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Guitar Lessons Online John Mizarolli is one of Uks leading guitarists. John achieved acclaim in 1980 when he joined Ginger Baker's band "Energy", who successfully toured Europe and the UK doing TV as well as Arenas. John shared vocals in the band but his main claim was as Ginger's lead guitarist and was singled out by Europe's music magazines as "the Revelation of the band", to quote one of Italy's leading mags after 4 encores at an Arena with 15000 attendance. John subsequently put one of his own bands together "Jody St" featuring Henry Thomas on Bass, Brett Morgan on Drums and Noel McCalla on Lead Vocals , who toured the Uk with the Kinks

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In 1982 he toured with the infamous "Atomic Rooster" in the UK & Yugoslavia and also recorded with them on their last album Headline News, sharing the limelight on lead guitar with Bernie Torme and Dave Gilmore of Pink Floyd. During the same year John also guested with much pride on Jim Capaldi's album "Fierce Heart", where he played with Stevie Winwood. In the same year he completed a second 6-week European tour with Ginger Baker, during which some amazing music went down


Apart from giving guitar lessons John Mizarolli's guitar performances have been compared to such greats as Clapton, Jeff Beck, Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen. He was born in Fulham, London,  England and took up the guitar when he was 7. He has been in bands since the age of 12. At 21 he left England for the USA and spent 4 years on the Californian music scene. Here he did endless gigs, tours and recording sessions gaining as much practical musical experience as possible across the musical spectrum. He was at the centre of the Jazz/Funk - Jazz/Rock movement in LA around 1974. John took guitar lessons from Caldera's guitarist Jorge Strunz, who developed John's Jazz awareness a great deal. He also gigged with names like Canned Heat, Big Joe Turner(The Original!),The Platters and was developed in the studio by Little Richard's bass player and keyboard player


Although John is musically versed in classical, jazz, blues, funk, African, Greek & Gypsy influences, his first love is rock and he finds the energy and electricity of rock the closest to his heart in terms of total expression and communication. John has enjoyed giving guitar lessons as well as song writing since very young and finds it the most natural of his talents, although he is better known for his phenomenal guitar technique. John started giving guitar lessons at the young age of 17 due to local demand from bands, musicians & friends. In 1978 John returned to England after spending some time in Jamaica resting and obviously absorbing the reggae vibes. John is also famous in England as a teacher in improvisation and his revolutionary "Spirit/Mind/Body" method for improvisation has been noted by English jazz pioneers as a much-needed innovation on the teaching scene = ZEN IMPROVISATION. John was asked to write a book on his method but claimed it would take him 2 whole years totally dedicated to the work to successfully complete as he is a perfectionist. His guitar lessons pertain to an understanding of Vibrational Theory as a broader backdrop to Science & Religion without destroying either - Quantum Spirituality viewed using Divine Intelligence - where Science & Religion have no division and duality conciousness is a balanced launch axis to experience Triality, Quadrality, Quintality etc... all attained through Music. So far he has taught some 25000 semi-pro and pro guitarists in the UK


Johns parents were from Cyprus & and emigrated to the UK in the early 50's. They left an island wartorn and soon became refugees during the 1974 invasion. His roots were from many neighbouring lands as Cyprus is the crossover between Africa, Asia & Europe. He has bloodlines in Gypsy, Greek-Cypriot, Egyptian , Ethiopian & Italian


John's mother came from a small village called Leonarisson, his father was from another village in Kyrenia called Karavas. John's father left home at the age of 12 and became amongst other things a tailor by profession whilst learning music and acting. He played classical guitar, trumpet and mandolin and spent many years studying & reading pieces by Segovia and worked with some of the best composers in the Middle-East. He was also a Singer and travelled many places on the Island of Venus performing old cypriot folk songs. His mother came from a family of 13 that worked in tobacco fields as children. When she arrived in the Uk in the early 50's she worked hard in the factories and eventually took on the rag trade as well


John suffered greatly during the British Coal Pollution years between 1952 and 1963 when he had acute asthma for 10 years. He was a Great Ormond Street Hospital survivor and in 1 year over ¼ of a million British Children actually died in the 'Fog' or 'Smog' as it was called then. He was written off for dead on 3 occasions and eventually was cured when the British Government took him to France to clean his lungs in La Bourboule a famous cure centre for kids with asthma and eczema


John learned a lot about guitar playing from his father before he had any formal guitar lessons. He was taught to hear and experiment with Intervals at the age of 7. He originally wanted to learn piano but his father insisted he learn classical guitar so his mother found a local teacher by the name of Frederick Schiller who himself was quite a famous jewish Austrian actor/musician and appeared in film classics like 'Maigret' and the like


From 12 years old on John took up electric guitar and started playing local gigs with his 1st band 'The Light' covering Shadows, Equals & Elvis Songs! As fate would have it, next door to John's school, legendary bands used to rehearse and John regularly watched rock legends like The Who, The Cream, Ten Years After, Manfred Mann, Pink Floyd, Spencer Davis Group in between class breaks! John reflects ' … the 1st time I met Ginger Baker I was in my school uniform and we heard this sound like a UFO that had a magnetic-turbo effect on my brain…We went round to St Annes Hall, peaked through the window and I could see Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton & Ginger Baker rehearsing, of course they were not famous then! I instinctively tried to walk in the door to get a close peek at this strange event………… then lo & behold we opened the door and Ginger came out looking like what I recognized as a Beatnik and shouted "Cut Out Man, Cut Out Man" ….. he scared the shit out of me and my schoolfriends and we ran away! .. ' That was probably the beginning of my fascination with real rock music & electric guitar bands … I was amazed, confused, mystified, awe-inspired & fascinated …… ' Then came the 60's ….no more said!


