Plectrum Podcasts

Sixteenth Plectrum Podcast - Erik Wollo

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 27 May 2006 12:29:00 +0200

Erik Wøllo is a Norwegian guitarist. He might not be known as much as his Anglo-Saxon counterparts such as Tommy Emmanuel or Earl Klugh but his music is still very interesting. In his official website it is stated that his music covers a wide range including Jazz and Rock but I would say that his music is mostly meditative or atmospheric. If you want something to help you meditate or relax you can certainly find many of his tracks that will suit this purpose. Some critics also categorise his music as World Music or even New Age. Nevertheless he composes for Films, Ballets and the theatre and has even played in the USA and Canada.

Podcast description:

TRACK 1: Blue Mountain - From Guitar Nova. This track borders on the classic. It is not one of his most orignal compositions but it is a really good piece. The style also reminds me much or Acoustic Alchemy.

TRACK 2: Hjallepallo - From Guitar Nova. I hope trying to read the track name didn't make your tongue go into a knot! ... and don't ask me what it means neither. Its in a very different style from the previous track, this time bordering on the jazzy style though not quite jazzy.

TRACK 3: Sedona - From Blue Sky Red Guitars. This is a very quiet and meditative track and it sounds quite celtic to me though it has some elements of Carlos Vamos as well. Strange combination.

Enjoy the music.

PLECTRUM

Fifteenth Plectrum Podcast - Fusion by Larry Carlton

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 20 May 2006 17:34:00 +0200

Larry Carlton is a jazz guitarist dividing his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with more popular bands. Over his career Carlton has won three Grammys for his performances and compositions. His influences are the likes of Barney Kessel and BB.King (that's a pure jazz guitarist and a pure Blues guitarist) - which explains his versatility. He also replaced Lee Ritenour when he left the band Fourplay. For me Carlton is in the same league as Larry Coryell and Lee Ritenour though maybe a little less known than the former. Nonetheless he is a really good guitarist as you will see from this podcast.

Podcast description:

TRACK 1: Remembering J.P. - From Larry and Lee (1995). This is a collaboration album, already mentioned in a previous podcast dedicated to Lee Ritenour. One can hardly tell who is playing when on this typically fusion piece, as both Larry and Lee adopt such a very similar style here.

TRACK 2: Last Night. - From Last Night (Live 1986). A winning combination - Larry Carlton with the Yellojackets! I was lucky to see the Yellowjackets (minus Larry Carlton) play in Malta at the Malta Jazz Festival and was really impressed. This is a really nice track - smooth easy-listening fusion at its best. Enjoy.

TRACK 3: Layla. - From On Solid Ground (1989). Just to demonstrate Larry's versatility and influences I opted to include this track - Layla, orginally a Derek and the Dominoes song with Eric Clapton on lead guitar! As you might imagine it is a rock song and it is intended to have vocals but Larry Carlton manages to play it so well and without any vocals - a really great rendition.

Enjoy

Check out Larry Carlton with Lee Ritenour in action:

PLECTRUM

Fourteenth Plectrum Podcast - Pat Metheny

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 13 May 2006 15:06:00 +0200

Do you remember the film The Falcon and The Snowman? There was a song from its soundtrack - This is not America - sung by David Bowie accompanied by none other than this jazz guitarist - and he even co-composed the song [actually he composed the rest of the soundtrack all on his own].
Sometimes you won't even know that its a guitar you are listening to when he plays. In fact Metheny is fond of using what's known as a guitar synthesiser with his guitar. It's a gadget that makes the guitar sound more like a synth than an actual guitar! So you might be listening to the sound of a trumpet for instance - but it would be a guitar playing! Therefore be warned...any trumpet sounds in the tracks I have chosen for you [from the 13 or so CD's I have of this guitarist] are actually created by a guitar connected to this synth gadget. Metheny also plays special guitars like the electric Sitar - which really sounds like an Indian Sitar and even a strange guitar with 3 necks called the Pikasso guitar.

Podcast description:

TRACK 1: Are you going with me - From Travels. This is probably the first Metheny track I have ever listened to because Travels is the first Pat Metheny album I have ever bought way back in the early 80's. Obviously it was on vinyl but now I have it on CD too. This is a great track from a great album. Note the unusual sound his guitar makes.

TRACK 2: Here to Stay - From We Live Here. Compared to the previous track this is a very "normal" piece of music by Metheny's standards. The tempo is quite upbeat and rather commercial and the guitar actually sounds like a guitar. This does not diminish at all Metheny's greatness in no way mind you - I just wanted to include this one for those of you with more conservative tastes.

TRACK 3: Red Sky - From We Live Here. The tempo on this one is rather latin though still jazzy, and one can appreciate the nice sound of the elctric sitar Metheny likes to use so often...and later on the trumpet sound so charateristic.

