Guitar Jam had the pleasure of riffing (over email) with L.A. based guitar guru Jac Ttanna. Jac, a talented and accomplished singer, songwriter and guitar player is a musician’s musician. He was a founding member of the 60's Sunset Strip icons "The Sons of Adam, and has shared bills or worked with The Rolling Stones, Bo Diddley, Little Walter, Taj Mahal, Jackie De Shannon, Barbara Morison, The Byrds, Love, The Blues Project, The Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin and many more.
Most recently, Jac has spent a great deal of time in the studio with his friend, producer Richard Perry (who’s worked with Ringo Starr, The Pointer Sister, Willie Nelson, Julio Iglesias, Rod Stewart, and Ray Charles to name a few) on his new album I'm Back and I'm Proud.” The newly released CD is a mix of original blues and timeless classics offering deep and rich guitar tones and riffs throughout.
GJ: Who inspired you pick up the guitar?
JT: I guess the first inspiration I had to play guitar was when I heard Les Paul and Mary Ford records on the radio. I was very young, but, even then the sound of the guitar just blew me away. Then, a little later, that was crystallized when I saw Elvis and Ricky Nelson on TV. Play guitar...Chicks dig it. I got that right away. Then, when I first heard "Walk Don't Run", I knew "I want to do that."
GJ: Which musician(s) has made the biggest impact on your playing style?
JT: When you've been around as long as I have, the list of musicians who have had an impact on your playing gets very long. Everyone from Buddy Holly (who I saw live) to Stevie Ray Vaughn have all left their impressions. Stevie was the guy who inspired me to get back in the business. I spent a couple of years learning everything about his sound and his style. Then, by the time I kinda had it down, everybody and their brother were sounding like him, so I had to spend another couple of years learning how to not sound like him. I spent a lot of time listening to the Kings, especially Freddie. Hollywood Fats was a huge influence. You can't get involved in the West Coast blues scene without going to school on Fats. When he was 19, Buddy Guy said he was the best blues guitarist in the world, and for my money, that still holds up. When I first started playing, I was lucky enough to hook up with Randy Holden, and, together with Mike Port, we left Baltimore, and moved to California where we eventually became the Sons of Adam. That was one of the hottest bands on the west coast for a few years. At 17 Randy was already better than most guys ever get. I've played with some very talented guitarists...guys who could play anything they heard, but Randy played things that no one had ever heard. In those days we played 5 hours a night 6 nights a week, and Randy was awesome every night.
But the biggest influence of all was Gary Hoey. Gary is a true virtuoso, but not really associated with the blues. In fact he loves the blues and is a helluva blues player.
I took lessons from Gary for about 2 years, and I've got about 80 hours of tapes of us playing together in the living room of his apartment through little Marshall amps with 8-inch speakers, at radio volume levels, and his tone and playing are amazing. Gary taught me the most important lesson of all....how to teach myself. Thanks Pal.
GJ: Which musician(s) has made the biggest impact on your writing style?
JT: The musicians who've had the most impact on my writing would be ever writer of every song I ever played. Each song is a learning experience and I learned something from every one. That said, I would have to name Mike Stuart, the drummer of the Sons of Adam, and a really great musician, for getting me to think deeper about the lyrical content of the songs. Also Chris Morgan, who was the open tuning and slide specialist with Canned Heat when I was their road manager. We hit it off immediately and have been writing every since.
GJ: What would you be doing if you weren't a professional musician?
JT: If I weren’t a professional musician, I would probably be writing. I studied economics and geo-politics for the last 30 years so I would probably be writing about that. Hey! Maybe I should start a blog.
GJ: What's the best thing about being in the music business?
JT: I love most everything involved with the music business, but the energy that happens when the band and the audience are both totally grooving on the same wave length is the real reason why we do it. It's better than money. It's better than sex. Just playing is better than anything.
GJ: What's the worst?
JT: The worst thing about the music business is dealing with the business end of it. Back in the day, I had people. People took care of booking. They took care of the paper work. They obtained the mechanical rights to the songs we covered. They took care of the publishing, they set up the interviews etc...etc... Now I have to do everything myself. It takes forever, and I think the music suffers as a result. I hate it. But I do it.
