Before most audiences even realise what they’re hearing, Stanley Jordan has already rewritten what a guitar can do. With his revolutionary two-handed touch technique, the four-time Grammy-nominated virtuoso doesn’t just perform music — he constructs it in real time, layering melody, harmony, and rhythm into something fluid, expansive, and almost otherworldly. Ahead of his much-anticipated performances in Hyderabad on May 15 and Bengaluru on May 16 and 17, alongside drummer Kenwood Dennard, he interacts with CE about sound, space, and the evolving language of jazz.
Stanley expresses genuine excitement about performing in an intimate setting like Windmills Craftworks. He says, “I love intimate listening spaces like this and it is ideal for what I do. I pay a lot of attention to detail, and it’s great to know that people will hear everything. In addition, there is the elegance of the space, which adds a whole layer of visual beauty to complement the music.”
Speaking about his first performance in Hyderabad, he notes, “I’m glad to hear that there is growing interest in jazz here. It feels to me like it’s growing in India in general. I find that very exciting, and for the obvious reason that it creates more places for me to perform. But beyond that, I’m also excited about the possibilities of more musicians in India learning jazz and possibly bringing something new to the development of the art form.”
On adapting to performance spaces, Stanley has always been very conscious of the space he performs. Typically during a sound check, he shares, “I’ll walk around the room and sit in various seats and imagine the concert from that perspective. Sometimes I’ll discover particular features about the space that I’ll consciously use in the performance. For example, the reverberation time might affect my tempos and my phrasing. But it could also be an ineffable quality that can only be experienced directly. I like your word atmosphere. I think that really describes it.”
Speaking of his collaboration with Kenwood Dennard, he shares, “Playing with Kenwood is an absolute joy. There’s no question he’s my favourite drummer. We first met in the mid 80s when he was performing with Jaco Pastorius. I was a street musician playing outside the venue where he and Jaco played. He was late to his soundcheck because he stopped to hear me play. He pledged that he would be my drummer for life. Our collaboration has continued to this day, and if anything, it’s only deepened. When we’re on stage playing, it’s like there’s a telepathy, or a Vulcan Mindmeld.”
He adds further, “We want the music to be as spontaneous and in the moment as possible… we cherish the power of music to engender full mindfulness, and ecstatic presence, so one could say that it’s also a spiritual experience for us.”
He also notes their duet format: “This is actually one of our first duet shows… there’s more dynamic range compared to my solo show, but there’s still my level of intimacy.”
On his evolving technique, he continues finding new possibilities with the touch technique all the time, something that never ends. He also introduces his expanded setup: “One extension of the technique is what I call tandem guitars… After a 30-year break, I’ve gone back to tandem guitars, and I’ll be bringing that set up to our concert in Hyderabad.”
Looking ahead to the India trip, he expresses, “I actually have no idea what the vibe will be in Hyderabad. We’ll just arrive with an open mind and bring our best.” On the two-city tour — Hyderabad and Bengaluru, he adds, “We haven’t planned anything different between the two cities, but with our spontaneous approach, I’m sure the show will change. Every venue and every audience is different and that does influence our approach.”
Finally, on what he hopes audiences take away, he concludes saying, “My biggest hope is that people will experience and remember this performance not just as a display of skill but also as an opening of the heart, and an experience of something deeper, an invisible current of energy that inspires and connects us all.”
