Bill Connors

Bill Connors (born September 24, 1949) is an American jazz guitarist who was a member of Chick Corea's band Return to Forever. After leaving Return to Forever, he recorded three acoustic albums and then four electric albums as a leader/soloist.

Early years Connors was born in Los Angeles, California,

He and Reinhardt differed however over the matter of electronics with Connors preferring the sound of the electric instrument. "I always wanted to use the electric guitar in a sophisticated context, like with Chick [Corea]. I like to play jazz with that electric-rock sound. For me it's a lot closer to a horn than the traditional guitar, and that's what I love about it; I can sustain notes, get into different kinds of phrasing—do things other instruments do naturally, only the guitar does it with the aid of technology."

During this period, recording with vocalist Gene McDaniels and Stanley Clarke kept the guitarist's creative impulses occupied with a variety of challenges—but not for long. "Around 1975, I'd decided to become a classical guitar player", he muses. "I did my first solo album in 1974, and just decided on the spur of the moment to do it all on acoustic. That was just such a contrast from blowing people's ears off with my 200-watt Marshall that it really started to capture me." A further impetus came with Connors' discovery of classical artist Julian Bream. "I was sitting with his album 20th Century Guitar—a real classic—and it has this piece by [German composer] Henze that I really loved. It was just getting to me, so I sat down for a couple of days and transcribed it—on my steel-string guitar, with my funny pick-and-finger technique [laughs]. When I got it, it gave me so much pleasure that I said, 'Okay, I'm going to be a classical guitar player.' And that's what happened."

Connors recorded his solo album Theme to the Gaurdian (ECM) in 1974, making the switch from electric to acoustic guitar. Simultaneously he began to study classical guitarists. Two more albums on acoustic guitar followed: Of Mist and Melting (1978, ECM) with saxophonist Jan Garbarek, bassist Gary Peacock, and drummer Jack DeJohnette and Swimming with a Hole in My Body (1980, ECM). During 1976 and 1977, Connors recorded with Lee Konitz, Paul Bley, and Jimmy Giuffre in New York City. He toured Europe, performing with Luciano Berio and Cathy Berberian. He returned to electric guitar, performing and recording with Garbarek on Places (1978) and Photo with Blue Sky, White Cloud, Wires, Windows and a Red Roof (1979) and with Tom van der Geld and Richard Jannotta on Path (ECM) in 1979. In 1984, Connors recorded Step It with Tom Kennedy on bass, Dave Weckl on drums and Steve Khan on guitar (on "Twinkle" track only). His next album, Double Up (1986), included bassist Kennedy and drummer Kim Plainfield. The same trio (Connors, Kennedy, Plainfield) recorded Assembler in 1987. After a gap of almost two decades, his next album Return was recorded in 2004.

Connors has been giving private lessons while continuing his studies. He plays plectrum style on a classical jazz guitar and a Gibson L-5 CES archtop electric. Other guitars are a Gibson Les Paul Custom and an Ovation guitar (electro-acoustic model).

Discography As leader Theme to the Gaurdian (ECM, 1975) Of Mist and Melting (ECM, 1978) Swimming with a Hole in My Body (ECM, 1980) Step It (Pathfinder, 1984) Double Up (Pathfinder, 1986) Assembler (Pathfinder, 1987) Return (Tone Center, 2004)

As sideman Return to Forever, Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (Polydor, 1973) Julian Priester, Love, Love (ECM, 1974) Stanley Clarke, Stanley Clarke (Nemperor, 1974) Paul Bley, Quiet Song (Improvising Artists, 1974) Jan Garbarek, Places (ECM, 1977) Jan Garbarek, Photo with Blue Sky, White Cloud, Wires, Windows and a Red Roof (ECM, 1978) Tom van der Geld, Path (ECM, 1979) Kim Plainfield & Lincoln Goines, Night and Day (Metalimbo, 2002) Corea, Clarke & White, Forever (Concord, 2011)