I learned to play the blues in Shreveport Louisiana a very long time ago (over 50 years ago). I remember when Hendrix and Clapton were innovative musicians and the Beatles were to commercial to be cool. I learned to make music in bands as a bass player and then transitioned to the six-string guitar through playing cover songs on both the acoustic and electric. I played for several years in local bands and then began performing worship bands.
Lately I have drifted away from cover songs and instead preferring to play my own flavor of improvisational, soft, contemporary jazz in small to midsize venues. Additionally, I have supported a commercial venture in Texas with music tracks for the business’ web site (http://losttexansalsa.com) and a local Nebraska Public Television producer with sound tracks for the network’s films. (http://netnebraska.org/media/media.php?bin=NET&vidgroup=40168201)
I have lived in Alaska, the Netherlands, and a myriad of cities across the mid-west, playing guitar with other musicians wherever I have lived. My palate of music styles, include Fusion Jazz, Urban Blues, Motown, Delta Blues, Bluegrass, Folk, Old School Rock, 50’s Jazz, and Appalachian Mountain Folk. My influences are just a varied: Eric Clapton, Pat Matheny, Miles Davis, BB King, Dave Brubeck, Hank Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Bela Fleck, Carlos Santana, and Charlie Alley.
What People Say about Dan’s Music:
- “Your music is SO peaceful.” – Cherie, business owner.
- “I love the fact that people can dance to your rhythms.” — Nori, fund raiser.
- “I will bring you back for another 6 engagements next year.” – Russ, Non-Profit Group, President.
- “I have never heard such cool, smooth tones from an acoustic instrument.” — David, Restaurant Customer.
- “The vendors have given me rave reviews about your music all day.” – John, Artist.
- “You make great music; it is very calming to listen to.” — James, Engineer.
- “I am listen to a master create wonderful music” — Renee, Pastry Baker.
- “Your music is much more than jazz, it is a positive spiritual force; you make people feel good.” – Sandy, Business Owner.
- “You are a sure thing!” — Linda, Art Promoter.
- “Dan, thank you for coming out to perform for us at our open house! We were very happy to have you, and we received a lot of positive feedback. We certainly hope to have you out again to play another time. Your music gave our special day a very special feel.” — written in a letter from Lisa, a Director and Event Overseer.
- “Dan, everyone really enjoyed and appreciated you and your music! Thanks again for being a part of our celebration” — Dean, Business Owner.
- “What a wonderful job you did this past Saturday!” — Merilee, Event Director for a Major Omaha Outdoor Shopping Mall.
- “The people who come to my place are amazed by how you play and how unassuming your presentation is; customer after customer sit quietly absorbing your music and the peace that you exude.”, Ryan, restaurant owner.
- “Your music is perfect for Art Festivals, so thoughtful and peaceful. Customers are very relaxed and ready to support the arts“, Carol, business owner.
hey hows it goin? pretty decent blog you got. You might want to try some of this guys linkwheels, sure helped my blog.
Things are going well my friend, I am finding more venues open to my particular flavor of jazz, the winter is not near as cold as in previous years, and Christmas is coming…
I did take a look at the Linkwheel web site, I found it interesting and sent the URL to my webmaster for review.
I really appreciated your kind comments about my blog. Stay warm, keep listening…
Hey, how do you come up with this stuff…
Jazz for some, is quite complicated. I don’t know why; to me it is just a type of music you choose to play.
May I ask your advice? I am thinking of buying a guitar, what do you recommend?
Greetings,
Purchasing a guitar leads to many questions: why you want the guitar, how you will use the guitar, type of guitar (acoustic vs electric), guitar tone, name recognition, and your traditions.
Why are you purchasing the guitar — to learn, to perform, to collect for re-sale? Only you can know what is best. But if learning is the goal, then I would keep the cost low, and get a guitar that has a good neck that is fretted and adjusted properly so they do not cause problems for your hands.
When it comes to tone, there is usually (but not always) a direct relationship between price and tone. However, if you are careful, you can find really good instruments that are less than 800.00
Name recognition for the guitar? If wearing name brand clothing is extremely important to you then you may looking for Gibson, Fender, Tailor, or Martin. But if you are adventurous, you can find many really good guitars in the less ‘revered’ brands for much less money.
Traditions? Some people will only purchase specific brands of guitars because they have a history with a specific brand.
What do I think? Tone and price are king when it comes to making the decision. If it does not sound good or it over priced, it does not matter. Step away from the guitar. But, if the instrument resonates with you, the price is within you comfort zone of affordability, and you have the cash to pay for the entire guitar, AND it has a purpose in your life — then get it.
One final note — I am not fond of borrowing money to buy gear. Borrowing brings interest payments that push up the total cost of the guitar.
Sorry, but I have to actually disagree with this post. Anyway, I thoroughly grasp that we all have our totally different opinions.
You are correct, there are many different ways to approach the selection and purchase of a guitar. I am interested in your viewpoint. How would you approach this topic?
Posted on Good job at getting your points across here. I am in agreement with you on most and I think this is a great quality article.
Yeah, I’ve spent some time exploring new music with Pandora too. It’s been a ltitle while since I’ve done that though. I should do it more. I like how you can use it to a certain extent to analyze different music.
I do like your particular blog page and will keep coming again for updates.
!You can get a good sounding acoustic guitar with decent action (space between the neck and strings) in the 150-300 range. A used Washburn D10s would be my first choice because of the warm tone and easy playability.As a former guitar instructor myself, I can tell you there is nothing like having a great private guitar teacher. However, not many people can afford this and instead opt for Jamorama, which is the best guitar course out there and it only costs about as much as 1 guitar lesson.Good luck!
playing the guitar is not easy. I play myself and when i was a beginner it was irritating because it takes a lot of practice and there is always new things to learn. It takes awhile to be even a decent guitarist so you need to be committed to playing it everyday for a little.
You put a new spin on a topic that has been written about for years. thanks.
Dan, caught your show a few weeks ago at the Zin Room. Great music, wonderful match between the venue and your style of jazz.
interesting points, There is some validity but I need to look into it further.
Displays the beauty through simple reasoning.
The other night I had the pleasure of listening to you at the Zin Room in Omaha. You truly are a wonderful player.
You are very kind. I hope to see you again soon.
thanks for sharing
Great Site – I am impressed with your blog. I had no trouble navigating through all tabs as well as related information. The pages are truly simple to access. I found what I hoped for. Quite unusual. Your clients are likely to appreciate the site for its simplicity and quality of data. Excellent work..
Abby, my programmer (Jacob Ackerman) did the modifications. I can put you in touch with him if you need some help. He has very reasonable rates. Dan
Hi,learning to play acoustic gaitur is easy. But, the first couple of months are just awful. Your gaitur makes a terrible noise, everyone around you ask to stop that awful sound, and your fingers hurt.It is only after a good few months of trying that you will start to enjoy playing the gaitur, but if you reach that point, you will be very pleased with yourself.
Hey there! Someone in my Facebook group shared this site with us so I came to take a look. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m book-marking and will be tweeting this to my followers! Outstanding blog and terrific design.
I adored your useful article. awesome information. I hope you produce many. I will continue watching
This is very interesting, You are a very skilled blogger. I have joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your excellent post. Also, I have shared your website in my social networks!
You are a really good musician..
Great blog, I cannot wait for your next one.
Wow, your music really moves me. I caught your show this weekend and it was extremely powerful. People were standing still looking a pottery, but they were really listening to you. I look forward to hearing you again.
I saw you at John Dennison’s Pottery Show this weekend, you were simply stunning. People were talking about your music constantly… I love your CD’s. Cant wait for the next release this winter.