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“Genius is a word too often tossed around in musical circles, but it has been rightfully applied to Stanley Jordan.” –Leonard Feather, Los Angeles Times  Stanley Jordan One of the true technical geniuses of guitar takes the bandstand at the Dakota Jazz Club in downtown Minneapolis when Stanley Jordan and his trio come to town, October 27-28. Jordan has long been hailed as one of the instrument’s key innovators, having mastered the “touch” or “tapping” technique, producing some of the most ethereal string sounds in music. In April, Jordan released his first major recording in over a decade, his Mack Avenue debut, State of Nature. Born in Chicago in 1959, Stanley Jordan moved with his family to the Bay Area of California when he was six. His first instrument was the piano on which he composed his first tunes and started lessons at age 7. Inspired by Jimi Hendrix, he started on guitar at age 11 but soon moved on to jazz. During his teens, Jordan developed his trademark “touch” style of using two hands on the fretboard, allowing him to play melody and chords simultaneously (and on two guitars at the same time!). He also adopted an alternate tuning, using fourths which enable chord patterns to remain the same regardless of where they occur on the fretboard.
 Charnett MoffettİEddie Westveer State of Nature (Mack Avenue) is Jordan’s first mainstream release in thirteen years and features young Meta Weiss on cello, Charnett Moffett on bass, David Haynes or Kenwood Dennard on drums, and Jordan on both piano and guitar, covering jazz standards, classical compositions and original works. A tribute to the natural world, Jordan notes that “part of the reason I made this album were revelations I discovered in my journey to try to become a better person...What is it about humans that makes us so intelligent and yet so unwise?” Notes Jordan Richardson (Blog Critics), “With this album, Stanley Jordan manages to say more about the real state of nature than any amount of protest music or Al Gore docs ever could. His music is striking, stylish, and commanding.” Jordan’s usual trio on his fall tour includes bassist Charnett Moffett and drummer Kenwood Dennard. Son of percussionist Charles Moffett, Charnett Moffett studied drums and trumpet before settling on the bass. As a youngster he played a half-size upright with his family band. At only sixteen, and after a brief stint at Julliard, Moffett joined Wynton Marsalis’ quintet in 1983. Soon he was in high demand, playing with stars such as Branford Marsalis, Ornette Coleman, Dianne Reeves, Harry Connick Jr., Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams. A leader and recording artist in his own right, Moffett currently tours with McCoy Tyner’s trio as well as with Stanley Jordan.  Kenwood DennardİAndrea Canter Carpal tunnel disrupted Stanley Jordan’s tour in late 2006, including a scheduled stop at the Dakota. Now all is well, Jordan is back on tour with a new recording and new sense of purpose. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear, and see, one of the artistic and technical heroes of modern jazz, October 27-28. The Dakota is located at 1010 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis; www.dakotacooks.com. More on Stanley Jordan at www.stanleyjordan.com. The Stanley Jordan trio will appear in New Orleans at Tipitina’s on October 29th.
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Twin Cities, MN 
Thursday, 08 January 2009
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