In anticipation of the upcoming Julien’s auction of significant gear and personal items of the late legendary Les Paul, we got with Dave Belzer and Drew Berlin to get the inside scoop on what to expect and if the bids are expected to be astronomical or within reach of those of us with thinner wallets.
Julien’s Auctions, the world’s premier entertainment and celebrity estate auction house and the Les Paul Foundation have partnered for an auction of extraordinary property and collection of guitars, equipment, musical artifacts and personal effects from the legendary musician, engineer and inventor Les Paul. The auction event will take place on June 8-10, 2012 in honor of what would have been Paul’s 97th birthday.
Julien’s Auctions, the world’s premier entertainment and celebrity estate auction house and the Les Paul Foundation have partnered for an auction of extraordinary property and collection of guitars, equipment and musical artifacts from the legendary musician, engineer and inventor Les Paul. The auction event will take place on June 8-9, 2012 in honor of what would have been Paul’s 97th birthday. (June 9, 2012).
It’s easy to stay in the box, to not explore and discover new ways of playing guitar or to come up with new ways to amp up your career aspirations. But, if we check out the way legendary guitarist Les Paul approached his guitar passion and life, I believe we can all take inspiration from “Rhubarb Red” and continually re-think or even out-think the challenges that we face in our music and our lives. If we emulate the life of Les Paul, we find ourselves on a path that reflects high-intensity curiosity, demands a “Can Do” attitude that’s followed-up with disciplined action – leading us to both small and grand success.
In the third and final segment of our three-part interview with Les Paul’s son, Rusty Paul, Rusty delves into how he plans on perpetuating Les Paul’s legacy, the early days of Fender, competition between the guitar makers, Joe Satriani, and the magic that inherently came along with Les wherever he went.
In this Part II of our three-part interview with Rusty Paul, son of the legendary Les Paul, Rusty gives us a glimpse into Les Paul’s relationships with some of the most beloved guitarists and musicians in the music world, including Jeff Beck, Tommy Emmanuel, Slash and Steve Miller, among others. Let’s get right to it!
In tribute to the legendary guitarist, Les Paul, we caught up with his son, Rusty (Lester G. Paul, Jr) to gather up his thoughts about his father, who had passed a way over a year before. We knew Rusty was carrying on the family musical legacy, by playing bass with his own group, frequenting the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City, a long time gig played by his father every Monday night for decades and working on a tribute tour for his dad.
Not only does Hawaiian-born ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro make his little four-string axe gently weep, he also makes it sweep, soar, and sing. In his hands, the ukulele roams the halls of folk, jazz, flamenco, rock, funk, the blues, bluegrass and classical music. Along with his astonishing talent, Jake’s winning smile and generous personality have been recognized by the State of Hawaii that has named him a Goodwill Ambassador for the island paradise.
At the Iridium Jazz Club, where the legendary Les Paul played weekly, on the night of what would have been his 95th birthday, Jeff Beck and a slew of guests honored the guitar great. An avid fan of Les Paul, Jeff Beck seemed the obvious selection to host Rock & Roll Party: Honoring Les Paul. The two guitarists became fast friends after a brief encounter in the ‘80’s, shared a similar playing style, and both experimented with the idiomatic guitar sound.
Lou Volpe has an outstanding professional resume. He has appeared as a sideman with many great jazz and pop artists. A partial list includes Herbie Hancock, Chet Baker, Herbie Mann, Peggy Lee and the Manhattan Transfer. Volpe was a student of Sal Salvador and spent quite a bit of time in jam sessions with Les Paul.
