Aaron Flower

Aaron Flower responds to the 2007 Jazz Australia Q&A, featuring finalists in the National Jazz Awards.

The National Jazz Awards are performed and announced at the TAC Wangaratta Festival of Jazz which will be held in 2007 from 2-5 November. This year the awards feature guitar.

Visit the website for program details.

Jazz Australia: When did you start playing guitar and why? For example, was there a ‘moment’ when it came to you as a calling or vocation?

Aaron Flower: I started playing classical guitar when I was about 7; it was fun but I didn’t love it. When I was twelve my dad took me to an ACDC concert and that was it, it had to be electric guitar from then on. When I was 16 my teacher played me some Joe Pass which got me right into jazz, but it was when I heard James Muller a couple of years later that I really got inspired to play music.

JA: Which musicians (jazz or otherwise) have been your greatest influences? What about them stood or stands out for you?

AF: To start with it was Angus Young, Eric Claptan, Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn and whatever was in my parents record collection really. Then I got into Joe Pass(the solo stuff in particular), Jim Hall, John Scofield, James Muller, Carl Dewhurst, Bill Frissell, Miles of course; there’s heaps of them.

I don’t know what it is about them that stands out to me they’re just sounds that I love.

JA: When composing or arranging, where do you get your inspiration? For example, do you ever find that other art forms (painting, writing etc.) feed into your own creative process?

AF: I really don’t know, somtimes the music comes out and somtimes it doesn’t.

JA: What’s your favourite place to play or practice?

AF: Anywhere quiet

JA: What does the Wangaratta festival of jazz represent for you?

AF: The best weekend of music and partying of the year.

JA: What are you listening to now?

AF: Jim Hall ‘Live’, Johnny Cash ‘Get Ryhthm’, the radio, King Curly ‘Doomsday Piano’, The Bulgarians Womens Choir, Kurt Rosenwinkel.

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Back to main feature with links to all 2007 Q&As

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These Q&As are coordinated and compiled by Miriam Zolin. Miriam Zolin is a Melbourne-based writer who enjoys listening to jazz. She also runs the National Jazz Writing Competition.