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Marcin Dylla, Jason Vieaux,
Eden-Stell Duo...more....
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Episode 15 - Andrew York
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I had a great chat over some of my almost-as-good-as-Scott-Tennant's espresso with the Grammy-winning guitarist and composer Andrew York. We talked about a whole series of interesting topics, and you will have the chance to hear lots of new music from his recently released double album Yamour. Andrew shared his thoughts on playing and composing with the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet and a bit about the origins of his piece Sunburst, such as how it ended up on one of the landmark records of the classical guitar repertoire: John Williams's album Spirit of The Guitar. He also gives some invaluable advice to those amateur composers out there, gives a glimpse into his compositional process, shows his incredible appetite for surprisingly varied creative avenues, and even talks about art and software programming. Enjoy! |
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For those of you out there that want music, and probably guitar, to be part of your primary career path, but are looking into alternatives to being a touring concert artist or teacher music history might be the way to go. Walter is a great example of this career choice, as he has been able to maintain his connection to the guitar world by writing about many classical guitarists’ most beloved composers. On the show today Dr. Clark will discuss the life of a guitarist-musicologist, we will hear some interesting history about Albeñiz’s piece, which is incorrectly titled Asturias (Leyenda), and for those of you who love Spanish music but a little tired of the same old repertoire, Walter gives us some suggestions for new transcriptions and arrangements in the substantial repertoire of Spanish light opera, Zarzuela. If you prefer to download a copy of the show,
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Episode 14 - Dr. Walter Aaron Clark Musicologist
Let me introduce you to musicologist and classical guitarist Dr. Walter Aaron Clark. Dr. Clark is the founder and director of the Center for Iberian and Latin American Music at the University of California, Riverside, where he is currently on the faculty. Additionally Walter is an accomplished guitarist, holding bachelors and master’s degrees in classical guitar, his M.A. earned studying with Pepe Romero. He’s written numerous books and articles on all our favorites, most recently Tórroba and Albeñiz.
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Episode 13 - Benjamin Woods
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There are certainly some clear parallels between flamenco and heavy metal guitar playing: the search for an ever more blindingly virtuosic technique, the attraction to complexity, their driving rhythm and aggressive edge. A highly sought after accompanist of flamenco dance and cante, Benjamin Woods is the creator of some really great fusions in this vein. On the show, Benjamin gives some insight into the arduous task of learning flamenco guitar the right way, that being in part the willingness to dedicate a decade of study to just reaching a proficiency level of OK. Hear his open-minded take on some of the more commercial flamenco acts like the Gypsy Kings and Ottmar Liebert. He also talks about his metal roots and you will hear tracks from a plethora of his projects including groups Flametal and Heavy Mellow, as well as his heavy metal classics for solo guitar. |
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So if you’re even a little bit nostalgic for the music of the nineteen-eighties or nineties, you are going to love hearing Ben’s excellent versions of music by bands like Metallica, Rainbow, Iron Maiden, some of his originals, and even a bulería based on Manuel de Falla’s Canción del Fuego Fatuo. |
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Unlike any other guitar duo I have come across, the Andreas Kapsalis and Goran Ivanovic Guitar Duo (maybe just the AKGI Duo?) have created a truly distinct sound with their blend of steel string, eight-finger tapping, and the beauty and refinement of the classical guitar. Their compositional style effortlessly blends jazz, classical, pop, and experimental musical styles, adding a heavy dose of Balkan folklore among other rhythmically complex traditions. During their All Strings Considered interview, Andreas and Goran discuss their very different backgrounds in guitar playing, they give insights into improvisation and composition, and basically made me want to go out and start up a rock band. Andreas recounts his discovery of tapping technique resulting from a serious injury to his left hand, and his experiences composing film music, while Goran tells of his classical training at the Mozarteum in Salzburg with Joaquín Clerch and Eliot Fisk, and his explorations into his musical roots in the folklore of Macedonia, Romania, Croatia, and Bulgaria. You will hear some really evocative music from their eponymous album, as well as get a sneak preview of their upcoming release titled Blackmail with “The Imposter” and the groovy 7/8-meter of “Kalkutation.” Enjoy! |
Episode 12 - Andreas Kapsalis and Goran Ivanovic Guitar Duo
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Episode 11 - Paul O'Dette
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Paul O'Dette truly needs no introduction. One of the leading figures of the early music movement, guitarist, lutenist, and conductor Paul O’Dette has performed in festivals in virtually every major city in the world, he has made over 120 recordings, among those the complete solo lute works of John Dowland, he is a professor of lute and the director of early music at the Eastman school of music, is and the artistic director of the boston early music festival. It is an absolute honor to have him appear on All Strings Considered.
