Mark Edward Fitchett

I am passionate about improvisation in all styles of music. This is my love, my joy, my high in life. I get the most satisfaction from this aspect of my live performances. The creativity experienced, especially when I’m “on,” is something I don’t experience in normal everyday life.

I had been playing the guitar for a couple of years as kid and was just starting to listen to Santana, Johnny Winter, Led Zeppelin and The Allman Brothers when one of my friends mentioned that the guitarists were making their solos up on the spot. That just floored me, I couldn’t believe it! I knew right then and there that I had to be able to do that too; thus starting my lifelong quest to perfect the art of improvisation on the guitar.

Beginning with garage/basement bands, my friends and I got together and jammed for hours at a time on modal one chord jams, simple progressions and blues. Later on, as I developed my skills, I moved into progressive rock, fusion and funk, and eventually be-bop influenced jazz. Along the way I also picked up skills in Country, Classical, Latin, African and other various ethnic music and hybrid styles.

It is from these sources as well as my life experiences that I draw my inspirations from when I improvise a solo.

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