approachable.
Says Rex, “This new music was
recorded in my personal studio, much of it with other musicians in
duets, and at various times throughout the last few years. The past
several years have delivered to me a greater understanding of the
fleeting nature of this lifetime, so I decided to release much of
what I had accumulated, in part to satisfy my own need to communicate
musically with the world outside of my little sphere of existence,
but also I wanted to honor the musicians who played this music with
me. It is these musical and personal relationships that are at the
heart of creating music, whether composed or improvised, and for the
people who listen to it I hope it also creates a connection between
us. Much peace and music to all people, everywhere.”
Having been described as “Robin
Trower meets Miles Davis”, Shepherd's music spans from full on
instrumental jazz rock tunes to traditional jazz compositions with a
good dose of free improvisation and sound experimentation using
“prepared” and effected guitar sounds and instruments such as the
“oceanharp” and the Theremin.
Shepherd's band, sometimes going under
the name No End of Now, employs a revolving cast of the most creative
players he can find who are willing to take part in a project that is
often arranged while playing and with no limitations on the players'
expression of the music. The compositions are also a blend of
influences, from Wayne Shorter to John Cage, and most often are
directly inspired by people, literature and other art forms, and
experiences that hold significant meaning in Shepherd's life.
Says Rex, “I feel really lucky to get
to play with some great musicians and always look forward to meeting
new people to create sounds with...it's amazing how the same music
can sound so different with the personalities of other players in any
given moment. Playing with a group is a very fluid thing when
everyone is listening, then responding...it becomes intuitive and
ethereal, the closest thing to telecommunication I've ever
experienced. When I play solo it’s similar in a way, in that I am
responding to inner voices and emotional impulses in a meditative
sort of way. I'm not a technical player, I rarely practice technique
unless I discover a particular thing I want to use to express my
ideas. With whatever technique I have, I hope that I can bring out
the best of my musical ideas. One of my main influences, Jim Hall, is
a master lyricist and I could only hope for a fraction of the melody
under that guy's fingers. I play what I want to play and I don’t
want to copy anyone, but I do a pretty good impression of myself most
of the time.”Ohio
With the exception of “Desire”, a
ballad Rex wrote several years ago, the music on this recording is
all improvised. The songs consist of duet recordings captured in his
studio after he had returned home to Ohio for a short time. “The
musicians joining me on this recording are not only thoughtful and
skillful players but are also beautiful people, and I am grateful to
them for their music and their friendship during my stay on the
'North Coast'”.
Sonority
This recent recording features a set of
improvised tunes that were arrived at after John and Rex conducted
their usual pre-roll discussions about the state of current affairs
in the U.S. “Being fortunate enough to have two voices with which
to speak out against what I see as injustice, inequality, and hatred,
I felt that releasing this music, even if not listened to by many,
would at least add to the spirit and energy of the peaceful movement
for change taking place currently.”
Duets
Except for the improvisations “Etude
#2” and “April 9th”, this release features compositions by Rex
that have existed anywhere from 15 years, in the case of “In the
Shade”, to just two days before being recorded like “Happy Little
Trees”. “The takes are imperfect. The music is presented here
with minimal changes in the mixes so that it will accurately depict
our journey feeling our way through it. I preferred to keep the
imperfections so that these takes more closely resemble the music
that one might hear if John and I were playing the tunes live, where
boundaries are pushed and the music flows moment by moment. When
challenged with making music I am buoyed by a quote from my musical
hero, the great Jim Hall, 'The instrument keeps me humble. Sometimes
I pick it up and it seems to say: No, you can't play today. I keep at
it anyway, though.' Much peace and music to all people, everywhere.”
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