Adrian Belew

For me, who has been strumming the electric guitar for 40 years, he is simply the best, the number 1. The most innovative, the most expressive, but also the most technical without being technocratic, the most rock but also the most intellectual of guitarists (perhaps second only to Fripp), as well as an excellent composer and singer (talents that other, far more famous instrumentalists can only dream of). One of the few capable of astonishing without acrobatics, who can make you jump out of your seat with a phrasing, with a harmonic idea, with a new technique. Often, no one understands what and how he plays like that, combining depth and richness, versatility, extraordinary harmonic and rhythmic sense, taking the most played and inflated instrument to unexplored levels and terrains. He always knows how to surprise with incredible naturalness; if someone plays with Zappa, Talking Heads, David Bowie, and King Crimson (just to name four at random), there must be a reason, right? Lastly, a charm, a smile, a humanity that shines through his demeanor and essence make him one of the most interesting and charismatic figures in music tout court (of the Crimson King).