On the show today we are going to hear Paul talk about his rock ‘n’ roll guitar origins, about improvisation that was happening 400 or so years before the invention of jazz, about arranging Bach for the lute and guitar, reentrant tuning, and more. You'll hear a few tracks from his recordings, on both Baroque guitar and lute, of Santiago de Murcia, Dowland, and Bach. For you flamenco guitarists out there, much of the Santiago de Murcia is actually in that 12-beat cycle (compás) that we all love so much, and you'll hear a seriously old school fandango. |
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Episode 10 - Danny Green
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Endeavoring to bring you something new and outside of the usual guitar spectrum, please allow me to introduce you to Latin jazz pianist Danny Green. We spent some time discussing his latest album, A Thousand Ways Home, a collection of tunes that shows Danny’s special synthesis of jazz, classical, and various Latin styles of piano playing.
In talking about some of my favorites on the album, we ended up talking about Danny’s compositional process, which is fascinating blend of inspiration and reason. You will also hear the amazingly varied path his piece “Quintal da Solidão” took on its way to becoming a fully realized work, a path that spanned several studios and several countries! It is always interesting to hear musicians speak about creating a career in music, especially in times when that environment is not particularly benevolent towards us, and Danny had some interesting views on that subject. We also get to learn a bit about some Brazilian styles you might not have heard of and about one of the most prevalent structures in pop music. And for you diehard plucked stringers out there, you’ll also hear some excellent playing on mandolin from Eva Scow, and guitar from Chico Pinheiro and Dusty Brough. If you prefer to download a copy of the show,
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Episode 9 - William Kanengiser
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I had a great time hanging out and chatting with Bill Kanengiser this week. He did an amazing prepared-guitar demo, as well as showing me how L.A.G.Q. gets some of those amazing sounds on their eponymous CD. You'll also hear Bill discuss his latest work with Shingo Fujii, as soloist for his concerti written for guitar orchestra (guitorchestra?) and soloist, some tales and a couple of his compositions with the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, recordings of Bill playing his arrangements of Mozart's Rondo "Alla Turka" and the truly wonderful Souvenir of Puerto Rico by Gottschalk. Kanengiser also gives us some great stories about his interesting beginning and subsequent journey to becoming the player he is today, about his love for cooking, he does some of his uncanny impressions of the guitar greats like Julian Bream and Pepe Romero, and you'll hear what it was like to work on the cult film Crossroads. |
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Grisha speaks about his quest to enrich the classical guitar canon through the addition and performance of works by the great composers of the solo flamenco guitar, like Sabicas, Paco de Lucía, Rafael Riqueni, Gerardo Nuñez, Manolo Sanlucar, and others. It's inspiring to hear about the role his father had in Grisha's musical training; his search for flamenco repertoire when sheet music was a sought-after commodity in Russia at the time, his patience, his support and dedication. |
Episode 8 - Grisha Goryachev
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You'll also hear about Grisha's chance to play for Paco de Lucía and Grisha's recordings of two works by Sabicas and two more by Paco de Lucía. *The audio player may take 1-2 minutes to buffer before streaming begins
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Episode 7 - Vladimir Gorbach
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I had a quick phone conversation with Vladimir Gorbach, the 2011 Guitar Foundation of America International Concert Artists Competition winner! Vladimir is currently about halfway through his GFA sponsored concert and masterclass tour, with performances in Oregon, Texas, and Arizona in January 2013, and California, New York, Florida, and Minnesota in February, and quite a few more. Click here for cities and full schedule. It was really interesting to hear about how Vladimir prepared and practiced for the competition, his philosophy on competitions in general, and to hear some of the music he's playing on his tour program. You'll hear him play a Scarlatti sonata, Vicente Asencio's Collectici Intim, and my personal favorite, his amazing interpretation of Piazzolla's Estaciones Porteñas. |
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So the show is called All Strings Considered and it turns out, guitar isn't the only instrument with strings! Who would have thought? I had a great conversation with my friend Megumi Stohs from the un-conducted string orchestra A Far Cry They play "classical" music like you've never heard it before. They have this amazing democratic way of rehearsing and performing and play more like a rock band than a classical orchestra: they perform standing (except the celli of course) and with an energy and vitality that left me grinning from ear to ear. You'll hear music from Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Piazzolla and from some of their featured solists like Jason Vieaux (guitar), Julien Labro (bandoneon), and Markus Schirmer (piano). |
Episode 6 - A Far Cry
Photo by Yoon S. Byun
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Episode 5 - Connie Sheu
You may also have heard mention of the Suzuki Method? Connie was among the very first Suzuki Guitar students and gives us a clear and concise explanation of how this revolutionary system of learning works. Connie also tells us about her rather unique response to becoming a mother and the effect that has had on her burgeoning performing career. *The audio player may take 1-2 minutes to buffer before streaming begins
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I got together with my good friend, and sometimes duo partner, Connie Sheu to talk about her excellent new recording: a full CD of music exclusively by women composers titled The Woman's Voice. You will hear some really amazing music that I can practically guarantee you've never heard by Dale Kavanaugh, Ida Presti, the daughter of Mauro Giuliani - Emilia Giuliani, and Annette Kruisbrink. If you prefer to download a copy of the show, click the download link below for an mp3.
