Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, I got introduced to fusion by one of my childhood friends. One of the most memorable fusion artist was Jean-Luc Ponty, the famed jazz violinist. I bought all his albums at the time, and would play them one after the other for hours, studying the phrasing, which was unlike anything I had ever heard up to that point. But being a guitar player, I was especially interested in Jean-Luc Ponty’s guitarist, Joaquin Lievano who, in my opinion, is one of the most underrated guitarists of our time, and an unsung innovator of the guitar. Most notably, Joaquin’s speed picking technique paved the way for countless glam-rock guitarists. But not only that, his complex, but musical phrasing up and down the fretboard were like nothing I’ve seen before – and very seldom have I seen anyone since who possesses this. Actually, only Eric Johnson comes to mind. That’s how incredible this guy is!
Here’s a video of him playing. Mind you, the song starts out pretty slow, with him not doing much of anything. But about 2/3 through the song, you’ll start seeing him totally rip it up – and the most amazing thing is that he’s completely clean!
Guitar Gear 