Most guitar magazines now use John's 30 year-old method of marketing guitar techniques, namely "Free CD" coupled with high-tech guitar techniques in tab form. John wrote the synopsis to the current world best seller "The Guitar Handbook". He was involved in the birth of "Rock School" with Henry Thomas. John literally mentored most of the Major Concepts & Templates in current Media, Video & Audio Education Programs. Modern Contemporary Guitar Technique Marketing. After 1 year of intense tuition with John you will be able to earn your money back by teaching people yourself, should you so desire! John has taught thousands of people how to play, record, teach, perform etc. As of 2008 the estimate is about 25000 guitarists! John has years of experience in an amazing spectrum of bands. At 17 John was doing Recording Sessions in London with Dave O'List who was the Guitarist for The Nice, who eventually became the historic Emerson, Lake & Palmer Trio. John worked with musicians in the 60's who had worked with Hendrix. At 15 years old he had supported Fleetwood Mac with Peter Green and Heads, Hands and Feet. He had a 4 year experience playing in the USA in California and lived and gigged in Hollywood during the birth of Jazz/Rock & Jazz/Funk Era of the '70s. He studied there with the brilliant Brazilian guitarist Jorge Strunz, whose band Caldera enjoyed success at that time. John has gigged, toured and recorded with such names as The Platters, Ginger Baker, The Four Tops, Atomic Rooster, Don Airey, Big Joe Turner, Alfonso Johnson, Stevie Winwood, Dave Gilmore, London Symphony Orchestra, Canned Heat, both Big Joe Turners - the list is endless! The course is adaptable for all levels of ability - beginner, intermediate, advanced and beyond. Your requirements are none other than a serious interest in the guitar whether as hobby, amateur, professional or songwriter

In the mid 80's John spent 1 1/2 years in Greece gigging and studying with many Greek & Gypsy Musicians. On his arrival he was introduced to the late Manolis Angelopoulos, a famous Gypsy Singer. John guested at some gypsy concerts with him doing 3000 seaters. John learned from many bouzouki players, gypsies and rembetika masters. He studied Byzantine Music from the street level and now uses Greek, Gypsy and Byzantine influences in his Blues and Rock, a unique flavour of millenium fusion!
John introduced Ginger Baker to to Greece for the first time in 1986 with a string of gigs in the ghetto area of Athens, Exharhia. The band comprised of Ginger Baker, John Mizarolli, Nicos Varthis on Bass and Maliq Yaqub on Sax. A week later in the same area John was caught up in a full scale riot and was beaten up by 10 policemen with guns & battons. After being nearly killed due to brutal injuries to the head and back with police battons, he was jailed without treatment for 2 days with 60 people for no reason! The authorities were not pleased at having rock gigs in a ghetto - can't let the people have fun can we! So that ended a year and half in Greece obviously. John got help with live gigs and concerts from a famous greek rock singer Sitheropoulos who has since died from a heroin overdose. Apart from the police John found the greeks very friendly and good hearted. Whilst in Athens Mizarolli studied Free Form Jazz deeply with Malik Yaqub, an amazing US Saxophonist, friend of Jesse Jackson and phenomenal improviser. John spent at least 1 year jamming, gigging and studying with Malik who passed on a great deal of musical knowledge. John was also introduced by the greek musicians to many recording sessions, gigs and jams. All in all the greeks were confused as before John was beaten up, he was asked where he was from. After stating he was British, he said he was Greek-Cypriot, then he gave up as without a passport on him the racist policeman assumed he was Gypsy or Arab or African and proceeded with his batton! Things have now changed and Greece has many Heavy Metal gigs and numerous rock concerts. Metallica headed a 20000 seater in 2007 and the Rolling Stones did a gig that the Prime Minister attended and apparently enjoyed. Greece has some amazing rock musicians, but it's a pity the industry there also has its head up its butt like everywhere else in the world!

In 1995 Mizarolli was introduced to the amazing legendary Mississippi blues singer John L Watson and the chemistry was totally explosive. They recorded an historic blues album called "A Long Way From Mississippi" which was naturally ignored by the racist british music industry who have never allowed any ethnic or black musicians on their precious blues scene ever! John played a fusion of black, gypsy and greek blues - a first in history! John L Watson then introduced Mizarolli to Big Joe Turner who himself was a Legendary Blues Bassist. Mizarolli and Joe proceeded and recorded Big Joe's debut blues album "Memphis Blues Caravan" which had reference to John's Gypsy roots. Joe also produced Mizarolli's debut blues album "Blues Gypsy" Big Joe Turner stated in the last years that in his opinion Mizarolli is the best blues guitarist in the Uk!