TRACK 4: Last Train Home - From Still Life (Talking). A really cool and relaxing piece. My favourite from this selection. On this track Metheny uses again both the electric sitar and the synth effect that makes the guitar sound like a very high pitched trumpet (you would need to have compressors for lungs in order to play a real trumpet like that!)

BONUS: Interview with the Toronto luthier who created Pat Metheny's Pikasso guitar.

(Once again excuse the quality of the sound which is far from being pristine but I had to compress this podcast quite a lot in order to make it of an acceptable size for download - and its still 22mb!)

Enjoy the music.

PLECTRUM

Thirteenth Plectrum Podcast - Passion Grace and Fire

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 6 May 2006 14:37:00 +0200

Paco de Lucia is that great musician/composer from Spain who pioneered the New Flamenco style. He is featured in one of my first podcasts. Add to him Al Di Meola, the American of Italian descent, who plays the guitar so masterly, and to these two add again the great John McLaughlin, for whom I shall dedicate a podcast soon....and what have you got?...A super guitar trio who can produce music that's out of this world! My best guitar heroes all playing together - what can one want more! This is what I am bringing to you in today's podcast. Greatness x3! And you can judge by yourselves from these tracks I am offering you from three separate albums. It was actually so difficult to choose which to include because all are of the same quality and beauty.
Most of the tracks are rather long, some even as long as 8 minutes, so this time round unfortunately I had to augment the MP3 compression. Consequently I offer my apologies for an inferior sound quality in this podcast. I cannot make you download a file of more than 20mb can I? This said, the sound is not that bad and one can still appreciate the great music as it is.

Podcast description:

TRACK ONE: Le Monastere dans le Montagne - From Guitar Trio. This is a John McLaughlin composition and one mainly hears him and Al Di Meola as protagonists on this track (Paco is somewhere in the background). It is a soft piece compared to the fiery ones that follow.

TRACK TWO: Fantasia Suite - From Friday Night in San Francisco live - 1981. This is a typical Al Di Meola composition on which all three collaborate in this interpretation. They take turns to show off their virtuosity actually and you can note the different styles in fact while they are blasting away at breathtaking speeds on their guitars! Its like a guitar duel between titans. When I finish listening to it I always end up saying "WOW"! Well, by now you should have got the message that I like this one....or not?

TRACK THREE: Passion, Grace and Fire - From Passion Grace and Fire. This is another show of brilliance, though taken from a studio album. Notice how the three blend together like its just one guitar playing! And then, for a touch of humour, they change the tempo to reggae! You have to be great to be able to do that.

TRACK FOUR: Short Tales from the Black Forest - From Friday Night in San Francisco live - 1981. How I wish I could see them play this one. I would be happy even to see them play it on video or CD! Note how they play in unison near the beginning. Note also how they start conversing with each other as if in a dialogue! Note also how they start improvising near the middle of the track and end up making funny noises and even change to the Pink Panter theme and so on. The crowd goes wild. I go wild too!

Check out this video of these three great guitarist:

PLECTRUM

My Odeo Channel (odeo/ee238a582da5dbbc)

Check this out IV - Create an ad for this blog on your website/blog

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 1 May 2006 13:15:00 +0200

That's it. You can now embed an ad for this blog - with scrolling text in your own website or blog so that visitors to your site can also visit mine. Cool isn't it? Its really easy.

For a horizontal scrolling ad just download the code and then paste it into the HTML of your site.

Preview:

Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames.

For a vertical scrolling ad just download the code and then paste it into the HTML of your site.

Preview:

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Twelfth Plectrum Podcast - The smooth guitar of Lee Ritenour

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 29 Apr 2006 14:21:00 +0200

Check out the new Lee Ritenour CD, Smoke 'n' Mirrors.
Born in the USA (born January 11,1952) as Lee Mack Ritenour. He is also affectionately called "Captain Fingers" due to his mastery of the guitar he plays. For me this guitarist is a genius that sometimes does really silly career moves! I mean with his talent why delve into pop or electronic music?!! In fact Lee has frequently been criticised by his fans for these moves he sometimes makes. I don't believe it is because in pop one makes more money because if I had to ask any pop fan who Lee Ritenour is I believe nobody would know! But any jazz enthusiast knows who Lee Ritenour is. Anyway in my podcasts I selected some really good tracks for you and did not even dare include any that sounded a bit pop.

Podcast description

TRACK 1. Tush - From the album On the Line. This is a typical smooth Lee Ritenour tune taken from the very first Ritenour album (CD) I ever had. Lee has some very good musicians helping him too such as Dave Grusin on keyboards and Anthony Jackson on bass among others.

TRACK 2. Sun Song - From the album Captain Fingers. This is a ballad like soft tune in which Lee Ritenour plays acoustic guitar.

TRACK 3. Silent Message - From the album Harlequin. This album consists of a number of Brazil inspired songs and on some of them in fact one can even hear the Brazilian singer Ivan Lins . I chose this one because it is one of the instrumental tracks (no singing) and because it is the best track on the CD (in my opinion anyway).

