Jonay Martin Santos From The Canary Islands
JGT contributor Joe Barth talks to one of the Canary Islands’ superb jazz guitarists.
John Stowell told me about a great guitarist he performed with in the Canary Islands named Jonay Martin Santos. I looked into Jonay’s playing and discovered what Stowell was talking about.
JB: Talk about what inspired you to play jazz guitar.
JMS: Creativity and never-ending ideas. I discovered jazz thanks to Jimi Hendrix. After exploring his different albums, Electric Lady Land and Axis Bold as Love excelled among the others for their sound, harmony and new textures.
By chance, I read an interview where Jimi talked about a jazz sax player he admired, John Coltrane. So I looked for a greatest hits album, and what really captured me, among Coltrane’s sound, was the amazing different things he did on each chorus. “My Favorite Things” or “Spiritual” were the first songs I listened to. After Coltrane, I went crazy about Jim Hall.
JB: What did you find most helpful as a self-taught musician?
JMS: Certainly, I never attended the conservatory, but I did have some teachers who guided me because they were working musicians as well. I think I was able to choose what I liked most and not follow a strict academic program, where you might get bored with unrelated material. I was lucky to receive enough information and motivation to keep going on my own.
JB: To you, what are three of the most influential jazz guitar albums and why?
Dedications and Inspirations by Jim Hall. Such an inspiring work where you have no distractions and get really deep on the style of this giant. Jim Hall shows all the colors and details that this instrument can bring, “the little orchestra”. I love the setlist and the different personalities that Jim is able to transmit on each song. Jim gives us good examples of intros and organic playing in “Joåo” or “In a Sentimental Mood”.
The Next Step by Kurt Rosenwinkel. This album is like opening Pandora´s box. It changed the way I understood guitar forever with his new approach to guitar sound and playing. His use of effects, which gave the guitar a very vocal sound quality, was a real discovery for many guitar players who then tried to copy him. All this helps create a mystical atmosphere and otherworldly compositions like “Zhivago” or “Use of Light”. Also, Kurt plays unheard-before melodic patterns that make this album unique, another Coltrane detail here.
Jim Hall & Pat Metheny. Two of my favorite musicians playing together; this was a big thing!! I love duo albums because you can get a lot of info on how they do the stuff. Both guitarists’ comping and soloing are a pure masterclass lesson; all is in the right place, even when they are searching, like in “All the Things You Are”. Also, the setlist is so diverse, and the free improvisations opened a whole world for me.
JB: Tell us about your goals in making your albums Anixua and later Autorretrato.
JMS: 2012 was a very active period for me personally and professionally, and I had been working on some ideas that I finally ended up with. So, I felt it was time to record my very first album. Anixua is my daughter’s name. As a young father, life changes a lot, and it had been two years since the divorce, so I had plenty of feelings captured in new compositions. Also, big musicians stepped into my way: Julio Tejera on keyboards and José Carlos Machado on upright bass.
In Autorretrato I wanted to do something special, have different collaborators, formats and styles; maybe Jim Hall has a lot to do with it. A very sought-after duo with the great Polo Ortí, one of our Canary Islands’ most international piano players, trio playing with and without drums like “Planets Aligned” where I step a little bit into the contemporary world. All original compositions of mine, going from swing to fusion and bossa nova, and some dedicated to friends like the trumpet player Idafe Pérez.
JB: You have performed with guitarist John Stowell. Talk about those experiences.
JMS: It was an amazing experience, not only as a player but on the personal side. I met John Stowell during his masterclass in Tenerife but we had been talking online for some years. One can feel completely free to do anything on the way; he is always there listening and reacting, giving the precise amount of ingredients that our improv might need- amazing player.
JB: What do you appreciate most about the custom-made “Tele” style guitar you play?
JMS: My Telos from Heeres Guitars is such a versatile and very easy-to-play guitar. I asked Richard to build a copy of Bill Frisell’s one, but with some other things to get experimental if needed. So, it has piezo, a set of Ron Ellis pickups, and a MIDI input. It is one of the best-sounding guitars I’ve ever had!
JB: You live in the Canary Islands. As a gigging musician, talk about the jazz scene there.
JMS: Here in the Canary Islands, we are in a process that´s growing every year to make this happen. Jazz here is still very minor, but we have some nice festivals and music cycles during the year that have become crucial for the musicians to connect with international players and to present their work.
My goal now is to reach the Spanish jazz scene and get to know master musicians from other places like Barcelona. I have been lucky enough to meet players such as Albert Bover or Dani Pérez during their visits to Tenerife and then record with them.
