Tapping genius Stanley Jordan has looked back on the time his playing left Eddie Van Halen lost for words.
Van Halen revolutionized what was possible on the electric guitar. Jordan’s expansive two-handed tapping techniques have equally expanded the electric guitar vocabulary.
Given their prowess, it was a crying shame the pair only traded notes once, but on that occasion, Jordan left his counterpart speechless. That’s no mean feat.
“We participated in a documentary concert honoring Les Paul [in 1988], where a huge group of us played with him,” Jordan remembers in the new issue of Guitar World. “There was Brian Setzer, B.B. King, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Miller, David Gilmour and me. We jammed together at the end.”
That’s a raft of talent for just one event. Jordan had delivered his own solo performance earlier on in the night, but it left him with mixed feelings. It did not make the cut for the film, but it did leave a mark on those who saw it.
“I played a solo piece of my song Flying Home,” he remembers. “To me, it was one of my best performances ever, though they didn’t end up putting it in the final film. Right after I played it, Eddie came up to me and said, ‘I’m speechless. I had no idea you were that good.’ Hearing that from him was incredibly special.”
Jordan has previously confessed that his unusual approach to the instrument – and off-the-wall tuning to boot – was a happy accident, and it’s gone on to define his career. Unfortunately, however, he never got to cross fretboards with Eddie again despite their best intentions.
“A while later, Eddie and I ran into each other at a NAMM Show, and he said, ‘Let’s go jam!’” Jordan remembers. “But in the chaos of the convention, someone spun him around, he got pulled away and it didn’t happen.”
If Jordan’s talents were ever in doubt, his cover of Stairway to Heaven on two guitars – simultaneously! – shows exactly why the world’s greatest guitarist was blown away by his craft.
Jordan also has a very unique practice routine, with massage videos at its core. It’s an eyebrow-raiser, for sure, but it works.
The new issue of Guitar World, featuring the full interview with Jordan and chats with Zakk Wylde and Tony Iommi, is out now. Print and digital copies can be ordered from Magazines Direct.