TRACK 4. L.A. Underground - From the album Larry and Lee. This is a collaboration with the famous Larry Carlton, and one that really succeded as this album is considered one of Lee's best ever. Lee's guitar sound on this track reminds me of the typical sound of George Benson. It's a very good upbeat tune - easy to listen to as with all the other tracks.

Happy listening.

Check out this video of Lee Ritenour in action:

PLECTRUM

The new Lee Ritenour CD - Smoke 'n' Mirrors.True to its intriguing and provocative title, Lee Ritenour's latest CD Smoke N' Mirrors takes listeners on a magical, multi-faceted global journey unlike any other in the legendary guitarist's three decade, nearly 40 album career. Inspired by his very first trip to South Africa in 2005, where he performed five hugely successful concerts at festivals in Johannesburg and Capetown, with Smoke N' Mirrors, Ritenour takes an expansive, polyrhythmic approach, working with musicians from South Africa, Cameroon-West Africa, Brazil, Columbia, Peru and India.

Also joining him on this recording is an exciting mix of old friends who happen to be some of America's top jazz performers. Among those featured are pianists Dave Grusin and Patrice Rushen; drummer Vinnie Colaiuta; along with bassists John Patitucci, Brian Bromberg, Abraham Laboriel and Richard Bona. There are eight percussionists on the record including Sheila E, Alex Acuna and Paulinho Da Costa and on tablas is Satnam Ramgotra from India. Ever the innovator, Ritenour employs a total of 12 guitars, his most ever, to achieve what can only be described as sonic perfection. These include the Gibson Lee Ritenour Model and a wide variety of baritone, steel and high string guitars.

Smoke N' Mirrors also marks the American recording debut of South African singing sensation Zamajobe on three songs as well as the composing and recording debut of Ritenour's thirteen- year-old son Wesley, a highly talented drummer. Wes adds brushes to Zamajobe's original song, the exotic call and response anthem "Memeza," and also composed the graceful melody of the soulful and atmospheric "Stone Cool."

Track listing:

Smoke ‘n Mirrors: Upbeat and percussive, but how could it not be with the following rhythm section: Rit – guitar, Melvin Davis - six string electric bass, Richard Bona – bass fills, Vinnie Colaiuta – drums, Alex Acuna – percussion, Shelia E - percussion.

Capetown: Rit – Guitar, Richard bona – Electric Bass, Vinnie Colaiuta – drums, Alex Acuna – percussion.

Southwest Passage: This is a Dave Grusin composition. It features Rit on guitar, Dave on piano, John Patitucci on acoustic bass, Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, Alex Acuna and Paulinho DaCosta on percussion. Beautiful composition!

Waters Edge: This one has an African folk tinge to it. Based on a seemingly simple melody, it’s catchy and makes you want to break out into a dance: Rit – guitar, Richard Bona – electric bass, Vinnie Colaiuta – drums, Alex Acuna – percussion.

Blue Days: Switching continents and countries we are literally guided across the equator into this Brazilian tune, written and arranged by Daniel Jobim, grandson of Antonio Carlos. A very romantic duet sung in Portuguese by Daniel and Joyce. This is my favourite track maybe because I am such a big fan of Antonio Carlos Jobim: Daniel Jobim – vocals and keyboards, Joyce – vocals, Rit – guitar, Dave Grusin – acoustic piano, John Patitucci - acoustic bass, Danilo Caymmi – flutes, Paulinho Da Costa – percussion, Alex Acuna – Drums.

Spellbinder: This is a Gabor Szabo composition, Arranged by Lee, it features Lee on guitar, Brian Bromberg on acoustic bass, Vinnie Colaiuta – drums, Alex Acuna – percussion, Satnam Ramgotra – tablas. Fans of percussion may want to stand in the sweet spot between your speakers, turn the volume way up and feel this one! Lee spends some time weaving in and out of this groove, then steps back for a while to savor it himself.

Memeza: A short interlude by Zamajobe and Kanesha Kamwendo. Rit – guitars, Zamajobe – vocals, Erik Pilani Paliani – acoustic and electric guitars, Wesley Ritenour (yes, the little kid last seen on the cover of Lee’s “This Is Love”) – drums, Tiale Makhene – percussion, Alberto Lopez – wood percussion.

Povo: Lee brings us back to the U.S. momentarily with his bluesy arrangement of this Freddie Hubbard composition. Featured here are beautiful solos by Patrice Rushen on the Fender Rhodes piano, and Sheila E on percussion, Melvin Davis – electric bass, Oscar Seaton – drums.

Lovely Day: Next up is a fresh and contemporary take on this popular Bill Withers song. Most of you will find it familiar, if I am not mistaken it was also recorded by Simply Red. Zamajobe - vocals, Lee – guitar, Dave Grusin – acoustic piano, Vinnie Colaiuta – drums, Melvin Davis – six string bass, Erik Pilani Paliani – rhythm guitar. Zamajobe’s beautiful voice, the use of chants and percussion provide a lush, almost spiritual African flavor to this classic.

