By: Staff
C. F. Martin & Co. and Pitcher Sword Productions have announced the launch of “The Martin Guitar Tour,” a new concert series concept showcasing Martin Guitar artists from a variety of acoustic genres.
Patriots Theater at the War Memorial in Trenton, NJ will present The Martin Guitar Tour on Friday, January 28, 2011 at 8pm.
Artists set to perform at the January concert in Trenton include Signature Martin Guitar artist and singer-songwriter Shawn Colvin, legendary bluegrass musician Tony Rice, with The Tony Rice Unit, Signature Martin Guitar Artist Woody Mann, and local Princeton favorite Chris Harford, with the Band of Changes – with all of the guitarists playing instruments designed by the legendary American guitar maker, C.F. Martin & Co.
“We are very excited to produce the second Martin Guitar Tour concert at Patriots Theater at the War Memorial in Trenton,” commented Molly Sword McDonough, founder of Pitcher Sword Productions, and former Executive Director of Patriots Theater.
Woody Mann, who created and continues to host the critically acclaimed “On Patriots Stage” series at Patriots Theater, will host the Martin Guitar Tour concert on January 28th in Trenton, and will bring all of the artists together for a full-stage jam during the finale.
Tickets are currently on sale to the public. More information can be found at www.thewarmemorial.com; the Patriots Theater Box Office
Shawn Colvin
As a storyteller, Shawn Colvin is both keen and warm-hearted, leavening even the toughest tales with tenderness, empathy, and a searing sense of humor. In the 19 years since the release of her debut album, Colvin has won three Grammy Awards and released eight albums. Colvin’s most recent release, 2009’s Shawn Colvin Live, captures the beauty and intimacy of Colvin’s performances, showcasing her inimitable voice and matchless guitar stylings.
Few things rival the intensity of experiencing a Shawn Colvin live solo performance. She is the songwriter’s songwriter. Her compositions deftly articulate life, while her voice lends poignancy and drama. The impact is underscored by Shawn’s riveting guitar skills, which combine eclectic tunings with an infectious and unusual right hand technique. Folk music occupies a special place in the heart and has always been identified with the sound of a Martin guitar. The authentic and personal nature of the genre has its finest moment in the duet between voice and acoustic guitar. Throughout her career, Shawn Colvin has played a vintage Martin D-28, which embodies the traditional and recognizable tone that only a Martin can deliver.
Shawn Colvin wanted her Signature Martin model to be a guitar that was smaller and more comfortable than a Dreadnought. Shawn chose an M shape, also known as a 0000, a Martin guitar shape with a unique history of its own. It is no coincidence that both Shawn Colvin and her M3SC Signature model deliver a uniquely individual voice coupled with a striking visual appearance. Martin is proud to honor Shawn’s determination, vision, and talent with this stunning instrument.
Shawn Colvin’s Signature Martin Guitar
Tony Rice
Tony Rice and The Tony Rice Unit…. A maverick of the flat-picked acoustic guitar, Tony Rice was the first instrumentalist to seize upon the innovations of guitarists like Clarence White and Doc Watson and propel them into new flights of rhythmic, harmonic, and textural virtuosity. By doing so in the context of a bluegrass band, he redefined that instrument’s role in bluegrass, and raised the bar for a new generation of acoustic six-stringers.
The Tony Rice Unit released Unit of Measure, a sharp album of instrumental music that deftly blends jazz, bluegrass, celtic, and folk themes. From the meditative intro to a new recording of Rice’s classic “Manzanita” to a frenetic, flailing eight-minute live encore of “Sally Goodin,” The Unit consistently amazes with its intensity, restraint, and telepathic interplay. “I look at this band probably the way Miles Davis might have looked at his band of Bill Evans and John Coltrane and Paul Chambers,” remarks Rice. “It was never anything he could put his finger on . . . it just worked.” A better analogy could not be posed – here is a tight, together ensemble that is the perfect mix of personalities and abilities.
Woody Mann has been called “one of those names that should be uttered only in hushed tones” by The London Times, which added, “you are unlikely to hear anything – or anyone – better.” Among guitarists and critics, Woody Mann is considered a modern master. While the blues are his touchstone, he seems to draw inspiration from every direction, blending a myriad of influences with ease and grace.
Mann blurs the lines between jazz, blues, classical and world music, creating his own sound in the process. Pioneering guitar legend John Fahey says about Mann, “You can hear classical, jazz and blues approaches somehow converging into a single sparkling sound – a sound completely his own.” Woody Mann was taught by the Rev Gary Davis, and studied jazz under Lennie Tristano.
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