Neil Lamb was born Brunswick, Maine in 1950 and began piano
lessons at the age of 10. After seeing the Beatles on the Ed
Sullivan show, he switched to the guitar and has never looked
back.
In 1973 Lamb earned a B.A. in music at the University
of York, Heslington, England. At York he studied modern
composition with Bernard Rands a Pulitzer Prize winning composer and
Wilfrid Mellers. While in England, Lamb studied briefly with
London jazz guitarist Derek Bailey, whose musical aesthetic has heavily
influenced the New York free jazz scene. Bailey premiered Lamb's
"Heartspace" an original work for solo guitar at the University of
York.
During the 1970's Lamb was fully immersed in the free jazz
scene performing throughout England in a jazz trio with avant-garde
pianist Steve Beresford and drummer Dave Herzfeld.
When he returned to the US, Lamb shifted focus and began
studying the masters from the early 20th century working his way
backwards through the history of Jazz, learning from the masters at the
root of the music. He began concentrating on the art
of playing solo guitar, discovering George Van Epps in the process and
developing his own "cocktail" guitar based on Van Epps Lap Style
guitar. Lamb has a strong foundation in the American Jazz language and
an ability to connect with Jazz audiences across a broad
continuum. He has combined his varied musical experiences, which
include modern contemporary compositional techniques, free-form
improvisation, Americana, and traditional jazz with a dash of rock
& roll and a pinch of country, to create a style that is very
satisfying. It is rhythmic, melodic and with just a touch of
quirkiness to continually surprise the listener with its inventiveness.
Recently, Neil has started formal voice
studies and now , when the setting is appropriate , performs
some of the classic jazz vocals with guitar accompaniment
in his programs .
In addition to performing, Neil is a
prolific composer and has released four albums of original
compositions: New Tunes for Jazz Guitar (IM-2019), Reach for the Light,
Sparkling Holiday, and Instant Movies. To facilitate his
work as a composer, Lamb built a private recording studio and he
currently divides his time between performing, composing, and working
on recording projects for himself and other musicians. He
also plays lead guitar in the alternative country group, The Clayhill
Band, led by singer/songwriter Michael Mahan.
