Key to Jordan's fast-track acclaim was his mastery of a special "tapping" technique on the guitar's fret board instead of conventional strumming and picking. While a handful of other virtuoso players were using similar techniques, Stanley's fluid and melodic use of tapping captured the imagination of listeners via his inherent warmth and sensitivity. He happened upon the technique without any formal study and had been applying it to his already exemplary traditional playing ten years prior to the album. Though Jordan showcased the technique in a variety of musical styles from swing to rock, it was smooth jazz radio support for his singular versions of "The Lady in My Life" (first recorded by Michael Jackson) and the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" that sent Magic Touch to the top of Billboard's jazz chart for a stunning 51 weeks. The album became a gold-seller (over 500,000 sold) - outstanding for any jazz or instrumental CD.
Subsequent albums found Jordan caught in a frustrating web of wanting to usher his audience into deeper levels of his artistry while record companies craved more of the stuff that had whisked him to the chart top. Because he debuted on the Blue Note label, he was marketed as a jazz progressive when what he was trying to stress was music beyond stylistic boundaries.
Those projects included a solo guitar project titled Standards Volume 1 (1986) where Stanley made the bold statement that songs by the likes of Stevie Wonder and Joni Mitchell deserved recognition as standards as much as chestnuts like "Georgia On My Mind." He followed that with the band album Flying Home (1988) and an especially edgy album titled Cornucopia (1990), half of which was straight ahead jazz recorded live and the other half of which was multi-dimensional originals recorded in the studio. Still later in 1994 after a move to Arista Records (then-helmed by pop music maverick Clive Davis), he recorded the bracingly eclectic Bolero album, featuring covers of Herbie Hancock's "Chameleon," Jimi Hendrix's "Drifting," his original "Plato's Blues" and the CD's centerpiece, a 17-minute arrangement of Ravel's "Bolero" broken up into rock, African, Latin, "groove" and industrial versions.
After a self-imposed exile from the rat race in the `90s that included a retreat to the mountains of the southwest, Stanley Jordan has re-emerged with a new life's direction. "Most people - if and when they find their calling - come to see themselves in some sort of service capacity," he states. "Right now I feel a strong desire to bring my music to the people not just for entertainment, but also for inspiration and healing."
A primary element of this new direction involves championing Music Therapy, which he is studying in a Masters program at Arizona State University. "Accelerated music schools give lots of good information but not a lot of advice on how to learn and retain that information," he states. "I try to supply this missing element of how to approach it to where you don't strain yourself. Physically, musicians run the risks of problems such as repetitive motion strain that this can help. More importantly, Music Therapy can help creative people with psychological problems such as perfectionism. Normally people approach difficult music, start out not playing it very well then try to increase their ability to play it. My approach is the opposite. I say approach easy music first, do it well then gradually increase the difficulty of the music. That way you have success right from the start. It's a way of slowing down and staying in a comfort zone, enabling you to learn the music faster in the long run while building up your confidence."
The positive affects of this training are not just skills Stanley teaches but skills he has adopted for his own creativity. "With composing, you start writing something and it's great because you get all these ideas. But the minute you stop and analyze it, you have the constraint of writing something that fits what you've already done. Now there's this whole 'judgment' thing going on. What I suggest is to stay in the creative flow for as long as possible, getting as many ideas out as you can. Then come back later with a different head to do the editing and critical side. The 'mental training' for this is not in books. It's closer to meditation or neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) where one is taught to control their mental state to achieve a goal. This can be applied not just to music but to other aspects of your life."
Another area of intensive interest for Jordan is the development of Sonification (turning something into sound) and the concept of using music as a form of representation. "A great percentage of the data that people analyze is time sensitive data," Stanley explains, "and audio is a far superior vehicle for understanding the passage of time. Take the amortization schedule of a 30-year mortgage, for example. If I hit one note per second in the left speaker for interest and another note per second for principle in the right speaker, it would take about six minutes to 'play' that mortgage. A person could hear how long they would be paying interest before they started paying principle. Looking at it on a graph is one thing, but listening to it makes you feel it. Sonification offers deeper understanding of information because more of the brain is involved in understanding that information."
Jordan sees the potential for Sonification applications on a revolutionary level. "Sonification can be of profound benefit to humanity," he continues, "especially when making decisions that affect other people which requires an emotional understanding of what you're doing. For example, you can use Sonification for a person's vital signs. To a degree that's already in place with machines that beep for heart rates, but it's in a primitive stage without much coordination. You get all these pieces of equipment making different sounds. Through Sonification, we can create a universal language that makes it easier for physicians to listen to several monitors' sounds and know what's going on with their patient's body. This is done using principles similar to those of arrangers and sound mix engineers. In arranging music for a number of instruments, you write so that the parts stay out of each other's way, enabling you to hear each part separately."
Where does this leave new recordings in the matrix of Stanley's career? In 2004 he was prominently featured with the Italian group Novocento on their CD, Dreams of Peace. And independently, he has recorded two CDs: Ragas (a collaboration with musicians from India featuring Jay Kishor on sitar) and Relaxing Music in Difficult Situations I, an audio extension of his Music Therapy interests. Beyond those, Stanley is preparing some new CDs that will focus on something he has only shared sporadically: original compositions. However, as with all things related to Stanley Jordan, he will release them when he feels the music and the timing is right.
"There's a belief that when you're a musician, you're supposed to want to be rich and famous," he muses. "I've never been like that. I do want to be paid well for what I do and want people to know about what I do - as big of an audience as I can - but that's a tangent. I see the commercial and artistic as two separate things. Sometimes they can work together. Sometimes they work against each other. I'd rather be musically satisfied and not famous than be famous and not satisfied with my music."
