The guitar guru

A giant of world jazz steps into Bangkok for a concert tomorrow. Fourteen-time British Jazz Award winning guitarist Martin Taylor will be at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. We caught up with him for a chat about his collaborations with some of the most famous names in music, and his Buddhist faith.

So how does it feel after more than four decades at the very top of the jazz world?
I guess I am now enjoying the fruits of my labours. I’ve been playing the guitar since 1960, and have been a professional musician for 39 years. There have been many highs and lows in my professional and personal life during that time, but I always feel very fortunate to be able to play music.

When did you decide to become a musician? Who inspired you?
My father played string bass in a jazz band, and his friends used to come to our house every Saturday afternoon to jam. By the time I was 14 I had decided that I only wanted to play music.

You have worked with many great musicians – which was the most exciting collaboration?
Working with Stephane [Grappelli] for 11 years (1979-1990) was an incredible experience because the first guitarist I heard as a small child was Django Reinhardt. My father used to play Hot Club of France records all the time, so getting to work with Django’s musical partner, and sit in Django’s chair when I was only 23, was amazing.

 Are you interested in collaborations away from jazz?
I’ve already collaborated with many musician outside of jazz including the guitarist from Yes, Steve Howe. I was in Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings for a few years, and got to work with George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, and Mark Knopfler. I’ve also recorded with the opera singer Bryn Terfel.

You devote time to meditation. How has Buddhism influenced your life and your music?
My father was in the British Royal Navy in the 1950s and was stationed in Sri Lanka for several years. Although he was not a religious man, he had great respect for Buddhism and the monks he met in Sri Lanka.
I had so much music going on in my head from such an early age that I found it impossible to switch the music off. So my father suggested I visit a monk in London and learn meditation. I found it very helpful almost straight away.
I had no interest in becoming a Buddhist at this time, but after a year, at the age of 19, I learned about the dharma. I decided that it was the path I wanted to follow.
I practice vipassana meditation and am the president of Scotland’s Buddhist Vihara, a small Sri Lankan temple in Glasgow. Following this path is the most important thing for me.

Your Bangkok concert will be in an intimate space at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. Does the venue affect the way you play?
I recently performed my orchestral suite with the Britten Sinfonia at the Royal Albert Hall in London. There were over 4,000 people there plus a huge worldwide audience listening via the BBC. It was a special night, but it doesn’t make me play any different. I play just the same if it’s to 40 people or 4,000.
 This will be your second concert in Thailand. What can the audience expect?
I’ve had requests to play some of my own compositions like ‘True’ ‘Down at Cocomo’s’ ‘Kwame’ and ‘One Day’, but I will also play some new compositions of mine as well as some jazz standards. I’m also very honoured to be performing a composition by His Majesty the King.

You have been to Thailand several times, what draws you back?
Thailand has held a great fascination for me for a long time. When I became a Buddhist at the age of 19 I met a very famous American monk called Ajahn Somedho, now Luang Por Ajahn Sumedho. He lived at a monastery in England that was quite near where I lived and I used to visit him to hear his dharma talks. His teacher was Luang Por Ajahn Chah and I enjoyed hearing his stories of Ajahn Chah at his monastery in northeast Thailand. So Thailand was in my heart long before I ever came here.

Your online guitar teaching school – the first of its kind – has enjoyed tremendous success. Can you tell us about it?
It’s based in California, but I have students in 58 countries around the world, including several students from Thailand.
There are hundreds of lessons in the curriculum that students can work through in their own time and at their own pace, but the best part is they can submit video to the site for me to review and critique. These video exchanges then become small masterclasses for all the students to study.
 
Do you have a message for your Thai fans?
I’m so happy to be back in Thailand again and to be able to play the guitar for you.
  
THE KEY OF A
Martin Taylor's "Exclusively (A)-Live in Bangkok" concert is at 7pm tomorrow in the fifth-floor auditorium at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.
Tickets are Bt1,800 (Bt1,000 for students) at ThaiTicketMajor. Call (02) 262 3456 or visit www.AMIThailand.com.