Township: Written and arranged by Lee. Rit – guitar, Richard Bona – electric bass, Steve Tavaglione – soprano sax and alto flute. Vinnie Colaiuta – drums, Alex Acuna – percussion, Satnam Ramgotra – tables. It’s very nice hearing Steve on another Rit project!

Forget Me Nots: Arranged by Lee and Patrice Rushen, this is a Patrice classic. Lee – guitars, Zamajobe – vocals, Patrice Rushen – Fender Rhodes, organ solo, Erik Pilani Paliani – rhythm guitar, Melvin Davis – electric bass, Oscar Seaton – drums, Shelia E – percussion. What a great vocalist this Zamajobe is! Excellent arrangement too!

Stone Cool: Written and arranged by Lee and Wesley Ritenour. Lee – acoustic guitar, Patrice Rushen – Fender Rhodes, Alex Acuna – drums, Abraham Laboriel – electric bass, Mea Noite – percussion.

Motherland: The deep groove of this track is about as relentless as you’ll find. While you have vintage Lee on guitar, he shows he has a little Ry Cooder in him: Rit – baritone acoustic and electric guitar, Melvin Davis - electric bass, Oscar Seaton – drums, Shelia E – percussion.

4½ Storm: Lest you try to take a break following Motherland, Lee closes up with the fusiony 4 ½ Storm. Written and arranged by Lee. Lee - acoustic and electric guitars, Richard Bona – electric bass, Vinnie Colaiuta – drums, Alex Acuna – congas, Shelia E – Korg wave drum and sound effects. The song fades out with Alex Acuna on congas.

Lee Ritenour plays these guitars on this album:
*1949 Gibson LS
*1960 Gibson 335
*Gibson Lee Ritenour Model
*Yamaha Silent Guitar
*Yamaha 1974 Classic Custom Guitar
*Yamaha Custom Baritone Guitar
*Yamaha Acoustic Steel String Guitar
*Baby Taylor High String Guitar
*Brian Moore Electric/Synthesizer Guitar
*Roger Sadowsky Acoustic Electric Guitar
*Richard Glick Baritone Acoustic #B-252 Model

Click HERE for the guitar score of the title track Smoke 'n' Mirrors

Eleventh Plectrum Podcast - The unique style of Larry Coryell

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 22 Apr 2006 12:04:00 +0200

I was introduced to the music of Larry Coryell accidentally many years ago (when CD's were not even heard of yet) while I was rummaging through vinyl disks at a music shop. I had this habit of looking for unusual, unknown or rather old music because I was, and still am, very curious. I wanted to know what is being done by non commercial musicians and what had been done in the past. That's how I came to know of Larry Coryell. I found this album, heard a track or two as samples and bought it. To enjoy his music you need what's called "an acquired taste" and probably this podcast will not please many. I did try to choose some of his mellowest pieces but I reserved the last track as a sample of the artist's more jazzy facet.

Podcast description:

TRACK 1: Rhapsody in Blue - From Larry Coryell at Kimball's East Emerville, LA, Live. A beautiful interpretation of George Gershwin's famous composition, Rhapsody in Blue. It is amazing how Coryell manages to transpose what's supposed to be played by a full orchestra to just one solo guitar!

TRACK 2: Improvisation on Villa-Lobos (Prelude No.4 in E Minor)- From Larry Coryell and the 11th House (Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival).This is actually a classical piece by the famous Brazilian composer Heitor (or Hector) Villa-Lobos. Larry Coryell, apart from interpreting the piece, improvises on it. That means that he knows this piece so well that he feels confident enough to change it at will. That's the result of really hard work.

TRACK 3: Tamari - From Larry Coryell and the 11th House (Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival). This is how I know Coryell most - playing his electric guitar and doing true Jazz. I left it for the last on purpose. If you hate jazz then skip this one. But I must say it is a really good example of Larry Coryell's mastery and unique style.

Enjoy the music.

Check out this video of Larry Coryell in action:

PLECTRUM

Tenth Plectrum Podcast - Vicente Amigo

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 15 Apr 2006 15:27:00 +0200

Vicente Amigo is another Paco De Lucia disciple. As you can see this Paco really had an influence on music! The pity is that locally (in Malta) it is very difficult to find Vicente's music and very few in fact ever heard of him. I only have one CD called Vivencias Imaginadas and all three tracks in today's podcast are in fact from this CD. It is one of his best albums anyway so it is still a very good selection. I think that Vicente Amigo is the most adventurous from the three De Lucia disciples I have featured so far. He includes certain instruments such as flugelhorns (a kind of trumpet) with such effectiveness even though such instruments are hardly ever associated with Flamenco.