"When I have something new I'm playing that I really like, then I'm most motivated to share it with the world."
Stairway to Heaven
Stanley Jordan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven.
When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for.
Ooh ooh and she's buying a stairway to heaven.
There's a sign on the wall
'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
In a tree by the brook
There's a songbird who sings,
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it makes me wonder.
There's a feeling I get
When I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen
Rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who standing looking.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.
And it's whispered that soon, If we all call the tune
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
And a new day will dawn
For those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter.
If there's a bustle in your hedgerow,
Don't be alarmed now,
It's just a spring clean for the May queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on.
And it makes me wonder.
Your head is humming and it won't go
In case you don't know,
The piper's calling you to join him,
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow,
And did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind.
And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How ev'rything still turns to gold.
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll.
And she's buying a stairway to heaven.
The song "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin has been an all-time classic for decades, having been covered by various artists and analysed by music lovers alike. Stanley Jordan’s jazz guitar instrumental reimaginings of classic songs do an amazing job of preserving the essence of the original while also bringing out hidden melodies and harmonies. Jordan’s version of “Stairway to Heaven” is no exception.
The opening lines of the song are about a woman who believes that material things are the key to happiness, and she's "buying a stairway to heaven." She thinks that everything that glitters is gold, which implies that she is looking for happiness in the wrong place. The song suggests that she is being misled by practical and earthly things, and that the stairway she is buying leads her nowhere.
The rest of the song has some cryptic symbolism regarding the two paths that people can choose in life, the tangible and the intangible. The song seems to suggest that choosing the intangible path will lead to true happiness and enlightenment. The lyrics are metaphorical, and the music is designed to evoke emotions and feelings, making it one of the most popular songs of all time.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a lady who's sure
There is a confident woman
All that glitters is gold
She values material wealth
And she's buying a stairway to heaven.
She believes she can purchase her way into heaven
When she gets there she knows
She is confident
If the stores are all closed
If she cannot buy what she wants
With a word she can get what she came for.
She can use her influence to get what she wants
Ooh ooh and she's buying a stairway to heaven.
Reiteration that she believes she can buy her way into heaven
There's a sign on the wall
There is a warning
But she wants to be sure
She needs reassurance
'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
She acknowledges that there can be hidden meanings
In a tree by the brook
In nature
There's a songbird who sings,
The beauty of nature
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.
Our thoughts can be misguided
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
It makes him curious
Ooh, it makes me wonder.
Reiteration of his curiosity
There's a feeling I get
A feeling of longing
When I look to the west,
When he looks towards the horizon
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
He feels a pull towards the unknown
In my thoughts I have seen
In his imagination
Rings of smoke through the trees,
The beauty of nature
And the voices of those who standing looking.
The presence of unseen observers
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
It makes him curious
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.
Reiteration of his curiosity
And it's whispered that soon, If we all call the tune
A rumor that if they work together
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
They will find clarity
And a new day will dawn
A new beginning
For those who stand long
For those who persevere
And the forests will echo with laughter.
Nature will be abundant with joy
If there's a bustle in your hedgerow,
If you have a disturbance
Don't be alarmed now,
There's no need to worry
It's just a spring clean for the May queen.
It's a seasonal cleaning
Yes, there are two paths you can go by
There are two choices
But in the long run
Ultimately
There's still time to change the road you're on.
They can still choose a different path
And it makes me wonder.
It leaves him questioning
Your head is humming and it won't go
You cannot shake your thoughts
In case you don't know,
In case you're unaware
The piper's calling you to join him,
They are being called to something greater
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow,
Addressing the woman mentioned earlier
And did you know
Do you realize
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind.
Your path is waiting for you to discover it
And as we wind on down the road
As we journey forward
Our shadows taller than our soul.
We are larger than ourselves
There walks a lady we all know
There is a familiar woman
Who shines white light and wants to show
A woman who represents purity
How ev'rything still turns to gold.
Everything has value
And if you listen very hard
If you pay attention
The tune will come to you at last.
You'll hear what you've been searching for
When all are one and one is all
When everything comes together
To be a rock and not to roll.
To be strong and unwavering
And she's buying a stairway to heaven.
Reiteration that she believes she can buy her way into heaven
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JIMMY PAGE, ROBERT PLANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@alexanderallegra432
This guy has perfected his craft, a true brother of the arts, a gem to behold for mankind
@robertmeyer8735
Stanley has always been on a level that most cannot comprehend, guitarists are just now beginning to make more popular his style he was doing 40 years ago!!!No one can really even come close to duplicating this master!!
@agumperz
That is so true. There are a handful of great players and they are impressive. But then there is Stanley. He is on a different plane.
@cortezmobley8476
Except Reggie Wooten, he comes very close to duplicating Stanley.
@jonathanmoon86
I remember watching him in late 80's but Eddie was the man at the time
@rastafaaa1073
Jpder...pero que veis en Stanley...que no veis en otros?
Puedo hacer una lista ahora mismo de 20 o 30 guitarristas que tocan así...pero no todo el rato...todo el tiempo así ABURRE.
Abasi...Wooten...Bertroud...en fin...sabemos que mc lauglin puede...que Al de Meola puede y muchísimos más...pero ya te digo que no lo hacen porque todo el tiempo así ABURRE y sobre todo, y todos los recursos que no usa y que realzan una pieza???
@tonebrennan8475
Scotty Mishoe is an absolute master of bidextral tapping
@billsmith2212
I believe I first saw him busking in NYC in front of the library at Fifth Ave. and 42nd Street at lunch time . In 1980 ! And at many shows since . Never disappoints !
@ronfleming5488
He is one of the most talented guitarists to ever set his hands to the instrument.
@futurebabel
to say that these guys know what they're doing is an understatement