No. 354 September/ October 2025
On the Cover: Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’
The blues masters reflect on how songs take form, how partnerships evolve, and what it means to make music that feels connected to something larger than the moment.
In other features, guitar historian Michael John Simmons traces the evolution of the acoustic archtop guitar, spotlighting its construction, distinctive voice, and enduring role in music of all types; Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers goes deep with the prolific and fiery folksinger Jesse Welles; and Americana champion Margo Price tells the story behind her signature Gibson J-45.
Lessons include a low-intensity blues workout with Jontavious Willis; tips on how to bring a traditional dance tune to life from Welsh fingerstyle guitarist Luke Edwards; how to create a solo using scale notes and chord shapes; plus yoga basics for guitarists with Marlene Hutchinson.
Add to your repertoire with a ragtime take on the Beatles’ “When I’m Sixty-Four”; an easy arrangement of the Fats Waller favorite “Ain’t Misbehavin’’; a non-traditional fingerstyle take on the spiritual “Go Tell It on the Mountain”; and “Daley’s Reel,” a challenging but rewarding flatpicked fiddle tune.
Elsewhere, Greg Ruby auditions the Iris Guitar Company MS-00, AG’s gear expert Martin Keith dispels fears about removing all your strings at once; Natalia Zukerman reviews I’m with Her’s Wild and Clear and Blue, a close-up look at Barney Kessel’s 1931 Gibson L-5, and more.