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Traditionally, the great composers like Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven have also been virtuosos on their instruments- Bach on the organ, Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, and Brahms on the piano, Paganini on the violin. In the classical guitar world this connection between performer and composer is even stronger, almost to the point of requirement. The list includes almost every guitar/lute composer we know, from Dowland, Sanz, Da Milano, Mudarra, and de Murcia to Tárrega, Barrios, Giuliani, Sor, and the list goes on… In today’s classical guitar world, among the most prolific and successful participants in this tradition of performer/composer is Roland Dyens. His compositions and arrangements have become an integral part of today’s classical guitar repertoire. The maestro was kind enough to give me an hour of his time between concerts and flights to discuss his composition and arranging, his love for the music of Fernando Sor, his improvisations, and lots more. You’ll hear Roland’s Valse en Skai, his arrangements of Sor for guitar and string quartet, A Night in Tunisia, and a beautiful piece by Pixinguinha from his latest album. |
Episode 4 - Roland Dyens
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Some of the music you heard on the show:
A Night in Tunisia - Night and Day - Visite au Jazz Valse en skai - Nuages Etude No. 1 (arr. of F. Sor: 12 Excercises, Op. 6, No. 8) - Sor - Giuliani: Guitar Works Etude No. 6 (arr. of F. Sor: 24 Very Easy Exercises, Op. 35, No. 17) - Sor - Giuliani: Guitar Works Etude No. 17 (arr. of F. Sor: 12 Excercises, Op. 6, No. 11) - Sor - Giuliani: Guitar Works |
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Episode 3 - Martha Masters
If you prefer to download a copy of the show, click the download link below for an mp3.
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Martha took some time out of her busy schedule to have an interview with me. I mean BUSY, she's president of the Guitar Foundation of American, she's on the faculties of both LMU and Cal State Fullerton, and balancing all that with a performing career and three kids! She told me a bit about what it's like being a woman in the overwhelmingly male dominated guitar world, a little about the importance of music for kids, a bit about performing vs. recording, and about some of her favorite music to play. You'll hear Bach, Regondi, a lesser known Spanish composer by the name of Antonio Jose de San Sebastian, and a Frank duet performed by Duo Erato. *The audio player may take 1-2 minutes to buffer before streaming begins
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Music you heard on the show: From her album Viaggio in Italia:
Giulio Regondi's Etude 8 From Viaje en España: Errimina (Nostalgia) by Antonio Jose de San Sebastian From the Duo Erato CD Musings: Cesar Frank - Prelude, Lento, Fugue, and Variation |
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Adam and I chatted about his new and second guitar concerto titled, Paisajes (Landscapes), about growing up in Spain (and everywhere else!), about the flamenco/classical guitar split, Segovia's flamenco past, and more... You'll hear the first movement of Paisajes, which is a flamenco Alegrías, the rumba that begins his latest album, his amazing interpretation of Albeñiz's Sevilla, and a great Balkan-sounding tune in 13/8! *The audio player may take 1-2 minutes to buffer before streaming begins
If you prefer to download a copy of the show, click the download link below for an mp3.
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Episode 2 - Adam Del Monte
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Here are some direct links to buy the music from the show on iTunes:
Adam's latest album - The Songs:
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Episode 1 - Scott Tennant
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I had the chance to talk with classical guitarist Scott Tennant about Spanish music, got some great practice advice, and a story or two about Pumping Nylon, LAGQ, and COFFEE! Scott gives us an introduction to Rodrigo's Entre Olivares, discusses his arrangement of the Irish folk tune Wild Mountain Thyme, and we get to hear a bit about the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet's grammy winning album Guitar Heroes. Not to mention I got to have one of his killer espressos! *The audio player may take 1-2 minutes to buffer before streaming begins
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If you prefer to download a copy of the show, click the download link below for an mp3.
Listen to the music again!If you're interested in purchasing the tunes I played on the show, here are links to the iTunes store for the specific tracks:
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