Guitaristically

Events in February

Catch jazz guitarist Kevin Laliberte at Gate 403 Located at 403 Roncesvalles in Toronto. He'll be performing Thurs. and Fri. February 11,12 At 9pm.

Chilean classical guitarist Carlos Perez will perform at the Heliconian Hall on February 20th at 8pm. Tickets will be available at the door. The address is 35 Hazelton Ave. in To.

Duo Erato (Martha Masters and Risa Carlson) will perform in New York on Feb. 26 at 8pm at the Baruch Performing Arts Center At Lexington and East 25th Ave. Check with NYCCGC at 646 312 4085.

Django Reinhardt

Here is  one of the greatest - Django Reinhardt, a French gypsy who died at 43 years of age and survived a serious fire when he was 18. The fire resulted in his right leg being paralyzed and the third and fourth fingers of his left hand badly burned. He re-learned how to play the guitar using only his first two fingers for single note passages and was able to use last two for chords. Django along with the violinist Stephane Grapelly formed the Hot Club of France in 1934 and later travelled and performed with Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter, Louis Armstrong and even Dizzy Gillespie and others.

 

 

Joe Pass

I saw Joe Pass perform at the Royal ayorl Hotel in the 80's and he was great. Joe was born Joseph Anthony Passalaqua in 1929 and died in 1994 in Los Angeles. His playing was marked by chord-melody style that made use of effective bass movement and outstanding knowledge of chord progressions.

Joe Pass emerged in the  1960's after struggling with addictions in the 50's and recorded classics as Catch Me, For Django and Simplicity. He collaborated with many musicians such as: Gerald Wilson, Bud Shank, Les McCann, Lou Bellson, Frank Sinatra, Joe Williams, Della Reese and Johnny Mathis. He worked a nunber of televsion shows including the Tonight Show et. and performed with Herb Ellis  at Dantes in Los Angeles. This led to a recording contract with Concord Jazz. He later recorded on Pablo Records.

Joe won a Grammy for his contribution to The Trio in 1975.

A notable collaboration was with Ella Fitzgerald towards the end of her life.

 

 

Favourite Guitarists

Wes Montgomery was born March 6, 1923 and died of a heart attack June 15, 1968. Many guitarists including Joe Pass, Kenny Burrell, George Benson and Pat Metheny have acknowledged Montgomery as one of the few innovators on the guitar along with Charlie Christian and Django Reinhardt. Although he picked up the guitar when he was already 19 he could learn complex melodies and riffs by ear. He collaborated withTal Farlow, Johnny Smith, Jimmy Raney and Barney Kessel to establish the guitar as a bebop insrument. Montgomery was awarded a Grammy for his album Goin' Out Of My Head in 1966 and various Down Beat magazine awards.

Wes Montgomery played with his thumb only. This contributed to a truly unique sound and style. He generally played a Gibson L-5CES along with a Fender tube amplifier. Judge his music for youself.

 

 

Events in January

The Toronto Classical Guitar Society has arranged for the fantastic Peruvian guitarist Jorge Caballero to perform at the Heliconian Hall on Saturday January 16th at 8pm. The hall is located at 35 Hazelton Ave and general admission is $25 at the door only. See you there!

In New York City Rupert Boyd the Australian guitarist and his troup perform Jan. 14/2010 at The Tank 354 West 45th Street. Admission is $10 at the door. (www.rupertboyd.com)

Also in New York City the New York Guitar Festival contines till Feb. 4th. (www.newyorkguitarfestival.org)

How about London England on Jan.16th the young fabulous French guitarist Judicael Perroy appears at West Sussex Guitar Club, 46 Sudley Road at 7:30 pm. Tel: 01243 866 462.

Don't miss Elliot Fisk and Angel Romero at Armstrong International Cultural Center 14400 Bryant Ave. Edmond OK 73034, 8pm. Tel: 405 285 1010. January 24th.

My Absolute Favourite Guitarists Of All Time

 

Bola Sete was a Brazilian guitarist from Rio de Janeiro whose real name was Djalma de Andrade. In Brazilian billiards the seven ball is the only black ball on the table; the nickname Bola Sete which means seven ball was given when he was the only black musician in a small group.He died  February 14, 1987 at 64 years of age  after a rich and varied career. He was a creative composer and fiery player of bebop and Brazilian music. He worked notably with Dizzy Gillespie and Vince Guaraldi, toured the U.S.A., Italy, and South America. He teamed up with fellow Brazilians Sebastian Neto (bass) and Paulinho (drums) with whom he recorded a fabulous version of the Black Orpheus medley. Check out his rendition of Gillespie's Tour de Force.

   

The Summer Heats Up!

Now that summer has arrived (albeit a little late) in Toronto so have a good number of musical festivals. This weekend will see the Markham ( in Unionville ) Jazz Festival heat up on Saturday August 15. I'm looking forward to seeing some exciting guitar players like David Grosman and the latin group Son Ache and on Sunday - trombonist Russ Little and guitarist singer Luis Mario Ochoa. Very exciting! Just north of the big city.

TDCANADATRUST Toronto Jazz Festival

The annual Toronto Jazz Festival begins on the 29th of June and will feature a good nunber of guitarists. Stay tuned for a listing.That's me with my Takemine with tube pre amp. The other pic is with a guitarist in Paris, France trying out his customized guitar.

Toronto Guitar Symposium 2009

The date for this year's symposium is March 21,22, 23. Please go to Toronto Guitar Society's website for all the scheduling. Featured this year are recitals by Pavel Steidl on Saturday and Laura Young on Friday both at the Heliconian Hall at 35 Hazelton Avenue (8:00 pm). Masterclasses will be held Sat. and Sunday from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm in the dining room Faculty of Music Annex. A must for all classical guitar freaks (enthusiasts).

February Performances in New York and Toronto

You might like to take in  some great concerts coming up in February. Locally the Eden Stell guitar duo perform at the Heliconian Hall on Feb. 14, 2009 AT 8:00 PM. The group is sponsored by the Toronto Guitar Society and details are available on their site. If you miss them in Toronto make it a weekend vacation in New York and catch them on February 14, 2009 at 8:00 pm at the Engelman Recital Hall, 55 Lexington Ave. Help out the economy! Sounds like an interesting show featuring guitarist Tali Roth performing works by Bach ( her own arrangement of Chaconne), Barrios, Piazzolla (Libertango) and Albeniz. That's not all. Tali will be joined by dancers and accompanists. Sounds great! All on Feb. 25,26,28 and March 1. Additionally the young American guitarist Connie Sheu performs on Feb. 8, 2009 at 4:00 pm at 501 Lexington Avenue in New York. Refer to the NYCCGS website at lower right.