Modern jazz master Stanley Jordan made a major splash in guitar circles back in the Eighties, in large part because of his innovative “touch” tapping technique and unusual all-fourths tuning.
One of the many highlights of his popular 1988 album, Flying Home, was his instrumental cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” You can check out a live performance of the tune—shot around the same time the album was released—below (basically because we just happened to be in the mood to hear it today). What makes the video so special is that, at one point, Jordan plays the song on two guitars at once—treating both guitar fretboards as one big fragmented keyboard.
Flying Home happens to be jam-packed with stellar performances, including the Zeppelin tune, title track and “Tropical Storm.” Jordan’s latest album, Duets, was released in 2015 via Mack Avenue.
By the way, you can find out more about all-fourths tuning right here. From the bass strings to the treble strings, it’d look like this: E A D G C F. Jordan has said that all-fourths tuning “simplifies the fingerboard, making it logical.”
For more about Jordan and the Stanley Jordan School of the Arts, head here. Enjoy!