BONUS: View the video of Tangos del Arco Bajo from Vicente Amigo's latest CD album entitled Un Momento En El Sonido - not in full unfortunately. [Real Player necessary to view]

BONUS 2: Read this interesting interview with Vicente Amigo

Podcast description:

TRACK 1. Limon de Nata - From Vivencias Imaginadas (1995). A typical New Flamenco composition. Listen to the bass in the beginning how reminiscent of jazz. Then you will notice a brass section and the flugelhorn. A really beautiful piece.

TRACK 2. Querido Metheny - From Vivencias Imaginadas. This is a tribute to the great Pat Matheny (although he is still alive), a fusion / jazz guitarist with a style of his own. Some day I will make a podcast dedicated to him as well. Again in this track notice the good use of the flugelhorn. This is a very romantic track. Me and George (Acoustika) sometimes try to play a very simplified version of this track because we like it so much. Our version has to be simplified because it takes a master to play it the way Vicente does. We cannot even hope to play it as it should. This is definitely my favourite from the whole album.

TRACK 3. Vivencias Imaginadas - From Vivencias Imaginadas. This is the title track. Very expressive and very Spanish. Take note of the sad singing in the first part - pungent I would say. This track has some very impressive percussions too especially at the end part. Good music as expected.

Enjoy.

Instructions for first-timers:
Download the Juice Podcast Reader from the right-hand sidebar. Then subscribe to this Podcast by using the RSS feed (copy and paste) in the appropriate field in the program. Double click on it when it appears in the list and then click on the download button [which says "Check/Download selected Feeds"]. It should be easy but I suggest that you view this short tutorial.

RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlectrumPodcasts

Should you wish to be notified by email when new podcasts are uploaded just enter your email address in the field provided in the sidebar and click the Subscribe Me button.

PLECTRUM

Ninth Plectrum Podcast - The little tomato, Tomatito

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 8 Apr 2006 12:37:00 +0200

Tomatito was discovered and mentored by the great Paco De Lucia and one can immediately sense Paco's influence in Tomatito's music although he has also evolved a style of his own. That's the tradmark of an artist. A real artist has influences but always develops a unique style. Sometimes I prefer Tomatito to Paco simply because Tomatito's music is rather more expressive than agressive (as expected from flamenco). In fact most of Tomatito's songs are rather romantic. I was lucky to see Tomatito play live some years ago at the Malta Jazz Festival. In Malta he was accompanied by the great pianist Michel Camilo with whom he has an album aptly named Spain. All I can say is that the duo left everyone in awe.

Believe me, I can listen to this guitarist for ever without ever getting bored!

Well as usual for more information about this artist please click on the image on the top left of this article.

Podcast description:

TRACK 1. Armonias del Romane. From the album BARRIO NEGRO (1991). This track is very representative of new flamenco as it tends to lean a bit towards jazz but not too much. I would say that this is the style that also reflects Paco de Lucia's influence on Tomatito. My favourite.

TRACK 2. Besame Mucho. From the album SPAIN (2000). When I listen to this one I feel like burning my guitar and never play it again in public! He plays this tune with such mastery and passion.

With Tomatito on this album one finds pianist Michel Camilo - a strange combination of guitar and piano but which works so well with these two musicans. Moreover, it is a studio album but the tracks are recorded live. This means that the instruments are not recorded seperately as is usually done in a studio recording but they are recorded in the same way as if it were a live recording, with all musicans playing together. This obviously enhances the playing quality, feel and interaction between musicans. I recommend this album - I believe it is a must for all music lovers. You don't need to be a jazz musican or a latin music lover to enjoy it.

TRACK 3. Two Much / Love Theme. From the album Spain. A very very romantic piece. It is taken from the soundtrack of the movie with the same name, ie, Two Much. I am not sure but it seems that the music was composed by Michel Camilo. Anyway, Tomatito's interpretation (remember he is accompanied by Michel Camilo on this one too) is more than excellent!

TRACK 4. Bir Omurluk Misafir. From the album Paseo de los Castanos (2001). The title of this track is in Turkish and from the little research I made, it seems that it is in fact a turkish tune, though to me it sounds so Spanish. In fact whenever I have friends listen to this track they tell me that it reminds them of the movie sound track from Zorro. It is again a very romantic tune played with great passion and mastery by this great guitarist.

Enjoy the music.

PLECTRUM

Martin Taylor - The British finger picker

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 1 Apr 2006 13:41:00 +0200

Martin Taylor, just like Earl Klugh and Tommy Emmanuel is the type of Jazz guitarist that can play the melody (solo), chords and bassline all at one go. One-man-band style I mean! And just like Tommy Emmanuel he is self taught! Amazing isn't it? Imagine being able to teach yourself the guitar without taking any lessons, and then making a career out of playing what you taught yourself, touring the world and winning awards too. That's our Martin Taylor.
The only thing that's maybe on the minus side is that he only plays cover versions. That's where Tommy Emmanuel and Earl Klugh beat him. Otherwise he is in their same height as a great guitarist. For some more details (not much actually) about this guitarist click on the picture on the left of this article.

