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Feet shuffling: Playing the guitar is a cinch. It’s tap-dancing on his collection of guitar pedals that’s the new challenge for guitarist Az Samad. – RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star

Guitarist Az Samad has plugged into the world of loops and overdubs on his latest outing.

AZ Samad is very generous with his pleasantries, and that’s his charm. It’s one that quickly gets across to all around him. And once he’s reeled you in, there’s no escaping the kind of mind-bending things he does on a guitar.

But really, all he may seem to need, he already has. Like, the latest in a prolific career to drop, his In The Deep Night/Electric Poetry album. But pardon him if he has pedigree and natural talent to spare.

Az’s eighth solo (he’s appeared on 17 albums and counting) album was a bunch of songs up against a race for time. It came down to meeting deadlines, so this is what a healthy touring schedule with the immeasurable experience gleaned from the performance circuit produced.

The electric guitar is a first of sorts for the 32-year-old musician, on his own album at least. “But I’ve been into this music for years now. I listen to David Thorn. I listen to (Steve) Vai as much as Michael Hedges. This is just expression on another instrument,” he said, much like a golfer switching clubs for a particular shot.

As a fan of the late Hedges, it was surreal when he played where the multi-string wizard last lived, Fort Bragg, California in the United States.

“I actually met someone who knew a relative of the family.”

There is an air of confidence when Az speaks of Night, but no artiste taking a left turn would’ve overlooked the legendary tale of Bob Dylan getting heckled at the 1965 Newport Jazz Festival when Mr Zimmerman went electric.

“To be honest, every time I record a new album, there’s fear ... you just can’t second guess the listener,” he said, accepting that’s what makes the element of surprise so exciting.

The 10-song album could actually have been two EPs, given how the moods of the songs were created by the dynamic of the two instruments. For practical reasons, however (and keeping down his carbon footprint, in the process), a single disc with two separate themes seemed most logical.

“It took me a while to work out the tracklist, but then it worked out nicely how An Open Mind would eventually lead to In The Deep Night,” he explained on where and how two EPs, In The Deep Night and Electric Poetry, came together.

In The Deep Night/Electric Poetry, Az Samad’s eighth album, features two separate EPs fused into one.

The Berklee College of Music graduate’s – he majored in Bachelor of Music in jazz composition and performance (guitar) – walk on the wild side isn’t daunting because of the guitar. “The electric guitar is like taming a wild beast. The challenge is the floorboard. Then you end up with this,” he gestured to his collection of guitar gadgets that looks like a science experiment, at the heart of which is a looping device that lets him play over recorded bits of music.

Main obstacle aside, the dynamic of the electric guitar was a different ball game altogether. He was brandishing a one-of-a-kind custom-made electric guitar, a William Jeffrey Jones Proteus, at the album launch at Merdekarya in Petaling Jaya recently, where this interview took place. Playing in time with his fingers on an electric guitar wasn’t as straightforward as most of us would think, with the feel of the strings easily upsetting technique.

But it could’ve all turned out so differently had Az’s background of digging Kriss Kross, Boyz To Men and (cringe) Shy taken that musical trajectory. But like the generation that lived the moment when Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged video and album were released in 1993, Az forever saw acoustic music as an inspiration.

“I loved that album ... I loved everything on it. I like the idea of having a whole album to say something.”

He got a friend to teach him some chords but was soon encouraged by his dad, poet and novelist Abdul Samad Said, to learn classical guitar. Thus began a journey of education that took him from a hopeful to a full fledged acoustic expressionist. Along the way, he learned from the likes of music luminaries such as the late Eric Roche, Alex De Grassi, studied at San Jose State University – earning a Masters In Music (jazz) – and Berklee, and got into finger-style electric players like Mark Knopfler and Jeff Beck.

Az may have carved a name for himself as a solo performer, but he’s played with a host of people, too, Grammy winners included, like Flaco Jiménez and Max Baca. He’s also worked with the likes of drummer Bernie Dresel (Brian Setzer Orchestra), guitarists John Stowell, Adam Rafferty, Stuart Ryan, and Teja Gerken, world music ensemble Bogofusion, electronic jazz-funk group Planet Loop, Cumbia-Dub band Candelaria, string jazz ensemble JazzMine and Malaysia’s very own Reza Salleh. He’s also graced the opening slots for concerts by Tommy Emmanuel and Martin Taylor. Stints with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra playing Beatles and Abba tunes adds to the eclectic nature of his musical pursuit.

“I enjoy playing with other people, like in duo or trio formats. And anyway, even if you play solo, you’re never really playing solo – there’s the audience, the environment and the soundman that come into the equation,” said Az, taking a cerebral stab at explaining what a solo performance is all about.

And among all the people he’s played with, Tara Linda is a recurring favourite of sorts. “She’s an amazing songwriter and singer. I recorded a jazz album with her in Texas ... it was such an incredible experience,” he said of the singer who champions an Americana flavour.

Az’s musical journey as a recording artiste – since his 2002 debut B’Yu – has allowed him to explore jazz, folk and even Tex-Mex, but the dirt under his nails defines him as a true Malaysian. On stage, he’s the model of calmness, completely Zen and into every flick of his fingers on his soul-providing buddy, the six-string guitar. Watch footage of his hero Hedges and a lineage can be traced.

He’s not about to mislead himself into thinking that his brand of music will be cracking the Billboard charts any time soon, but his enthusiasm for the arts, culture and his roots, including “Ribena bancuh”, is a sign of a musician truly embracing and enjoying his artistry.

In The Deep Night/Electric Poetry is available from Candor Music, Solaris Dutamas, Kuala Lumpur and www.azsamad.com. For more info, check out facebook.com/azsamadmusic.