After suffering a neurological injury in 1999, Jimmy Mac was forced to learn guitar all over again. Imagine your favorite past-time or livelihood being taken away from you? What would you do? Truly makes you learn to appreciate every moment you have with guitar and music!

Jimmy Mac is seasoned guitarist who knows how to get down and funky, as well as play some sweet melodies that will just soothe your ears. Keep reading to learn more about this amazing guitarist!

For the readers who may be unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe your music? Who are your main influences?

Well composed Instrumental music with an emphasis on Melodic structure in Funk Rock grooves, drawing from Blues and Jazz. The guitar solos are old-school in as much as they serve the Composition but are also very technical in execution. My influences range from Jeff Beck to Stevie Wonder. A touch of Scott Henderson , Larry Carlton and Jimi would be a fair statement. Compositionally I have a Classical background with distinct jazz harmonic as well as Pop references. Prince, Sly and several 70’s Funk Bands are part of my inspiration writing process.

I don’t have a specific memory as to why I started. I was interested in so many things as a kid. I enjoyed all the sciences , Art and anatomical drawing, Comic Books ( The Surfer rules! ) and sports . Kids in my neighborhood were starting bands and i really enjoyed what they were doing. Some of these guys were really gifted players. So I asked this local kid to show me some songs by The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Hendrix etc . I became proficient quite quickly . I started playing publicly and got tour offers, a big name Nashville Artist asked me to go on tour blah, blah - my parents said no! I was only 15! So , you get the picture. I’ve been playing well over 20 years so I guess my addiction still has a hold on me. I had great Teachers and a lot of positive guitar moments. There’s a ton of great stories and gigs I can spin. But why bother. That’s not who I am right now.

What is one influential event that helped shape your playing style, or take it to the next level?

Actually there are two. The first was opening for some Big Name Acts ( No Name Dropping ) in New Jersey and playing an ovation-worthy performance of Jeff’s Boogie- it was awesome.

The second event took place at very popular Music College in NJ - I was asked to perform a Classical Recital for a memorial service for the Dean who had recently passed - I played a program of Bach and Torroba . It was so sweet. Nothing encourages a player like accolades from your peers. Especially in a public setting.

How do you approach your song-writing?

I write in my head all the time. I hear melodies and Bass lines for some reason simultaneously. For the most part I write all the Bass drafts. I keep an open Harmonic mind and the embrace the ideas from my writing partners.

Finally, I try to tell a story, a short one mind you but nevertheless a tale is told in my Jams It may be sad, soulful or just plain uplifting it is what it is. My new CD “Life is Good” reflects that concept. As does my first release- “Just a Kid Havin’ Fun” - both are excellent examples of my writing skills.

What kind of gear are you using?

I play a Sadowsky Customized Telecaster, a Fender Strat set up for slide , a Gibson Les Paul, a 59 re-issue Telecaster and 61 re-issue Gibson SG. ( also for slide-guitar )
Amps are usually Fenders and Mesa Boogies. All sorts of Pedals: Fulltone, Digitech, Boss, Z-Tek , Ibanez Oy vey I lose track oh, PODxt Live and a Roland GS-10.
My gear is maintained by the very talented Chris Barnett .

Describe a normal day for you. How much time do you spend practicing and playing, talking to fans, networking, etc. ?

Let’s see. I have a background in medicine and engineering so I also work a “real” job - benefits the whole 8 yards. But I have the dream job for a musician. I have a real flexible shift so I get lots of time to do gigs , rehearse, jam - teach if I want. I use to have almost 40 students and i taught at AIG in NYC for awhile. I practice everyday. Not a whole lot of scale crap but musical ideas. I play Bach pieces to warm up on electric guitar. I also do chord work , particularly chord melodies. One of my teachers, Bob DeVos had me do a new chord melody every week. Tunes like Body and Soul, Here’s that Rainy Day and All the Things You Are etc. It was a great workout. I worked hard with a metronome for quite sometime to develop my sense of swing playing Bop tunes against 2 & 4 on the click. Finally, I do a Bop head like Au Privave along with the recording by Bird. I work out the piano hits and count thru the drum solos to come back at the head. I work out solos over Pro-tools sessions. I get e-mails from fans all over the place , its real nice. I also Market my CDs on my own so I’m busy with an agency right now promoting a “single” The Intruder, for radio play. Busy dude that Jimbo be.

Do you have any advice for aspiring young guitarists who want to pursue a career in music or just better themselves as players?

Learn technology and have other choices besides music. I personally don’t believe the industry can sustain itself in its present configuration. You have to enjoy playing your instrument and realistically manage your expectations. There’s a lot of bitter 40 something Guitar Players who though are great players, made bad decisions with their careers and well we can’t all be Jimmy Bruno’s - he’s one of my favorite players and just exudes quality in what he does. Check out his Jazz Studies program on-line.

What are you most proud of musically?

The last two CDs. I must admit , I was done with the biz around 1998 due to legal problems with a record label I was signed with - long story . I made a record with a few very popular Jazz Musicians back in the 90’s.

I’ll drop one name , Mike Stern contributed a solo to one of the tunes. I never thought i’d play again. I suffered a neurological injury as well and had to learn guitar all over again in 1999 / 2000. It was a very humbling experience and coming through that was very spiritual.

Any other thoughts or words of inspiration?

Appreciate every playing experience. Be Fearless, but not stupid. Music is a language with lots of dialects if you play Blues , then jam in that setting don’t drop in to a Jazz gig without learning the language of jazz. In other words respect the other musicians by showing you are willing to learn and let their experience guide you to the next level. If you demonstrate the skill set to play then play. Its all temporary , that is, if you manage your life by what you can’t do you’ll get nothing in return. Enjoy the moment.

Shalom,

Jimmy

http://myspace.com/jamminwithjimmymac

Check out Jimmy’s article Funk & Pocket Playing for clips of his songs and guitarwork, as well as some great advice for getting in the groove!

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