GJ: And how has the business changed since you first started out in the late 60's?
JT: How has the business changed since I started out in the '60s? The biggest change of course is that in the old days you got a record deal, and the label financed you, and nurtured you until you made it or they lost faith in you. Today, you have to do everything yourself. You have to be doing really well on your own before a label will even be interested in you. Of course, by then, you might not need a label.
GJ: Do you think that the new digital world has made it better or worse for artists today?
JT: The digital scene has created enormous opportunities for the people who take the time to learn how to use it. You can do amazingly creative things both musically and in marketing. I don't think the music has suffered at all. I can't think of anytime in my life when the majority of the music being put out in any genre was not crap. But, at the same time, there were always people making great music, and there always will be.
GJ: How about the live music scene? How has it changed?
JT: The live music scene has suffered. In the old days, a good band could make a living just playing. Today, here in LA, there are a thousand bands for every place there is to play, and 90 percent of those bands totally suck. DJ's are replacing live music. The cream still rises to the top, but the working band is almost non-existent.
GJ: How about the business of the blues today? Do you feel that the scene is alive and well?
JT: The blues scene is also suffering. More and more blues clubs are now having a jazz night or a reggae night, because they just aren't making enough money with blues every night. Part of that problem is the club's failure to adapt to the fact that most blues lovers have day jobs. If the clubs had early shows during the week, say the band starts at 7:30 or 8:00, I think they would do a lot better. So far nobody's listening. Also blues gets almost no airplay at all. Look at the song writing contests that are constantly being promoted. Most of them don't even include a blues category. The blues scene today is the most underground scene in the business.
GJ: Most underrated blues guitar player today?
JT: I don't really rate musicians so I can't speak to underrated guitar players other than to say that not nearly enough people have heard Hollywood Fats. Of the not so well known guys who are still with us, Kid Ramos is one of the best ever...Kirk Fletcher is great...Rick Holmstrom is great and unique...Josh Smith is amazing, and there is a guy in Austin named Hector Watt, who would probably be amazed to see his name in print, who I really like...and I can't forget Nick Curan, whose really got it going on...a great player and a great singer.
GJ: Most overrated blues guitar player today?
JT: As far as over rated players go....I'm not going to go there, but I'll tell you a story. Back in the '60s Lee Michaels and I went to see Jose Feliciano. After the show Lee said, "You know, for a blind guy, he's not that good." Lee's reasoning was, "Hey! He's got nothing else to do." Cold, but funny.
GJ: Favorite blues (or other style) band today?
JT: As far as bands go Roomful of Blues is always worth seeing. As are Charlie Musselwhite, James Harmon, anything with Kid Ramos or any of the guitar players listed above. Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers have gotten the W.C. Handy award for best band of the year so many times it's almost taken for granted. Delbert McClinton is always great. Colin James, from Canada, is a must see if you ever get the chance. Needless to say anything Clapton does is a must see. I just realized I left him off of my most influential musician list. He's a huge influence...to me and every one else. As are the Stones.
GJ: Tell us about the new album "I'm Back and I'm Proud"
JT: My new album "I'm Back and I'm Proud" was made in my home studio before I even had a band. I hired my good friend Rich Friedman, who is an amazing keyboardist, and film scorer, to come in and help me flesh it out. I would play and sing the songs, or as much of the songs as I had, and he would lay down the basic tracks. Then he would go home, and I would spend the next few weeks cleaning them up, moving them around, rearranging and rewriting.
The number one priorities were good songs of course, and always using real band sounds. The idea was to make an album that sounded so much like a live band that no one would even question it. And I think we were very successful. He's such a great musician that a lot of times what he played the first time was just left alone, and all I had to do was play the guitar and sing the vocal.
"Passin' Through" is a perfect example. We did that whole song in about two hours. Others like "Grinding Ridge Drive” took a very long time. That is a combination of two songs. A Gary Moore song from his first band (I think the band was called Grindingstone), and a song from the '40's called "Summit Ridge Drive" by Artie Shaw.