Podcast description:

TRACK 1. Five-0. From the album KISS AND TELL. This is Martin's interpretation of the signiture tune for the old TV series Hawaii Five-0. I remember it here in Malta, not sure if anyone of your readers remembers it too. It was a detective series anyway, based, guess where....in Hawaii. Its a very catchy tune and all used to love to hum to it when the series was shown.

TRACK 2. Sun Step. From the album KISS AND TELL. I am not sure who actully played or composed the original but it sounds rather Brazilian to me. This is my favourite in fact. A really cool interpretation.

TRACK 3. Georgia on my mind. From the album ARTISTRY. This is Martin Taylor's interpretation of the well known song made famous by the late Ray Charles. A really enjoyable cover version. By the way, Artistry (the name of the album) is also the name of a guitar Martin Taylor helped develop...Click [HERE] to read about it.

Enjoy the music.

PLECTRUM

Seventh Plectrum Podcast - Mike Stern's fusion guitar.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 11:40:00 +0100

Mike Stern is another master guitarist, this time in the realm of Fusion. Fusion is another word for Jazz/Rock actually but Mike Stern's music does not always strictly adhere to this catagory neither.

By the way, Stern visited Malta some time ago and played at the Malta Jazz Festival held every July, but sadly I was not present there and missed a great show.

Mike Stern started off playing with Blood Sweat and Tears - an early 70's Jazz Rock band and then moved on to join the likes of the renowned Billy Cobham and the late Miles Davis and lastly the Michael Brecker band. Many such great musicians nowadays form part of Mike Stern's own bands (he creates a new band for each album he records).

The first two tracks I am bringing you in this podcast are more like jazzy/romantic ballads if anything. I kept in mind those of you who are not really into jazz so I started off gradually. Then to give you a taste of Mike Stern's wilder jazzy side, I am bringing you the last track, Scuffle (its not the wildest of them all mind you).

For more information about this artist click on his picture at the top left hand corner of this article.

Podcast description:

TRACK 1: After You - From UPSIDE DOWN (1986). Upside Down is considered Mike's best album ever and I tend to agree. The compositions (all Mike's) are really great and I never tire to listening to the album (strangely it has only 6 tracks). This particular track is very romantic and relaxing and can be appreciated well by those of you who do not particularly like jazz.

TRACK 2: Wherever you are - From IS WHAT IT IS (1993). Another slow tempo tune. I am not sure but Mike Stern's guitar sounds more like a classical nylon stringed guitar in this track. Well, what can I say...any lovers out there - just hug and kiss while listening to this one. Behave ok!

TRACK 3: Scuffle - From UPSIDE DOWN (1986). I could not help bringing you again another track from the same album. As I said earlier, it is considered Mike Stern's best. The saxaphonist in this piece is the great Bob Berg while the drummer is the world renowned Dave Weckl. You might think that there's no guitar in the first part but if you listen carefully you will notice that the sax and guitar are playing in unison, ie, both playing the same notes at the same time - producing a unique sound. Near the middle of the track then you will be able to hear Mike's electric guitar solo full of expressiveness and emotion.

Instructions for first-timers:
Download the Juice Podcast Reader from the right-hand sidebar. Then subscribe to this Podcast by using the RSS feed (copy and paste) in the appropriate field in the program. Double click on it when it appears in the list and then click on the download button [which says "Check/Download selected Feeds"]. It should be easy but I suggest that you view this short tutorial.

RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlectrumPodcasts

Should you wish to be notified by email when new podcasts are uploaded just enter your email address in the field provided in the sidebar and click the Subscribe Me button.

Check out this video of Mike Stern in acton:

PLECTRUM

Check this out III

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 24 Mar 2006 20:53:00 +0100

The following is what Dr. Toni Sant had to say about Louis Naudi (of Acoustika), Acoustika and Plectrum Podcasts in his weekly podcast. That's what I call publicity!

"Grimaud's Easter Rock Mass band featured Louis Naudi on drums. Louis was another musician I was lucky to play with on several occasions, including a couple of theatre productions, an Artwork gig, and my first "solo" band after Artwork. A few week's ago I featured a track from Acoustika, the last band he was involved in before his premature death in 2004. This week's podcast features another track from their CD album Acoustic Dreams. This time I'm playing their version of Freddie Portelli's anthemic Viva Malta rendered into a flamenco number.

As I mentioned in a previous blog entry, Acousika's Joseph Micallef has started podcasting on a fairly regular basis. His podcasts are in English and feature music by his favourite guitarists. He has also signed-up Acoustika to the Podsafe Music Network, which is a remarkable online resource for podcasters and musicians alike. I'm planning to feature the Podsafe Music Network in a future edition of Mużika Mod Ieħor."

