Amanda Monaco is a jazz guitarist based out of NYC. I first met her one summer at NGW where she is a faculty member (and before that an intern and alum). She recently completed the NYC Marathon and is playing and teaching all over the place.
Make sure to check out her blog and website at www.amandamonaco.com
Describe your first experience playing music.
The first band I played in was called “The Dimensions” and we played pop tunes from the 50s and 60s – everything from Booker T. and the MGs to Wilson Pickett. The lead singer had a bad perm that made her look like a poodle, and no stage presence whatsoever (I think she was only doing the gig because her boyfriend, the drummer, insisted), but she could sing ok, and the other guys in the band were really into it so it was still a lot of fun. We played every weekend – everything from private parties (including a christening for a little Mafia baby in New Haven) to cruise nights in the parking lot of a restaurant in mid-state Connecticut.
What has been your most significant musical experience?
There’s been so many, but the first one that comes to mind is this: there was one Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur where I was playing services with a quartet (organ, guitar, cello, percussion) and the organist, who had been playing the services for 15+ years, had taken the music to the next level in terms of spiritual meaning through this intense musical expression. There was plenty of room for improvisation, stretching the limits of the liturgy, tons of freedom within what is normally looked upon as more of a somber occasion; at one point the congregation was praying/dancing in the aisles (literally!) which one might expect at a gospel church, but not the norm at a shul…It was such a moving experience that it completely changed the way I play music in every situation since; it took the petty anxieties away and gave music a meaning that could be compared to prayer.
What is the best advice on pursuing a career in music you were ever given?
Play as much as you can with as many people as you can.
What is your favorite sound?
Music that feels so good it makes you smile so much it hurts and makes you feel that these sounds can truly change the world.
Name some of your biggest non musical influences.
Training for the NYC Marathon has taught me a lot about endurance, pushing oneself past what was thought possible, setting goals, humility, and patience.
What is the most memorable concert you have ever attended?
John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussein at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 2007. “You Know You Know” played in a duo setting; Shakti redux; so much joy and inspiration flowing through these incredible musicians. The crowd roared for 30 minutes just to get an encore, which they did.
Put your iPod on shuffle and name the first 5 songs that appear.
“Just Squeeze Me” – Ella Fitzgerald with the Duke Ellington Orchestra
“I Walk The Line” – Johnny Cash
“String Quartet #6” – Bela Bartok
“My Girl” – The Temptations
“Fried Pies” – Wes Montgomery
