Stanley jordan gay

I was starting to see that to really be true to myself, I could not be stuck in one mold. Were you playing touch style yet? The whole concept of music as a happening, as a scene, going with the flow, improvising, was happening not just in rock but in jazz, and that was a big influence for me.

And yet as I progressed on the professional side, I started to realize more and more that there are some limits to that freedom. And I started to notice that just by naturally being myself I was breaking some of those rules and I was starting to get flak for it.

So did your style start evolving from that point forward? Art and life work together mutually. A lot of things that make art special are the same ingredients that are the essence of life. Currently based in Sedona, Ariz. Then we did a change and I had some leather pants.

When I did the live tracks that came out on Cornucopia [], I hired a stylist for that. What do you mean? This whole idea that music is about freedom was a stamp on my psyche right from the beginning.

Even in my dress code. In the end, Jordan’s story speaks to issues of gender and sexuality that go far back in the history of jazz yet often go unacknowledged. The jam band comment was just intended to be a little good-natured teasing. That was the beginning of dealing with that.

We had different looks: I had a really nice tailored suit, and then I also had a more hip look. I was finally starting to explore the style aspect more freely.

Stanley Jordan Archives Washington : Also very surprised to hear him discuss his views on gender and his identity in such a candid way

It was a wonderful experience, but I remember one time he pulled me aside and kinda told me off a little bit. As a player? I was totally genuine in my statement that I am happy for Stanley in his personal life. There were unspoken rules. And I decided that on this album I was going to cover a bigger range of expression, all the different facets of who I am.

Tell me about your affinity for the jam bands. To say that Stanley Jordan turned jazz guitar upside down when he came to prominence in the mids is almost a literal truth. When I did Friends [] I took that idea to another level. By then I had evolved a lot and started to appreciate my own diversity as a person.

Tell me about your affinity for the jam bands. His next album for Mack Avenue, which will follow Duets with Kevin Eubanks, is slated for release in He remains active in software development and music therapy. Stanley Jordan (born July 31, ) [1] is an American jazz guitarist noted for his playing technique, which involves tapping his fingers on the fretboard of the guitar with both hands.

Can you discuss what brought about the shift in how you present yourself?