Julian Bream and Ali Akbar Khan
Here, Julian Bream performs with and discusses Ali Akbar Khan, whom he describes as “just about the finest musician” he’d ever met. Great footage for Bream fans.
Remembering Victor Borge
One of my favorite memories of my guitar-playing days was the time I played for Victor Borge. I was playing a Sunday brunch at a hotel in Los Gatos, CA. Mr. Borge had performed nearby the night before and had spent the night at the hotel.
His entrance into the dining room was a lesson in stagecraft. He came in through the french doors and just stood there a moment and looked around. Then he simply raised an eyebrow and caused half the room to start laughing. It doesn’t sound like much in the retelling, but it was very impressive in the moment.
He took a seat at a table near me. I’d been playing for quite a while and was due for a break. So I wondered what would be a good piece to finish with. I wanted something sophisticated, but short. Something a little different, but familiar. Something from the piano. Something charming.
Aha. It occurred to me. Debussy’s Maid with the Flaxen Hair. Perfect.
So I played it. When I finished, he gave me a nice smile and a nod. Then I put my guitar away and sat with him and we chatted for a minute, but I remember only one thing he said. It was about the Debussy. He said, lightly and with a smile, “You got the harmony right. That’s important!” It sounded just the way you’d imagine.
It’s not much of a story. There’s no punch line. But the meeting left me with an enduring, happy memory. And maybe that’s the point: In the end, when you’re dead and gone, what’s left is the way you are remembered. What’s left is the way others feel when they remember you.
Classical Guitar Maker Manual Velazquez
Here’s a nice bit of video about reknowned luthier Manuel Velazquez. Also in the video are contributions from Virginia Luque, William Cumpiano, Beverly Maher, and Stephen Robinson.
Lost Barrios Recording Found
According to Tony Morris of GuitarAlive.org, a long-lost recording of Barrios has been found. It’s a recording of Barrios himself playing Bicho Feo.
Says Tony:
The original 78 recording by Barrios himself has been found independently by 2 different sources, both within a period of two months. Bicho Feo, or “Ugly Bug” is a humorous tango that Barrios used to play at the end of his concerts to bring the house down. The manuscript of the score has never been found, but Barrios recorded it on the Atlanta label in Argentina, and two copies have been found! Huge news for the classical guitar world.
There are lots of references to Bicho Feo in Six Silver Moonbeams: The Life and Times of Agustin Barrios Mangore
Vietnamese Folksong on Classical Guitar
Overheard in the Barnyard:
The-An was a student of Stephan Rak. He did the arrangement, available from his web site, I think.
Enjoy,
John
I enjoyed that video. I think a great deal of sincerity comes across.
But I’m going to criticize — just a little, because I don’t like to criticize — but I will in this case because I don’t think it will hurt anyone and maybe it will help a little.
When Rak-style tremolo effects succeed, the result can be compelling. A sort of cinematic illumination occurs. But take it too far and it gets too rough. The beauty evaporates into crashing noisiness.
In this case, the piece eventually became a little too noisy and chased off the gentle mood that had been so nicely built in the beginning. It’s not the fault of the guitar playing, but rather that the arrangement itself calls for too much of a good thing. Sometimes less is more.
Back to the positivity: it looks like there’s a goldmine of Vietnamese guitar players and guitar music on YouTube!
Thank you for opening that door, John Nguyen.
America the Beautiful – Stuart Weber
America the Beautiful arranged for classical guitar solo. I’m not sure who the arranger is. (Is Stuart the arranger? Please leave a comment if you know.)
This could be a hit.. 🙂
Libertango for Guitar
Astor Piazzolla’s wildly popular Libertango cannot be delivered persuasively on solo guitar — or so I thought until I came across this encouraging interpretation by Alberto Morelli:
Julian Bream: This Is Your Life
A sweet bit of video on Bream. This is a clip from a BBC special This is Your Life tribute to Bream, filmed in 1997. John Williams shows up and has some nice things to say. Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/8NmG19c4CHg
Fretkillr, The All-American YouTube Guitar Player
I don’t know who this guy is. He never shows his face. He plays steel-string, 12-string, country, blues, oldies, Broadway, flat-picking, finger-picking, Scottish fiddle tunes and I don’t know what else. He’s got over a hundred videos up on YouTube and many of them are gems. I think he must be some kind of ringer, an old pro who’s played with everyone, but there’s no way to tell for sure. Maybe he’s sitting in San Quentin waiting for a train. But he’s someone most Americans would recognize immediately as “a real guitar player.” I think he’s great.