Episode #85: Aleksi Glick

As a member of a musical family, Aleksi has been exposed to virtually all styles of music since birth,  from jazz to classical, folk to rock, and a half dozen other stops in between some of those genres. He’s listened to everyone from Jimi Hendrix to John Scofield, Derek Trucks to Wes Montgomery. His guitar speaks an authoritative language and yet, there is a relaxed feeling and an inbred admiration of music’s many faces. The sound is warm, round, and full, the phrasing is like a smooth-flowing brook, bubbling here, charging there, but always reflecting his basic understanding of what his instrument is about.

As any good New York artist does, Aleksi plays with the best and brightest across the creative landscape. From films to radio, pop to jazz, on tape or video, he maintains an ideal balance of adaptability and uniqueness. He’s played and/or recorded with Snack Cat (The Funk-Soul band he leads), Roberta Flack, Jersey Boys, J Hoard, Bailen, the Broadway cast of Aladdin, The Seth Weaver Big Band, Bailen, Peter Bernstein, Sam Dillon, Paul Bollenback, Augie Haas, Benny Benack, Vic Juris, Mike Glick (his pops) plus dozens of regional and nationally known bands and artists. He has also worked with major labels and publishing companies including Warner Chappel, Warner Music, Ropadope, APM, EMI, and Outside in Music.

Guitar and Me is the debut solo release from New York-based guitarist Aleksi Glick. The album plays as a genealogy of the guitar, weaving through various musical styles that have been crucial to the guitar’s evolution as well as influential to Glick’s own journey with the instrument. While still rooted in jazz and blues, the album pushes the boundaries of the genre by seamlessly floating through an eclectic mix of other styles including R&B, folk, rock, and bossa nova. Guitar and Me feature thirteen original compositions and solo arrangements of guitar-based classics that Glick recorded while in isolation at the height of the Covid pandemic.

The album starts off with a  burner, “With Ease,” an original bluesy hard bop tune that came to Glick after a memorable Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The bossa and R&B-infused title track “Guitar and Me” follow as Glick’s own love letter to his guitar. A mix of originals, jazz standards, and classic songs follow. Other highlights include  an arrangement of the Grateful Dead fan-favorite “Casey Jones” and the timeless classic “Georgia on  My Mind.” “A Tune for Vic,” is a moving tribute to Glick’s recently deceased mentor, the late great Vic  Juris. The album concludes with another original, “Rebirth” which is an homage to Glick’s early love of classic rock, and finally “Long Black Veil” one of two tracks that Glick sings on. With each track, you can hear the different influences on Glick’s playing from the classic tones of Wes Montgomery to the modern techniques of John McLaughlin, to the dynamic energy of Jimmy Hendrix.  In this episode, Aleksi shares his background, education, and musical journey.

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