I started busking in downtown Greenville when I was 9. It was just something fun to try. I don’t busk much anymore–most of my playing is for gigs and shows. The positives were that the busking helped me earn money for a guitar and it was fun to see such a variety of people. The negatives were that I was having to play by myself. – Ronnie Elliott
Ronnie Elliott is an already great player at the age of 15 – (at the date of publication) – who I found on Instagram quite by accident. His page came up and I noticed his Tele in what looked like a busking situation. Turns out that’s exactly what it was and after hearing this young man – 13 at the time – I figured there was no better player for the Jazz Guitar Life Young-Uns section. He graciously agreed and you can read his quite mature responses below. I think you’ll be quite impressed! I know I was…:)
But first…
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JGL: Hi Ronnie and thanks for taking the time to chat with Jazz Guitar Life. Let’s get to know you a little first if that is cool with you? How old are you?
RE: I’m fifteen years old.
JGL: And where are you located – generally speaking?
RE: I live in Greenville, South Carolina.
JGL: How old were you when you first started playing guitar and do you remember that first “aha” moment that made you want to learn Jazz Guitar?
RE: I started playing guitar at age 7 and started playing jazz by age 8. Jazz appealed to me because of the creativity and textures involved. I started by listening to a lot of Wes Montgomery and Miles Davis.
JGL: Nice! Especially for one so young at that time. Have you always listened to Jazz or are/were there other music genres you started out with and maybe still listen to?
RE: My parents are musicians, so I grew up listening to a lot of classical music. I still enjoy listening to Bach and other classical composers.
JGL: Sounds like a great upbringing 🙂 Tell us Ronnie, how disciplined has your musical education been?
RE: I have always been serious about my music study. I studied music theory and ear training at a very young age with my first guitar teacher, Matt Dingledine. This really helped me understand jazz at a young age, because I could understand the theory involved.
JGL: Wow! And speaking of guitar teachers, I have read that you have studied privately with the great Jonathan Kreisberg. How did that come about and prior to studying with him, had you taken formal private lessons?
RE: During Covid, I began online lessons with Jonathan, about five years ago. Jonathan has taught me so much about melody and about musicianship in general and what it takes to become a professional guitarist. Before Jonathan, I studied guitar with Matt Dingledine here in Greenville. Matt was very important to my early development and in encouraging my love for jazz and in supporting my creativity.
JGL: And in the same vein, do you practice Jazz every day and what is your practice regimen like?
RE: In general I practice about 2-3 hours a day. The time is divided between transcribing, learning tunes in different keys, a lot of experimenting and improvising, and in working on time feel with my picking technique.
JGL: A balanced regimen indeed. Just curious, which Jazz guitarists do you listen to on a regular basis?
RE: Probably mostly Wes Montgomery and Jonathan Kreisberg, but I like to mainly listen to piano and horn players because it expands my boundaries in the way I think. It helps me not to limit my vocabulary to only my instrument and teaches me to think in different ways.
JGL: That is a very mature way of approaching the music. Who else then are you listening to apart from the Jazz Guitarists mentioned?
RE: Coltrane, Art Tatum, Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Oscar Peterson, Charlie Parker, Wynton Kelly.
JGL: Nice!! Now all those cats were around way before you were born, what kind of advice – if any – has the older generation given you?
RE: Pat Martino told me that guitar has given him so much enjoyment in his life and that he hoped I would get to experience that in my life as well.
JGL: Well it sounds like you’re moving in the right direction 🙂 Tell us, do you compose as well? Have you had the chance to record your own music?
RE: Yes, I have composed some and would like to do more in the near future. I have not done any formal recordings of my tunes yet.
JGL: I would love to hear your music when you’re ready to share it to the listening world. Keep us in the loop please. Now…if this applies to you at this moment in time, what was your first professional gig?
RE: I began sitting in at jazz jams with the Greenville Jazz Collective when I was 8. And my first paid gig was playing with my teacher at a restaurant when I was 9.
JGL: Wow! That’s very cool. To date, what has been your most memorable experience(s)?
RE: The first time I got to have an in-person lesson with Kreisberg and play duo with him was my most memorable musical experience.
JGL: I can imagine!! Speaking of memorable experiences…I see that you have played with Mike Stern in what appears to be a workshop style scenario. How did this come about and what – if anything – did you take away from this experience?
RE: Mike Stern came to the Fine Arts Center in Greenville two years ago (before I became a student there). I was invited by the jazz director Steve Watson to come attend the masterclass. I came away from that experience realizing that improvising should always be like composing a melody.
