Joe Satriani is the last of an ‘endangered species’

On the way out a couple of younger members of this predominantly male, mature-ish and often pony-tailed audience, comment, “He’s so good, he taught Hendrix the guitar.” Well, he didn’t (but Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, Primus’ Larry LaLonde and Steve Vai), and yet, the point is well made: Joe Satriani is a guitar-guru but not yet of Jimi’s standard of innovation. And yet, can he play that geetar, or can he?

Shaved-head, wraparound shades (making him look about ready to dive) and stripped trousers send out a (confusing) message of retro-futurism. The same goes for music that is apparently old (mainly prog-) rock, but there are no frontiers here: Satriani goes from jazz-feel to funky, from blues to ethereal, with such a selection of guitar-effects that you ask youself – where have all the great guitarists gone?

Interviewing (disgracefully ignored) Tribe After Tribe recently, the band’s leader Robbi Robb complained that all guitarists sound the same nowadays because they all use the same gizmo to tune their six-stringers. True, and majority of today’s axe-man have only limited knowledge because that is all today’s music mastery requires. (Simple tunes for simple-minded consumption.) Satriani is the acrobat of the instrument…

He providea a whole kaleidoscope of arrangements that sound like played by a 10-piece ensemble and not just a trio (plus an occasional rhythm guitarist): Satriani’s hand fly across the frets like lightning in spring, fingering like he’s got a couple of extra digits, the fluidity is astonishing, the coloratura blinding, the tonality astonishingly wide… The only other instrument he employs is a mouth-organ, fixed to a mike-stand to leave his arms free for guitaring.

There is a mike for Satriani’s usage but he only employs it to introduce few songs, ‘New Last Jam’ and ‘Starry Night’, from the new disc, ‘Strange Beautiful Music’, and to provide one singular vocal on ‘I Believe’. These are instrumentals where every riff tells a story and it is up to you to read it: names like ‘Cool No.9’, ‘Mind-storm’, ‘Midnight’ or ‘Headless Horseman’ are arbitrary; everyone can ‘screen’ own associations at will.

And you might ask yourself – so, what if he’s a great guitarist? Its content is redundant, a throwback to the days when guitarists jammed on stage? Indulgent, you scream from the couch!? Of course it is but that’s what he trades in. Charmingly… If you object to content of his music, there is no dispute that he’s been the one exploring the full guitar potential for a number of years! Detailed, richly picked, sonic-filigrees for a generation that appreciates craftsmanship. If music were architecture, Satriani would be creating the finest examples of Gothic building.

The wealth of sounds emitting from his guitars is a lot you don’t hear around anymore. The ovation is the validation… His fans simply love these examples of mini rock-symphonies… Read somewhere that in the 1970s great guitarists used to be referred to as – wrist-merchants. Satriani is certainly one and that makes him unique! As for Hendrix, he just knew it all; Satriani is still learning…