For those of you who don't know, Artie was the Eddie Van Halen of his day. His instrument was the clarinet, but he was just as influential for his time as Eddie was for his. And he married Lana Turner. Oh yeah. I liked the beginning of Gary's song "Grindingstone", but it didn't really go anywhere, so I played a solo, gave Rich a solo, and then morphed it into "Summit Ridge Drive". The second solo I play is almost note for note from Artie Shaw's clarinet solo. It took me a long time to learn it as he's playing notes nobody else would even think to play. Then I had to speed it up about 60 percent to fit the groove of "Grinding stone”.
Also, while Rich is a great player, he's really much better at developing ideas and giving them his interpretation than just playing everything note for note exact. So I had to bring in Steve Katz another great player to clean everything up and bring it all together. It was a long hard job, but it was a lot of fun, and a great learning experience. And, I think it came out quite well.
I should also mention that Gary Hoey's ex wife Lori Weinhouse did the tracks, and played the beautiful and soulful piano on "Life Is Hard". And that's Jeff Alexander playing guitar. Jeff's a friend who lives in New York, and, whenever he comes out, we get together and play. This song was just a track at the time. When I played it for him he asked if he could play over it. The vocals weren't there yet, so I sang it while he played, and he did two passes. He said it was just for fun, and I should probably do my own solo. I said, "No way. You're on the record." About a year later he came back and did the same thing on "Stay With Me". I told him anytime he wants to move back to LA, he's in the band.
The album has four originals, and eight songs that I picked from a vast collection of stuff I've accumulated over the years, all of which I would like to record someday. I love Wynonie Harris and I sing a little bit like him so "Baby Shame On You Was A Natural". "Think It Over One More Time" is a Buckwheat Zydeco tune original played with accordions. I had the horns play the accordion parts, and it worked great.
"It's Gonna Be Me" is an old Buddy Ace song I found when I was in Austin for Antoine's 19th anniversary. I just loved the sound of those horns. "All She Is Is Gone" was a song that started with the horn lines. I actually wrote the entire horn section before I had a vocal. While in the shower one morning, I was singing the horn lines to myself when the vocal just came to me. I jumped out of the shower, and wrote the vocal while I was dripping wet.
I brought "Stay With Me" to Rich as a 12 bar blues, but with much more basic sounding chords. He began adding the chords that are on the record. I had to change to vocal a little to fit his chords. I wasn't sure it would work so I made him do another track with my original chords. He labeled my track "Stay With Me Dumber Chords". I got the hint, used his track, and put him on the song as a co writer.
"Heart Attack" is all about my wife. I guess she's in everything to a certain extent, but this song is her. "She don't take no prisoners. She don't cut no slack. Every time she walks in the room, I get a Heart Attack." Oh yeah. That's her.
"Darlene" was completely inspired by Tom Waits. I saw his movie (I forgot the name), went home and wrote that song. The first line was actually "The neon was awakening on Heart Attack and Vine", but I thought that was a little too much of a steal.
"Down The Road Apiece" is an old song off of an early Rolling Stones album. The Sons of Adam used to do it, and I've always loved it. I threw a little "House of Blue Lights" in the middle just for fun. By the way "Passin Through" is an old Jackie Wilson song off of a great album called "Jackie Sings the Blues". Jackie was one of the most dynamic performers I've ever seen, and a huge influence on me.
"Hi Di Ho" was a Steve Ferguson song that I wanted to do from the moment I first heard it. That's me playing a '56 strat with a '63 neck through a Cordovox Leslie which is basically the same thing as a Fender Vibratone like SRV used only with a better foot pedal. Mike Fuller of Fulltone pedals has it now. The other guitar on "Hi Di Ho" is played beautifully by Holger Munch, a Hofner rep who was visiting from Germany. I forget what guitar he was using. It sounds like a strat, but I think it was a Hofner.
GJ: Tell us about the guitars you used for the recording?
