I don't think I have one yet. But I've spent more time thinking about it than I expected when I came to the woodshed. I wanted to focus on developing the skills to play professionally and then start searching for my own voice. But I'm finding that all my efforts to gain the same skills everyone else has, although I enjoy the process, don't seem so important if I don't have a plan for doing something unique.

I was in Borders for a few minutes this evening, picking up random books in the jazz section. I opened a book by Larry Coryell, and he was talking about exactly what I'm going through. He had just fallen in love with Hendrix's music and wanted to apply that intensity to jazz. He wanted it to come naturally and was wary of the pitfalls of "jazz rock." I had only glanced at the page when I had to leave, and it was overpriced so that's about all I read. Never heard much of Coryell's music. I guess that's about to change.

A reader mentioned to me that it seems like I'm trying to pursue two diverging styles in SRV and jazz. Those are exactly what I'm trying to combine. But, like Coryell, I don't want it to sound forced. I'm not trying to bluesify every jazz tune I study. I'm more interested in Stevie's approach to the guitar and the physical strength it required than the notes he played.

What if Stevie had lived long enough to study Coltrane?

That about sums up my intentions.