Varying, but on my latest CD: Joel Newton (guitar), Ben Stivers (keys), Toshi Someya (bass), Eric Halvorson (drums). On Howes Medley: (from demo recording of the Christian Howes Group) CH (violin), Jason Linder (organ), me (guitar), Eric Halvorson (drums)
Influences
Pat Metheny, Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck, Joe Lovano, Miles Davis, Bill Frisell, Mahavishnu Orchestra, John Scofield, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Kurt Rosenwinkel, D.D. Jackson, Wes Montgomery, Bartok, Debussy, Frank Zappa, Eddie Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Scott Henderson, The Beatles, John Coltrane, Mr. Rogers, and, most importantly, the Partridge Family and Brady Bunch. I've also been influenced by recreational use of drugs and alcohol, but mostly in my early 20's. My wife, Vickie, has influenced me, mostly in very positive ways. Every day, thousands, no, trillions of molecules, atoms, subatomic particles, waves, and other physical forces influence me in untold ways. As a kid I was very influenced by the pentatonic scale, but now I prefer not to use scales at all. I've never, as far as I can recollect, been influenced by a supernatural being or someone selling any kind of insurance or financial product. Finally, I don't think there's been a second in the last 20 years of my life that Menudo has not influenced me.
Sounds Like
I know most people say "me," but the weird thing is, I don't even sound like that. One answer would be, "Improv-and prog-rock nuts no less than jazzbos should get a sharp shock of recognition from this group, a sort of Medeski, Martin and Mahavishnu thing that cuts loose from tight heads to travel the spaceways." Village Voice. At best this is probably a hint about one aspect of my sound (out of about 8 aspects total). If I sound at all like MMW and Mahavishnu, COOL, but, for better or worse, I sound like everything and nothing (or somewhere in-between).
"Newton's your man whether you prefer your jazz-guitar virtuosi
rough or smooth. The tunes range from funk to totally fucked-up (in the best
sense)." (VILLAGE VOICE)
"striking
skills...performs on a par with
seminal players like Bill Frisell and Ben Monder.(ALL ABOUT JAZZ)
Joel Newton is a New York City-based guitarist,
composer and bandleader exploring various combinations of jazz, rock, and
experimental music. He has worked with a diverse spectrum of players, including
Eric Halvorson, Ben Stivers, Christian Howes, D.D. Jackson, Adam Klipple, JT
Lewis, Dan Weiss, Chuck Mackinnon, Matt Shulman, Fay Victor, Dave Binney and
Donny McCaslin and has been gigging and recording for ten years in NYC and
elsewhere on the continent. He does occasional rock and singer/songwriter gigs,
theater work, and large-group modern classical projects (well, at least once
(with composer Joe Phillips)).
Joel's been playing guitar since he was 7
(and is about 75% as good as he thinks he should be given the early start). He
listened to and emulated all the standard rock icons in the 70's and 80's, and
then he discovered Jeff Beck, at which point he began a slow trajectory toward
jazz, which picked up while he was at Dartmouth College almost getting funneled
into Medical School, and culminated in 3 years at William Paterson College
studying Jazz Performance. Since then ('93), Joel's been returning to his rock,
blues and fusion roots and mixing it all up with jazz and avant garde every way
he can.
