Johnny A.: Taste, Tone, Space

I ordered this dvd after seeing it mentioned on FDP. I buy a few dvds and this is one of the better ones. THis guy is excellent and crosses into a few different styles from Chet to blues. Really liked the printable tabs and all the bonus material. After watching it, ordered his cd's and a book. I would compare it to EJ's dvd's in what you'll get from watching. Just great guitar work that you can pick up and play yourself. Hope that he brings a few more out.

There is no one like Johnny A. I never travel far without his music in my car or on my IPod. I play him at public events and am always asked "Who is this?" And I say, "The best guitarist...ever." I'm old enough to have seen Duane Eddy, Bucky Pizzarelli, Hendrix, Clapton, the Ventures (with Bob Bogle and Nokie Edwards sharing lead), Wes Montgomery, Alvin Lee, Jerry Miller, Peter Green, and Neil LaVange (Yes! From Lawrence Welk [also a session musician for Zappa's "Freak Out"--the Mothers first record]), and dozens of other masters. But Johnny A, in honoring his muses, does them proud by creating melodic, dynamic and performance master themes and nuances that free guitar music from the gravity of the joyless, luckless club of speed and one-upmanship which obsess most guitarists. Johnny A conjures what William Wordsworth would call the "lyric moment," where the emotion conjured by the poet profound, conjures an emotion profound in the listener. He'll get your pulse running with a ripp-off riff and then macrame harmonic tones and unusually carved melodies around themes that build on previous subtle nuances that explode the form and create anew something original and memorable. I've seen him live four times and he is even greater in person. And you can tell he's a humble student of his instrument. He stands by himself as the master of tone and never shortchanges his music by making room tone a cursory acoustic of the room. He's also a lot of fun live, invoking a medley of styles and stances and doing it with humor and respect. This instructional video is well conceived and honors anyone who wants to study guitar. Johnny A is articulate, patient and unabashedly enthusiastic about guitar instruction. It's a great and unusually detailed DVD for any level of guitar playing.

I've listened to Johhny ever since "Oh Yeah" started to play on the radio out here. I've always liked him and I thought both CDs were equally good. But then I went on a trip down to New Orleans and Mississippi. I got some quality time along I-35 and it finally took hold, took my breath away and ever since, I can't get enough of him. Now that I have a visual, it's helping with my addiction. Since I live in Colorado, I don't get to see him live, however, I'm hoping he'll make a western swing soon. This DVD is excellent. The eight songs he chose to perform are some of his best. The audio could've been just a little better but mostly, it sounds pretty decent. "Two Wheel Horse" is great (the song that hooked me) but the real surprise was "You Don't Love Me." Not only does he completely change it up, but the solo is unbelievable. "Sometime Tuesday Morning", of course "Oh Yeah" and many every other song are wonderful. A new CD would be great and a national tour would be really welcome. Come west Johnny and play Red Rocks!!!

What a remarkable guitar player! I wish he would put out more CD's and DVD's. He has his own style of playing that is just phenomenal. I haven't heard him play anything I didn't like so far.

Many of the video's were available on Youtube, but obviously better quality here.. Liked the interview format, to get a better understanding of the musician. Haven't had a chance to look at the tabs on a pc yet..

for the first few minutes the audio and video are out of sync, but in all it worked out to be okay

"Taste, Tone, Space" -That says it all right there. Johnny A. is a master. I'd buy this DVD for the excellent performances alone. I love the format; first you get the full tune performed by Johnny and his band, which looks and sounds great. Then it's broken down part by part. DVD includes PDF files of all the notation/tab. Great stuff, can't beat the price either. Don't hesitate, you'll love it!

I think this dvd is great I saw Jonny A in New York and was blown away by his guitar playing. This dvd helps you to understand the man's approach to his music. The camera shots are great and the sound is perfect. A great DVD for the guitar fanatic.

Awesome DVD - Prompt delivery - Well packaged - I will definitely buy again!

good

great