JT: I used my blond De Armond Starfire (basically a poor man’s 335). Speaking of things underrated. These guitars are really good guitars that were sold at around $500.00. I like them much better than the American made Guild Starfires that sold for over twice as much. I used to have a '59 dot neck, and a '60 dot neck, and I've played a lot of others. This De Armond is as good as any of them. You just have to upgrade the saddles, and you're good to go. You may want to upgrade the pickups. I've got one with Fralins, and one that is stock. I've also got one with some very old Kay or De Armond P 90's. That's a very cool guitar. I have that set up to play slide in open G tuning. I ran the De Armond into a Line 6 Pod on the Blackface setting with no pedals. On "Grinding Ridge Drive" I used a '53 Les Paul that had been refinished a beautiful sunburst. It had a great sounding Dimarzio pickup in the bridge, and a unidentifiable pickup in the neck. The neck pickup sucks, so I only used the bridge. I ran that through the Pod also, but I don't remember what setting. On "Life Is Hard" Jeff played my '56 Strat with the '63 neck through an old 808 Tube Screamer. That's the guitar that's in most of my promo pictures. There is also a white '63 strat in some of the promo pictures. That guitar never got on the album. However Gary Hoey borrowed that guitar and an old Hi-Power Tweed Twin and used them on a tribute to SRV on his "Animal Instinct" album. The song was "Texas Son". I told you he could play the blues. I used a Black '63 Strat on "Passin Through" and "Down The Road Apiece". I ran it through a Tube Screamer and into the Pod. Both of those are on the neck pickup. "Darlene" is one of those Strats through the same set up using the bridge and middle pickups combined. I also used those pickups for "Hi Di Ho"
Live I use the De Armond and a Strat most of the time although I've just bought a beautiful Custom Shop Tele made by John English. When both pickups are on, there is a toggle switch that takes it out of phase, but, unlike most of these features, it doesn't lose volume. I've been looking for a tele for a long time, and I've played a lot of them lately. This one is really special. The tones are fantastic, and it plays great.
GJ: How about your amp set up?
JT: Ampwise, most of the time I use a '66 Super Reverb. It's just a great workhorse amp. I also really like the new Bassman Relics. Actually, I love them, but I'm reluctant to drag around a reverb on top of everything else I'm already carrying. But, I'm thinking about it. My backup amp is an original tweed Blues Deluxe (2 Channel - 1 X 12). It took a little while to dial this one in, but I've got it sounding really good, and it is very, very reliable. I just put in a Celestion Vintage 30, but, honestly, I'm not sure I like it any better than the original. I haven't used it with the band yet so the jury is still out. For really small club situations, I use a '65 Ampeg Revererocket. Once again underrated. A really great little amp.
GJ: Any pedals? Or do you plug straight in?
JT: My pedal board is pretty simple - a Voodoo Labs Power Supply, a Klon Centaur usually with the gain almost off and the volume high enough to give me a boost. Then a Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive. I A - B'd this with my 808, and got it sounding exactly the same, but I can also clean it up a little bit if the room calls for it. Next a Voodoo Labs Analog Chorus. The Leslie was a real drag to carry around, especially since I only used it on 2 songs, so I started looking for a pedal. I tried everything on the market and this one was the winner. When the band is playing, you literally can't hear the difference. I've got a Meneton Kings of Britain on the board, but I haven't dialed it in to something I can use. Actually, if I weren’t writing this, I'd be working on that right now. Most of the time my De Armond is straight into the amp. If the room is really dead, I might add the Klon. Whatever my setup for the De Armond, I usually kick in the Sparkle Drive when I solo on the Strat. I don't overdo any of them. The key is to get a great tone out of your amp, and then enhance it. When I go to jam sessions at clubs, I just plug into whatever is there.
GJ: How can your fans get a hold of the CD?
JT: I've got a website where you can go to hear some of the songs on the album, and catch up on what I'm doing. If you want to order the CD, just email me at [email protected]. I'm currently manufacturing the CD's myself, and selling them at gigs. I was about to have 1000 of them made up when I was approached by a record company. So, until I know how that's going to go, I'm just making them myself.
GJ: What's next for Jac?
JT: I've been putting a band together for some time now. The rhythm section has been together for about a year, but it's taken until recently to find the horn section that I need to do the songs on the album. Now that the horn section is in place, and the charts have been written, the band strong enough that I feel confident taking it out. The next step will be playing locally and building up a following while, at the same time, saturating the media with promo packages. I'm pretty good at self-promotion so things should start happening fairly soon. I'm also looking into making some of my early stuff available through my website. And I really am thinking about starting a blog. Stay tuned...
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