Stanley Jordan came to prominence with the release of his 1985 debut album … Read Full Bio ↴Stanley Jordan came to prominence with the release of his 1985 debut album Magic Touch, a revolutionary project that dually placed him at the forefront of re-launching legendary Blue Note Records into a contemporary entity in jazz and beyond, as well as establishing the then-twenty-something Jordan as among the most distinctive and refreshing new voices of the electric guitar.
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."
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."
Willow Weep for Me
Stanley Jordan Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Willow Weep for Me' by these artists:
Alan & Stacey Schulman Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me, Bend your branches g…
Alan Price Set Willow, weep for me Willow, weep for me Bend your branches…
Ambrose & His Orchestra Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me Bend your branches do…
Ann Hampton Callaway VERSE Oh Lord, why did you send the darkness to me?…
Armstrong Louis & Peterson Oscar Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branc…
Art Tatum Three little words Oh, what I'd give for that wonderful phr…
Barbra Streisand Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Ben Webster Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Billie Holiday Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bent your branches dow…
Buck Clayton And His All-Stars Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Buddy Rich & Harry "Sweets" Edison Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branc…
Buddy Rich & Harry 'Sweets' Edison Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Buddy Rich Quintet Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branc…
Buddy Rich/Lionel Hampton/Oscar Peterson/Ray Brown Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Cab Calloway & His Orchestra Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me Bend your branches do…
CHAD JEREMY Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Chad And Jeremy Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches g…
Chad jeremy Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Claire Martin & Jim Mullen Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bent your branches dow…
Clifford Brown And now the purple dusk of twilight time Steals across the…
Count Basie Orchestra/Ella Fitzgerald Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Dakota Staton Yes, Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
David Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
David "Fathead" Newman Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches g…
David "Fathead" Newman & Ray Charles Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
David Fathead Newman Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches g…
David Lindup And Orchestra Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
David Newman & Ray Charles Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Diana Krall (w Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra) Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches g…
Diana Krall feat. The Clayton/Hamilton Jazz Orchestra Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Dinah Washington Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches dow…
Dinah Washington & Hal Mooney And His Orchestra Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me Bend your branches do…
Dinah Washington feat. Lionel Hampton Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Duke Ellington & His Orchestra Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me Bend your branches do…
Ella Willow weep for me, willow weep for me, Bend your branches…
Ella & Billie Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Ella & Louis Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Ella Fitzgerald Willow weep for me, willow weep for me, Bend your branches…
Ella Fitzgerald & Billie Holiday Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
ella fitzgerald & billie holiday carmen mcrae Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches g…
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Ella Fitzgerald Billie Holiday Carmen McRae Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Ella Fitzgerald Frank DeVol and His Orchestra Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branc…
Ella Fitzgerald Louis Armstrong Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Etta James Yes, Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Frank Chacksfield & His Orchestra Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me Bend your branches do…
Frank Sinatra Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches g…
Frank Sinatra Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Frank Sinatra with Felix Slatkin & His Orchestra Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me Bend your branches do…
Frank Sinatra with the Red Norvo Quintet Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches g…
Fygi Laura Yes, Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Hanah Spring Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Harry Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Harry James & His Orchestra Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me Bend your branches do…
Irene Taylor Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me, Bend your…
isham jones & his orchestra Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me Bend your branches do…
Jacintha Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bent your branches dow…
James Brown Baby Eh, eh, eh, eh, eh, baby Baby Willow, weep for me Will…
JATP All Stars Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Jimmy Smith Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Julie London Willow weep for me willow weep for me Bent your branches…
June Christy Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bent your branches dow…
June Christy & Stan Kenton Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me Bend your branches do…
Keter Betts Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
LaVerne Butler Willow weep Willow weep Willow weep Willow weep for me, wil…
Lena Horne Yes, Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Les & Larry Elgart Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Les Brown Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me Bend your branches …
Les Brown & His Band of Renown & June Christy Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bent your branches dow…
Les McCann Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Lionel Hampton Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Lou Rawls Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Louis Armstrong Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branc…
Louis Armstrong & Oscar Peterson Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branc…
Louis Armstrong and Oscar Peterson Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Louis Armstrong With Oscar Peterson Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branc…
Magnus Carlson Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Maysa Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches d…
Milt Jackson & Oscar Peterson Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Muzzy Marcellino & Russ Garcia and His Orchestra Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me Bend your branches do…
Nancy Wilson Willow weep for me, weeping willow tree Bend your branches g…
Nelson Riddle Frank Sinatra Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches g…
Nina Simone Willow weep for me, willow weep for me, Bend your branches…
Nina Simone (1933-2003) Willow weep for me, willow weep for me, Bend your branches…
Nina Simone Bob Mersey & His Orchestra Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me Bend your branches do…
Nnenna Freelon Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Off Minor why can't it be me the charismatic lunatic they would flock…
Oscar Peterson Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Oscar Peterson & Harry Edison Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Oscar Peterson & Roy Eldridge Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Oscar Peterson Trio Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches g…
Paul Whiteman Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me, Bend your…
Pete Rugolo & His Orchestra Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me Bend your branches do…
Ray Brown Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branc…
Ray Charles Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Renée Yoxon & René Gely Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches dow…
Richard "Groove" Holmes & Les McCann Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Rosemary Clooney Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Roy Eldridge Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Ruthie Henshall Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches dow…
Sam Cooke Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me, Bend your branches…
Sarah Vaughan Willow, weep for me Willow, weep for me Bend your branches d…
Si Zentner & his Orchestra Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me Bend your branches do…
Si Zentner And Orchestra Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Sinatra Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Sonny Stitt The Oscar Peterson Trio Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches g…
Stan Kenton Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
Stan Kenton & His Orchestra Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me Bend your branches do…
Stan Kenton and His Orchestra Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches g…
Stan Kenton and June Christy Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me Bend your branches do…
Stéphane Grappelli Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branc…
Steve Miller Oh, willow weep for me Weeping willow tree Bend your branche…
Steve Miller Band Oh, willow weep for me Weeping willow tree Bend your branc…
Ted Fio Rito And His Orchestra Willow weep for me, Willow weep for me Bend your branches do…
Teddy Edwards & Les McCann Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
The Count Basie Orchestra Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
The Kills Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches g…
The Ray Charles Singers Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches gre…
The Swingville All-Stars Yes, willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branche…
Tin Hat Trio Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bend your branches g…
Vaughan Sarah Willow, weep for me Willow, weep for me Bend your branches d…
Vocal Spectrum Oh lord dear lord why did you send the darkness…
Wynton Kelly Trio and Sextet Willow weep for me Willow weep for me Bent your branches d…
Sarah Vaughan Willow, weep for me Willow, weep for me Bend your branches…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Stanley Jordan:
Autumn Leaves The falling leaves drift by the window The autumn leaves of…
Eleanor Rigby Ah look at all the lonely people Ah look at all…
Over The Rainbow Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high There's a land that…
Round Midnight It begins to tell 'Round midnight, midnight I do pretty we…
Stairway To Heaven There's a lady who's sure All that glitters is gold…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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boudiouful
superb!!!!
Shining Star
LOVE Stanley! :)
Universalmusic2012
Me too :)
Pascale C
Merci !
Universalmusic2012
Hi PasCale, thank you very much for the comment and checking my channel, you are welcome :)
Universalmusic2012
yes very..