GT: What is it about guitar instrumentals that appeals to you?
JE: I have to say that as a young guy, guitar instrumentals were the only things that appealed to me. For instance, The Shadows. What still appeals is that the guitar must be like the vocalist. The first person who ever really achieved this was Eric Clapton in 1965, but the on-going master until his recent death was Jeff Beck.
GT: What can an instrumental provide a listener that a vocal song can't?
JE: The thing is that words solidify it, bring the thing down to earth. That’s why most people want vocals, in order to tell a story. But an expressive instrumental can tell a story that’s much more evocative, because the imagination is not channelled into a set path (via words).
GT: Any tendencies you aim to embrace or avoid, like rhythms, harmony, playing approach, tones?
The aim (not always achieved!) is to take the listener on a journey. In jazz, for instance, a