Check out Toni Sant's blog

Sixth Plectrum Podcast - Tommy Emmanuel - the guitar virtuoso from Down Under

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 11:14:00 +0100

Check out the new Tommy Emmanuel CD - The Mystery
He's another finger-picking virtuoso that leaves me with my mouth opened when I listen to his music. What he does with the guitar is unimaginable. To top it all he is even such a good showman and manages to make the audience laugh while he plays. How I wish I could see him play live. Tommy Emmanuel is in a class of his own. He started playing with his family band at the tender age of 4! I used to think that I started playing early (in local restaurants that is) at the age of 14! Amazingly, Tommy Emmanuel started giving guitar lessons at the age of 12 - and he never had any formal musical instruction himself! Well read his biography by clicking on his picture on the left hand side of this article.

Podcast description:

TRACK 1. I've Always Thought of You - From ONLY. A romantic track beautifully executed as expected. This track sounds particularly similar to something by Earl Klugh in its style and melody. Well both artists are fans of Chat Atkins so one can imagine why they sound similar...but contrary to Earl Klugh one cannot pin any one style onto Tommy Emmanuel as he seems confident in any style imaginable and plays any style actually.

TRACK 2. Classical Gas - From LIVE ONE. (The title of this track always makes me smile - I mean classical and gas are very unlikely words to be associated with each other if not because one is listening to classical music while eating beans). This track is taken from a live album. Classical Gas has been performed by many artists including Eric Clapton but I do not believe anybody can match Tommy Emmanuel's virtuosity...I mean he even manages to include a piece of another tune in this already complex piece. And true to Tommy Emmanuel style he adds his own embellishments to it and makes it even more complex!

TRACK 3. Lutrell - From LIVE IN SOAVE. This is another live piece taken from a concert in Italy. The style can be described as ragtime or bluegrass, styles that I do not particularly fancy - but coming from Tommy Emmanuel it is still really pleasant especially when one notices his ability as an entertainer making the crowd laugh as he adds strange noises from his guitar like banging on the guitar body or scratching one of the strings with his finger nail (I assume its his finger nail because he is a finger picking guitarist so he does not use a pick or plectrum like I do).

Enjoy the music.

Check out this video of Tommy Emmanual in action:

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All you Tommy Emmanuel fans come and get it. The new Tommy Emmanuel CD - The Mystery - is out. Recorded at Azalea Studio, Yorktown VA. Mixed at Wistaria Studio with Producer/Engineer Kim Person.

TRACK LISTING (Click on the track name for a streamed teaser):
1. Cantina Senese- "A restaurant located in Livorno, Tuscany (Italy) near Florence-a very interesting place. You walk through the front door and into another dimension: the smell of garlic, coffee and cigarettes, and the buzz of people talking combine to create a unique, magical experience. I tried to capture this ambience in a composition." Tommy Emmanuel.
2. Gameshow Rag/Cannonball Rag
3. The Mystery- This is a meditative title track. Its wistful chords and ringing arpeggios address wonder at the universe, at the essence of life. "The Mystery is all about God's love," says Emmanuel, "about human lives and how we all fit together; It's about the things we see-and the things we don't"
4. Cowboy's Dream
5. Walls- This one is penned by the Grammy-nomnated duo of Pam Rose and Mary Ann Kennedy-whose tunes have been recorded by Reba McEntire, Martina McBride and others-along with co-writer Randy Sharp. Emmanuel sings and plays this warm, optimistic song with Elizabeth Watkins. What sounds like a full band is actually all Tommy Emmanuel, who's also an accomplished drummer. He says "We first recorded that song with just me on guitar, then we added Lizzie. But then it seemed like it needed something more, so I overdubbed bass and drums. It turned out very nice. I love the song's beautiful message-that there is hope for love, but some walls must fall in order for it to succeed."
6. Lewis & Clark- This track has "cowboy chords" and a lifting folk melody. It is a tribute to the American expediton of the early 1800's. Tommy Emmanuel says:"I used overtones of the Old West to tell a story of the great unknown, of an untouched expanse of land. The tune also deals with the interaction of the explorers and the native Americans."
7. The Diggers' Waltz- This came from a dream of Emmanuel's in which an elderly soldier, while preparing to be honoured for his wartime deeds, sees the ghost of his wife and dances with her. The track's first section is borrowed from military funeral music. "This is only my second waltz," says Emmanuel. "A 'digger' was a soldier who prepared trenches in World War I and II. Nowadays digger is a term of endearment-an old friend, an honest, straight-up guy. So, this song has that sort of feel-good vibe to it. And the dancing is where the walz comes in."
8. Antonella's Birthday
9. And So It Goes
10. That's The Spirit
11. Footprints
12. Keep It Simple

As expected it is a superb piece of work. I mean from the likes of Tommy Emmanuel one cannot but expect good music. In fact Tommy Emmanuel himself regards this as his greatest work to date! All tracks are fabulous but this time round Tommy decided to add a sung track with his fiance` Elizabeth Watkins, entitled Walls, which I particularly like. Well this is another must have for any music lover. Visit the Favored Nations Official Website for more details and some samples too!

