Strings & Swing: Epic Central Coast Jazz Guitar Festival

The second annual Central Coast Jazz Guitar Festival took place in California's Santa Ynez Valley, presented by Rich Severson and his family. Severson, his son Wes and his wife Gayle, along with Henriksen Amplifiers, D'Angelico Guitars, Heritage Guitars and Eastman Guitars, sponsored and organized the ultimate gathering for guitarists. This three-day event featured performances and educational clinics led by some of the finest jazz guitarists from New York to Japan and beyond.

Upon arrival at the hotel, attendees immediately encountered Wolf Marshall, the author of Jazz Guitar Course: Mastering the Jazz Language (Hal Leonard, 2023). His clinic, "Three Stages of Mastering the Jazz Language," provided tremendous insight into the acquisition, assimilation and innovation of jazz vocabulary. The festival lineup included a virtual wish list of jazz guitar greats such as Bruce Forman, Tim Lerch, Hirofumi Asaba, Beth Marlis, Nate Lopez, Sean McGowan, Ricardo Grilli, John Stowell, David Blake, Brad Rabuchin, David Becker, Mark Whitfield, Mike Dana, Dr. Wayne Goins, Donovan Raitt, Adam Levine, Jim Fox and Greg Wachala.

If the lineup was not impressive enough, the festival also provided attendees with the opportunity to explore handcrafted instruments from top-tier luthiers. Tyler Wells of LHT Guitars showcased his masterful creations, which were played on stage by the incredible Sean McGowan. Grez Guitars introduced their unique semi-hollow body designs, alongside Marchione Guitars, Tad Brown Guitars, Brad Corney Guitars, Tim Frick Guitars, D'Arcy Guitars and Bartolini Pickups. Additionally, used guitars, high-quality straps and an on-site luthier for quick setups and string changes were available.

Each night, the festival featured electrifying performances where trios of elite jazz guitarists shared the stage. These combinations shifted nightly, offering audiences a rare opportunity to observe how musicians interact and communicate through jazz at the highest level. A typical concert featured artists such as Forman, Lerch and Asaba, performing standards with energy, excitement and virtuosity. Across three nights, a total of fifteen such performances took place, each more inspiring than the last. Meanwhile, the hotel lobby provided a more intimate setting, where attendees could enjoy a drink while listening to McGowan perform solo jazz guitar, an experience that immersed the audience in pure musical artistry.

One of the festival's greatest highlights was its diverse range of educational clinics. Among the sessions offered was Lerch's class on Ted Greene's teaching style, which provided invaluable insights into Greene's complex chord voicings and harmonic flow. Lerch distilled Greene's intricate diagrams into a blues-based approach, emphasizing the interplay between melody, bass and inner harmonies.

McGowan presented "Solo Fingerstyle Nuts and Bolts," covering essential right-hand techniques for walking bass, chords, and dynamic articulation. His session began with stretching and ergonomic exercises—often overlooked but crucial for a guitarist's longevity. Other noteworthy classes included Stowell's "Unlocking Melodic Minor Modes," Levine's "Organizing a System for Understanding Jazz Harmony," and Becker's "Triad Universe."

Dana, who is a professor emeritus at Fresno College, led a session on substituting and altering pentatonic scales, demonstrating how familiar patterns can be applied over altered chords for a more sophisticated sound. Whitfield's class, "Connecting Harmonic Movements," not only provided technical insights but also included stories from his time playing with Brother Jack McDuff and anecdotes about George Benson. The weekend concluded with Forman's "Making Jazz Fun Again," which left attendees in both admiration and laughter as he closed with a spirited rendition of "Benny's from Heaven" (Eddie Jefferson's lyric to Arthur Johnston and Johnny Burke's "Pennies from Heaven").

After classes and performances, participants had the opportunity to put their newfound knowledge into practice in the jam room, complete with a professional rhythm section. This space provided an encouraging environment where musicians of all levels could experiment with newly learned concepts.

Located near Solvang, the festival's venue proved to be the perfect setting for this gathering of jazz guitar aficionados. With an incredible lineup, world-class instruction, and opportunities to engage with both legendary artists and cutting-edge luthiers, the Central Coast Jazz Guitar Festival delivered an experience of unparalleled value. Anticipation is already building for next year's event.