For Boston-based musician Tev Stevig, an epiphany occurred when he first heard the fretless guitar. For years, Stevig had explored American music from old time folk music to jazz, as well as the ...

Stevig sees frailing on the fretless guitar as a synthesis of oud and saz. It has all the melodic complexity of modern saz playing, but a much mellower tone that is reminiscent of the oud. The ...