13 QUESTION METHOD: GEOFF PEARLMAN
Tennessee-born guitarist Doug Wamble lives and works in New York. His latest release is Bluestate, on Branford Marsalis’ label. You can read the whole Bluestate story on Wamble’s site. (It’s a good’n.)

1. Which was the first record you bought with your own money?
The Beastie Boys’ License to Ill.

2. Which was the last record you bought with your own money?
Meeting by the River, by Ry Cooder and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.

3. What was the first solo you learned from a record — and can you still play it?
“Airmail Special” by Charlie Christian. I can still play a little of it!

4. Which recording of your own (or as a sideman) are you most proud of, and why?
As a leader, I've only done two. My hope is that the latest is always better than the one that came before. My quartet's latest, Bluestate, is something I'm proud of because it represents my first real working band. We spent two years on the road preparing that music, and I'm glad we got to document it.
As a sideman, I'm most proud of participating in Branford Marsalis' Romare Bearden Revealed, because I got a chance to be in the studio with some of the people that originally inspired me to play jazz — namely, Branford himself and Jeff "Tain" Watts.

5. What's the difference between playing live and playing in a studio?
Nothing, really, When we record, it's just like a gig. We play live, mistakes and all, with very little, if any, in the way of fixes. But live gigs are cool because we can just pull out anything we want from Hoagy Carmichael to our music to Bird to Ornette to Hendrix. I love that flexibility.

6. What's the difference between a good gig and a bad gig?
Good gigs are more fun!
It can be anything, you know. Sometimes the vibe is just there, other times it isn't. We've gotten to the point where we can muscle through bad vibes and manage a decent gig. But when things are clicking — whew, there's nothing like it. And that can happen in clubs with five people listening, or concert halls.

7. What's the difference between a good guitar and a bad guitar?
I don't know. I played what most people would call a "bad guitar" for years — an old Kay archtop — but I loved it. I'm just not much of a gear-head either way.

8. You play electric and acoustic. Do you approach the two differently?
I rarely play electric anymore. I do approach them differently. The acoustic provides me with more timbral diversity, which I put a premium on.

9. Do you sound more like yourself on acoustic or electric?
Acoustic for sure. When I play electric, I tend to fall into clone mode, which can be fun. I like to play like Stevie Ray or Hendrix or Bill Frisell on my Tele, and on a hollow-body electric I try and imitate Jim Hall or Grant Green. It was the search for a sound that led me to acoustic, though. I drastically prefer it.

10. Do you sound like yourself on other people's guitars?
I think so. I guess I don't play other people's often enough to know for sure!

11. Which living artist (music, or other arts) would you like to collaborate with?
I'd love to be able to play classical music well enough to collaborate with my wife, Janna, who is a tremendous mezzo-soprano. Apart from that, I'd have to say Ornette Coleman and Sonny Rollins. They are two living legends that have given so much to music and, sadly, they won't be with us forever. I've missed out on getting to play with the old masters that are still out here playing so great, and that's something I'd love to change.
Also, Lars von Trier. He's a great director with a lot of controversial things to say, but he has a real commitment to excellence and he challenges himself to be true to his vision. I can't imagine what we'd do, but I'd enjoy hearing him critique me for my American deficiencies!

12. What dead artist (music, or other arts) would you like to have collaborated with?
For music, Louis Armstrong. He just exemplifies everything I love about music and life. For other arts, it'd be William Faulkner. I'd love to have found a way to work with him, because he's in my favorite subset of humanity — the Southern Intellectual.

13. What's your latest project about?
Musically, it's about a working band working hard to improve constantly. But the themes, in part, on the record are related to my mild obsession with reading and learning about politics. I'm deeply concerned about where my country is heading, and I want to find a way to make changes where I can. There's not much I can do other than playing the guitar, but it's better than nothing, I suppose, at least until I decide to run for Congress!

Web site: http://www.dougwamble.com/