by Stephen Foster
The quality of musicianship here in Suffolk never ceases to amaze me. I try to keep my finger on the pulse but have to admit that from time to time I still come across a musician I'd been totally unaware of.
One such figure is Bungay-based guitarist Jon Buck.
If I'm honest, I can count the number of times I've been to Bungay on the fingers of one hand so that might go some way to explain why our paths haven't crossed in the 20 years he's been playing.
This weekend Jon launches his excellent new album In My Own Time.
The CD comprises no fewer than 14 of Jon's instrumentals and I haven't heard anyone locally play acoustic guitar with such sleight of hand. He's a finger picker of the very highest order and has clearly mastered his instrument.
For Sunday evening's gig at The Cut in Halesworth he'll be joined on stage by Jim Clarke on bass and Craig Bacon on drums.
Earlier this week Jon told me that his guitar heroes include Wes Montgomery, Roy Buchanan and Colin Pincott. I'm well aware of the huge contributions to music made by the first two names but Colin Pincott is not so familiar to me. Colin is, I've now learnt, a renowned session player who has worked with Joan Armatrading, Elkie Brooks, The Walker Brothers and Jim Diamond to name but a few. He lived in Ipswich for a while and is now based in Lowestoft. It was Colin who taught Jon to play and speaks volumes for his ability as a tutor that Jon himself is now a guitar teacher. In fact his first guitar tuition book has been published by Hamlyn. It's called Play Guitar in Ten Easy Lessons. A visit to www.jonbuck.co.uk is highly recommended. Listen out for Jon in session on BBC Radio Suffolk in a few weeks' time.
Acoustic Magazine review of In My Own Time
From the explosive runs at the start of the opening track, 'The Arch', you can tell that Jon Buck can play a bit. The album is an interesting collection of instrumental styles that showcase his considerable ability, but also manages to maintain a sense of melody and structure that could so easily be lost amidst the fireworks. Impressive and interesting.