Don Hales Records Full Steam Ahead with Organist Linda Dachtyl

JGT contributor Joe Barth talk to Don Hales, an “old school” jazz guitarist living in the Columbus, Ohio area.  

Don has recently been featured on organist Linda Dachtyl’s new album Full Steam Ahead.  I asked him about his approach and working on this new project.

JB: Growing up in Toledo, Ohio, talk about when you started to play guitar and what inspired you to play jazz guitar.

DH:  I listened to a lot of country western music at first, particularly Jimmy Bryant.  Johnny Smith was my inspiration to start playing jazz, especially the song “Golden Earrings” which was very inspirational to me. Billy Bean has been a very important influence on my playing, also. “Making It” is one of my favorite recordings of Billy Bean’s and Johnny Pisano’s. I think Billy Bean is the greatest bebop guitarist who ever lived. Wes Montgomery is the greatest jazz guitarist overall, in my opinion. 

JB:   What did you appreciate most about working with saxophonist Rusty Bryant and organist Bobby Shaw and that era of development?

DH:  Working with Rusty was educational, specifically concerning dynamics, and I learned a lot about chord progressions and voicings from Bobby Shaw. Bobby Shaw was a master concerning those things and also a very fine vocalist. I was on the road with Rusty for about 3 years. Nancy Wilson was also in that particular group at the time. 

JB:   To you, in shaping your sound and approach, what are three of the most influential jazz guitar albums and why? 

DH:  Moonlight in Vermont by Johnny Smith is one of my favorite recordings of all time.  I just love Johnny’s clarity of technique and his use of block chordal style. 

Wes Montgomery has also been very influential to me. Frankly, I can’t pick any one recording of his because I like them all!  Wes’s lack of using a plectrum gave him a different sound that I found appealing. When improvising, Wes cut to the chase by playing only what was essential. 

Pat Martino’s Strings recording is one of my favorites. The song “Minority” in particular, because of his spectacular technique. 

JB:  Talk about your experience of recording the Full Steam Ahead album with organist Linda Dachtyl.

DH:  Linda is one of the most creative people I’ve worked with.  She’ll tackle anything I bring to the table. One of the more challenging tunes I’ve written is “The Outsider” with its multimeters, particularly playing in 7/4. Linda and Cary were excited to play this composition, and we spent a lot of time on it in rehearsal and pre-production. 

JB: What do you find most rewarding and challenging about working in the organ trio?

DH:  I like the warm sound of the Hammond B3 organ and the ambience it creates.  I’ve worked in organ combos probably more than any other ensemble. I’ve been fortunate to work not only with Linda, but with Don Patterson, Sonny Phillips, Bill Doggett, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Tony Monaco, Bobby Pierce, Bobby Floyd, Gene Ludwig, and Hank Marr. 

JB:  What do you appreciate most about the guitar that you use?

DH:  My favorite guitar and amplifier combination is my Ibanez Artstar AS113 guitar paired with a Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus. I use Thomastik 14 gauge guitar strings. I like how the Ibanez projects, and I don’t have to worry about it feeding back. 

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