JGL: Once again, a very mature grasp of the music. I’m not sure if you have given this much thought but do you see yourself continuing Jazz Guitar – or guitar in general – as a profession?
RE: I have planned to be a jazz guitarist since I was probably 10.
JGL: Nice! At 10 I had no direction at all…LOL 🙂 Is it possible then to do so where you currently live or would you need to move to another location and if so, where?
RE: The jazz scene in Greenville is not huge, so I would probably need to be somewhere like New York.
JGL: That makes sense! In a similar vein, what do you have planned for the future?
RE: In the near future, I am really excited about a show coming up in April with Pat Bianchi here in Greenville. I will be a featured member of his organ trio along with drummer Chris Burroughs. I have listened to Pat for years and love his playing since I heard him with Pat Martino at the Detroit Jazz Fest. I am really excited to perform with him! After that, I will be thinking about college in a couple years.
JGL: Cool! Does that mean you have other interests that you would like to pursue other than Jazz Guitar or guitar in general?
RE: Probably not–I am focused on music.
JGL: Good answer Ronnie!! 🙂 I read that you were both a Young Arts winner and received the 2023 Downbeat Magazine Honors Jazz Soloist award). That must have been very cool and obviously something that doesn’t happen every day. Can you talk a bit about how these honors came to be and what do these awards mean to you? Does it help you with the possibility of you being a full time musician in the future? Either way, you and your parents must have been very proud! Mazel Tov ☺
RE: I submitted recordings for both Downbeat and YoungArts. The awards were nice to win for the exposure, but in the end music isn’t about competition.
JGL: So true! Since you’re so young, I’m curious how fully your parents accept your love for music and the guitar? Is there a “Plan B”?
RE: My parents have always encouraged my music. They take me to shows and concerts all the time, got me guitar lessons, and helped with instruments and gear. No Plan B as of now!
JGL: Good! Let that be your motto!! 🙂 What is your daily life like?
RE: I’m in 10th grade. I homeschool in the mornings and attend the Fine Arts Center in Greenville in the afternoons where I take music classes and jazz combo. Then in the evenings I usually practice some more or watch soccer.
JGL: In regards to Greenville, is there a strong music/Jazz scene there? And are there any Jazz Guitar players from your area that you would recommend we check out?
RE: There’s a pretty good jazz scene in Greenville, and it’s growing. He isn’t specifically jazz, but Marcus King is from Greenville, and I will get to play with him in April at a show. Jorge Garcia is a guitarist I have studied with who is a great local player here with several albums.
JGL: Nice! On the topic of playing, you have acquired a sizeable fan-base via your busking I assume. How did you originally get into busking and do you still busk? What were the more positive experiences of busking? And what – if any – were the negatives?
RE: I started busking in downtown Greenville when I was 9. It was just something fun to try. I don’t busk much anymore–most of my playing is for gigs and shows. The positives were that the busking helped me earn money for a guitar and it was fun to see such a variety of people. The negatives were that I was having to play by myself.
JGL: I hear ya Ronnie! In a lot of your Instagram posts you are playing a gorgeous looking Tele style guitar with what appears to be a vintage orange cube 60 or maybe a 100? This kind of reminds me of the late, great Ed Bickert’s setup…is this your “go-to” live/studio set-up? What else do you have gear wise? what would be your dream set-up?
RE: Yes, I was inspired by Ed Bickert to use an Orange Cube 60 and my Tom Anderson telecaster. I have recently acquired a Custom Shop Gibson ES-175 which I use with a Polytone Mini-Brute. The telecaster is very versatile, whereas the Gibson really has the perfect jazz tone. For pedals, I use a Silver Spring reverb and a delay pedal.
JGL: Nice! Simple and straightforward. Speaking of Gibson, I saw a few vids of you playing Herb Ellis’ Gibson from the early years with Oscar Peterson. How did that come about and what was it like playing Herb’s iconic guitar?
RE: When I was looking at guitars with “That Rhythm Man Guitars,” the owner of the Herb Ellis guitar let me try it out. Surprisingly, the guitar’s condition felt great for a guitar that old. It was cool to think that Herb Ellis actually played that guitar for so many years.
JGL: I can imaging. Now, as we begin to wrap this up, what would you like to work on guitar wise in the years to come?
RE: I would like to focus on composing and finding my own sound.
JGL: Good plan! Do you have any advice for young musicians that you would like to share?
RE: Whatever musical career you are pursuing, make sure you enjoy every part of it.
JGL: Agreed! Thank you Ronnie for taking the time to respond to these questions for Jazz Guitar Life. I look forward to following your career in the months and years ahead and wish you nothing but the best on whatever road you travel!
RE: Thanks for having me Lyle.
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