Posted February 27, 2012 at 11:06 am | One comment
Petar Jankovic has had a very successful career as a solo classical guitarist, though in recent years he has been pushing the boundaries of what the guitar can in an ensemble setting. The resulting group, the Petar Jankovic Ensemble, is a string quartet led by the talented guitarist. Over the years, there have been many successful guitar duos, trios, quartets, and others; but rarely does this music capture and combine the essence of the classical guitar with the European tradition of the string quartet. The PJE has to be one of the best, and most convincing, chamber ensembles that feature a guitar in recent years.
Posted in: Classical Reviews, Reviews
Posted February 27, 2012 at 5:40 am | No comments
Growing up in Berlin, and Conservatory trained, bassist Frank Herzberg moved to Brazil 14 years ago. After living in the South American nation for four years, the bassist began a musical partnership with drummer Zé Eduardo Nazário and pianist Alexandre Zamith, one that continues to this day and can be heard on the trio’s latest recording, Handmade. The album, a collection of eight tracks, is a mix of modern jazz, Brazilian grooves and American funk. No matter where the trio takes the music, one thing remains the same, the high level of creativity, musicianship and interaction that these three musicians bring to the table.
Posted in: Jazz Reviews, Reviews
Posted February 26, 2012 at 5:02 am | No comments
The Blues is a vast and rich musical genre that has proved to be one of America’s lasting musical contributions to the global community. After being birthed and raised in the U.S., the blues has since spread out to welcome musicians from all over the world to its flock, producing some of the most memorable and lasting recordings and musical moments of the past century. While the blues has spread out geographically, unfortunately when it comes to the musicians that play this great music, the vast majority are male, with only a small percentage of blues musicians being women.
Posted in: Blues Reviews, Reviews
Posted February 25, 2012 at 7:11 am | One comment
When I was first turned on to South African guitarist Derek Gripper, to be honest I didn’t know what to expect. Was the music going to be African in nature, or featured a more American background? I had read that Gripper studied in India, so was his music going to follow the Raga and Indian classical music tradition? He has acknowledged the influence of Brazilian composers and performers such as Villa-Lobos and Egberto Gismonti, and so would these influences come out in Gripper’s writing? The answer to all of these questions, as I was to find out, was yes.
Posted in: Classical Reviews, Reviews
Posted February 24, 2012 at 4:15 am | One comment
Australian guitarist Chris Brooks is a monster player, flat out. Following in the path of the great instrumental rock guitarists such as Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Greg Howe, Brooks is a world-class player that brings both lightning-fast chops and a strong sense of melody and groove to his songwriting and improvisations. After spending years honing his chops and compositional skills,
Posted in: Instrumental Reviews, Reviews
Posted February 21, 2012 at 4:49 am | 2 comments
Throughout the past century, guitar students the world over have been introduced to the instrument through the publications of Mel Bay, Hal Leonard, the Royal Conservatory and the Suzuki Method. As these books have grown in popularity, especially the Mel Bay Guitar Book 1 which is an institution in itself, these instructional books have become ingrained in the minds of students, teachers and parents as they have made their way into countless practice rooms and teaching studios the world over.
Posted in: Book Reviews, Reviews
Posted February 20, 2012 at 4:03 am | No comments
Since their inception in 2004, Pigtronix has pursued a conceptual approach to pedal design called F.A.T. – Futuristic Analog Tone. Pigtronix has distilled the essential soul of tube overdrive into the straightforward yet remarkably flexible design of the new FAT Drive.
Posted in: Gear Reviews, Reviews
Posted February 19, 2012 at 9:37 am | No comments
There are bands that have been around for years, kept the same original lineup, and continued to make great music without any internal changes or turmoil. But this doesn’t seem to be the norm in the rock music world. Instead, bands are more than likely to change band members, change their image or even change their names as they grow and develop as an artistic unit. Chicago based Vintage Blue is just such a band.
Posted in: Reviews, Rock Reviews
Posted February 12, 2012 at 9:10 am | No comments
Listeners are in for a gritty hard rock-funk-rap ride with guitarist Kenny Olson’s new CD, Cartel.
Posted in: Blues Reviews, Reviews
Posted February 6, 2012 at 10:14 am | No comments
NAMM 2012, like most years, has failed to disappoint in unveiling new and exciting guitars and in my opinion Epiphone have produced this years must have guitar. It doesn’t help my cause that I am a huge Kiss fan but when you consider every aspect of it, the looks, its heritage and most importantly the way it sounds its right up there with the best of ’em.
Posted in: Gear Reviews, Reviews
