My deepest sympathy to John's family and friends on his untimely passing. I took music lessons from John, as did so many people in Idaho. He was always warm, funny, and helpful. John was a master guitarist, and the first honest to goodness pro level jazz musician I studied with. I was amazed by the depth of his knowledge and skill, and the lessons I took from John really moved me forward. I still have pages of his hand written notes, made during our lessons. I remember he showed me 21 different ways to play an F7 chord, at least 15 of which were new to me! I'm going to go home tonight and play Freight Trane, a song John taught to me one summer day, and remember him. Jonathan Byrd Portland, OR