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.”
The releases:
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.”
Website: https://rexshep.com/
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