Jamie Murrell

What is Jazz?

I just finished an online class last week at Berklee College of Music in Jazz Arranging. One of the questions that the class made me think about is - What is Jazz?

If there are…Read more

To bebop or to rock? - That is the question! As a guitarist, that question is hard to answer. I have spent many years playing both jazz and rock music. I've also spent many years studying other styles such as…Read more

I miss records. Those big 10 inch pieces of vinyl that we would put it on turntables and the needle would spin around the groove. I miss the aroma of when you would take the plastic off the cover and…Read more

What does it mean to play the changes? Does it mean playing a series of tones that are within the chords to a song? Does it mean using guide tones between chords to complete the melody? Does it mean using…Read more

I remember my first guitar. It was Christmas day 1979. I was 10 years old and I had been begging my Mom & Dad for a guitar since I was 5. I woke up that morning early to go see…Read more

As a musician and music teacher, I see a growing trend in music that involves a lessening of actual musical ability & understanding. Music is a craft that has to be developed over time. Consistent practice and study of music…Read more

One of the most difficult things to do in music is to find your original voice. Originality doesn't just mean making up random noises that have no purpose. Originality is being so deep into the music that you find your…Read more

My students often asked me who I think is the best guitar player or what kind of music is the best to listen to. My answer to them is that the best guitarist is the one that you think is…Read more

I have written a lot of songs in my life. I've come to the conclusion that I am a discoverer of melodies and that my knowledge of music is only to provide harmony for those melodies. Those melodies come from…Read more

Interview with James Murrell by Shelley Simone

1.       What do you “do” in music? You teach, you compose, you play...?

I perform and teach music in the Dayton, Ohio area, I have also taught in the Columbus, Ohio…Read more

Biography: James Murrell

James Murrell is a guitarist, composer, and singer from the Dayton, Ohio area. He plays Jazz, Rock, Pop, and other styles of American music. James grew up in Mt.Orab, Ohio about 40 miles east of Cincinnati.…Read more

I started on “The Source” in the early fall of 2009. I wanted to record the album with a full band and talked to many of my friends about playing on the album but they were not available at…Read more