During the filming of his video licks for GT, Jason Sidwell spoke to Marcio about his jazz influences, his musical equipment and composing.

What were your first jazz inspirations?

M: My very first jazz inspiration was Pat Martino. I remember one day getting to my guitar lesson a little earlier and seeing my teacher playing through a transcription of one of Pat’s solos. I thought that was so cool, so as soon as I got back home I started researching his music and that got me started in jazz guitar.

What elements of jazz have you found the most stimulating from a theoretical and technical perspective?

M: What first got me into jazz was definitely the technical side of it. As a guitarist I remember listening to Pat Martino or Pat Metheny and thinking, ‘wow, there are so many possibilities there’. It seemed to me that this was as liberated as you could get as a guitar player, and that resonated with me. I wanted those skills, I wanted the ability to express myself in such a freeing way.

What guitars, amps and pedals do you prefer the most for recording or live performances?