Knowing the major brands of acoustic guitars does not guarantee that in buying one of those brands you will get a superior instrument. Even popular brands of guitars are sometimes poor in quality. The trick isn’t to know the top selling brands, rather, it’s to know what goes into quality craftsmanship of a fine acoustic.
Along with Antonio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto and a handful of other young composers, Oscar Castro-Neves emerged in the early 1960s as one of the founding figures of the musical movement that became known worldwide as Bossa Nova. In 1962, a year before “The Girl From Ipanema” became a Top 10 hit, he helped lead the bossa nova invasion of the U.S., playing a central role as a performer and accompanist for other noted Brazilian musicians at the historic presentation of Brazil’s new music at Carnegie Hall. Since then, his distinguished career has included performances with Stan Getz, Sergio Mendez, Yo Yo Ma, and even Michael Jackson and Barbara Streisand.
Trevor Rabin’s record label, Varese Vintage Records/Varese Sarabande Records, graciously informed me in an Official Press Release today, March 7, 2012, that Trevor’s greatly anticipated, new, instrumental solo album, “Jacaranda”, will be released on May 8, 2012. “Jacaranda” is a true labor of love for Rabin, and reflects the ongoing artistic scope, vision, inventiveness, and many diverse music influences, including jazz, rock, and classical, that Trevor has continually embraced, and which continue to inform, his immense virtuosity and sublime artistry.
SKH Music tells us that the original line-up of Bad Company has announced a short run of European festival dates for this summer.
DL Media tells us that with a lot of sleuthing and a team of experts on the case, long lost tapes of Wes Montgomery have been discovered and restored. Resonance Records releases Echoes of Indiana Avenue – the first full album of previously unheard Montgomery music in over 25 years – on March 6, 2012, which would have been Montgomery’s 89th birthday.
Following last year’s stunning New Blood Live in London DVD, Blu-Ray and 3D Disc & New Blood studio album comes LIVE BLOOD, via Eagle Rock Entertainment, a newly remixed and re-mastered live 2-CD set recorded at London’s iconic Hammersmith Apollo on March 23rd last year. [Pre-book order date March 30 – MSRP $17.98]
Adrenaline Mob returns with their new full-length album, Omertá due out March 13th. The “supergroup” with powerhouse vocals of Russell Allen of Symphony X, the shredding guitar attack of Mike Orlando and the drumming virtuosity of Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater. The album builds upon the sound developed on the EP with 11 crushing tracks. Omertá also features a blistering reinterpretation of Duran Duran’s classic “Come Undone” featuring guest vocals by Lzzy Hale of Halestorm.
Canadian guitarist and composer Alex Goodman has released three CDs as a leader. He completed his Bachelor of Jazz Performance degree at the University of Toronto, where he was honored as the first jazz musician to receive the William and Phyllis Waters graduating Award. The award goes to the student deemed to have the greatest potential to make an important contribution to the field of music.
Peavey’s Amp division is introducing the new Peavey® Triple X® II all-tube guitar amp head, is packed with lots of gain, power and exclusive tone-shapers designed to take guitar players from crystal clean tones to a satisfying crunch and everything in between. The Triple X II (sometimes written as Triple XXX II) amplifier specializes in versatility and modern high gain with three channels that put tonal flexibility at players’ fingertips.
The 84th Academy Awards® were held last night with the night being a sparkling celebration of Oscar® honoring and paying homage to the origins of cinema. The Artist, the French silent film honoring and paying tribute to the art, history, and craft of filmmaking, which depicts the early days of cinema in the late 1920’s on the advent of talking pictures replacing silent film, took home five golden statuettes among its staggering ten nominations, winning for Best Picture Thomas Langmann Producer, Best Director Michel Hazanavicius, Best Actor Jean Dujardin, and Best Costume Design Mark Bridges.
