Interview: Carl Orr and His Lifelong Jazz Guitar Odyssey

In this episode of the FretDojo.com Podcast, I had the great pleasure of speaking with one of the world’s top guitarists Carl Orr, who shares the deep insights gained over his long career in music and important practice tips for any aspiring jazz guitarist.

Check out the podcast here:

Thanks guys, let me know what you thought about this interview by leaving a comment at the bottom of this page.

Cheers,

Greg from FretDojo

Carl Orr

Carl Orr has performed and recorded with some of the finest musicians on the planet including Billy Cobham, George Duke, Ernie Watts, Randy Brecker, Gary Husband and Bennie Maupin.

He is a regular at London’s legendary Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in his own band and as a member of drummer Mark Fletcher’s supergroup “Fletch’s Brew”.

Carl has taught guitar at The Australian Institute of Music, Brunel University, Middlesex University, London Centre Of Contemporary Music and The Academy of Contemporary Music.

A prolific composer,Carl has recorded eight albums as a leader and is featured on albums by Billy Cobham, Fletch’s Brew, Geoff Eales and Nathan Haines.

His latest album, Forbearance is a dramatic departure from his jazz and fusion recordings of the past and with the aid of producer Tim van der Kuil and arranger Grant Windsor, Carl has crafted a truly unique acoustic guitar-based album exploring pop, rock, folk, Americana, and classical styles.

He regards his music as his public contribution to creating a peaceful, harmonious world.

“It is not enough for me for my music to merely be a manifestation of the chaos and disharmony of the world, but instead it must be a potent influence on creating peaceful relationships between people. My aim is to make the listener feel calm, optimistic and invigorated.” ~ Carl Orr

3 thoughts on “Interview: Carl Orr and His Lifelong Jazz Guitar Odyssey”

  1. At just over the 35 minute mark Carl asks the listeners not to go to Spotify, what’s the deal with Spotify from a music composer’s point of view?

    1. Good question Dave. The problem is that Spotify doesn’t give very good royalties to artists, so artists aren’t getting a reasonable share from Spotify’s business model. Streaming services generally don’t give enough to artists in this regard.

  2. Lynn R Parker Sr

    Very interesting…. enjoyed hearing that Carl was not always Comfortable in all musical settings. His reference to observing people as he plays indicates, he loves what he does in a intimate setting. I liked his thoughts on going over chords in your mind to a tune even without your guitar.

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