Now you can even enjoy the DVD! Tommy Emmanuel Live at Her Majesty's Theatre Ballarat Australia An excellent DVD to accompany the new CD, The Mystery. Some tracks in fact are from the CD so its an added bonus to be able to listen to the audio version of a track and then then watch Tommy Emmanuel play it live! What amazes me is that most of his guitars are in really bad shape - all scratches - even though in the Extras section he is presented with a brand new guitar at last! I mean he does use them but I am sure he can buy new ones to replace the tatterd ones he used on stage. Anyway maybe he likes them that way - and as usual - appearances don't matter that much - especially when you have such an entertainer on stage like Tommy Emmanuel. This is what Tommy Emmanuel has to say about the DVD: "I think it showcases my entire musical life; you really get to see my different influences coming together quite nicely. And, being back in Australia made for a truly inspired evening."

TRACK LISTING:
1. Tall Fiddler
2. Antonella's Birthday
3. Nine Pound Hammer
4. Cannonball Rag
5. Somewhere Over the Rainbow
6. Heartbreak Hotel
7. Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?
8. Dream a Little Dream
9. Walls
10. Together Alone
11. Lewis & Clerk
12. Cowboy's Dream
13. That's All
14. Tahitian Skies
15. The Man with the Green Thumb
16. I Still Can't Say Goodbye

For more information visit the Favored Nations website.

Click HERE for a video clip from the DVD

Fifth Plectrum Podcast - World music by Jesse Cook

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 11 Mar 2006 11:11:00 +0100

I only recently discovered this musician actually, and it was such a pleasant surprise because first of all I would have never expected this style of music from a Canadian musician and secondly because it is of such a high standard. I do believe in fact that Jesse can do with some more publicity!
Well Jesse Cook's music is predominantly Spanish. [Wikipedia describes his music as New Flamenco but I beg to disagree and call it World Music], most of the time sounding much like The Gypsy Kings (sometimes too much so in fact) - with a difference though: he includes Arabic and Indian sounds in some of his tracks. This is what makes his music so intriguing to me. Its amazing how these three cultures (Indian, Arabic and Spanish) blend so well together even though they are so different! I can imagine Arabic and Spanish together because Spain was ruled for a long time by North African Arabs (in fact Spanish music owes a lot to Arabic music) but how Indian music blends in is not that obvious.

Podcast description:

TRACK 1. Nomad - From Nomad (2003). This track starts off with an eery sound then evolving into a more Spanish sound and using the kind of percussions one usually hears in Spanish or Lating music but then, near the middle of it, starts introducing the Djembe, the traditional North African (Arabic) drums. In fact there are two drum solos in this track using the Djembe.

TRACK 2. Incantation - From Free Fall (2000). Here is a nice blend of Spanish and Indian sounds. Notice the droning sound of the Indian Sitar throught the track and the Tablas, the typical Indian percussions (they look like bongoes but they are nothing near in sound). A strange and sad sounding wind instrument is also used for a long part of the song but I have no idea what instrument it is - but it sounds Indian too. Simply enchanting.

TRACK 3. Breeze from Sainte Maries - From Montreal (Live) (2004). No I did not make a spelling mistake when writing "Sainte" instead of "Saint" - that's how the track's name is written - maybe its in French?!! Anyway, in this track one can see why I said that Jessy's music sometimes sounds a lot like Gypsy Kings. It's here that maybe Jesse lacks originality but the track is still very pleasant. It is a lively track and the crowd's cheering that's audible at the beginning helps the listener to appreciate more the great atmosphere of the concert.

Happy listening.

RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlectrumPodcasts

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Check this out II

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 5 Mar 2006 13:52:00 +0100

Well the same person that used Acoustic Dream in his podcast (the American chap) has now used the other track I put on offer, ie, Viva Malta.
I have taken the liberty to edit it to keep just the part relevant to my trio for you to listen to by clicking the title of this podcast.

RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/PlectrumPodcasts
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Fourth Plectrum Podcast - The romantic guitar of Earl Klugh.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 4 Mar 2006 11:23:00 +0100

Welcome back to my Plectrum Podcasts. Its time to hear some jazzy though romantic guitar music. This podcast is dedicated to Earl Klugh. Earl was born in 16th September 1954, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. He insists that he does not consider himself a jazz player and thinks of Chet Atkins as being his most important influence. I do not totally agree with this statement because I believe that his music is actually jazzy but who am I to disagree on his own idea about his music!

I must say that his music influences my playing even though in comparison with Earl Klugh I rightly consider myself a mere beginner.

I was introduced to Earl Klugh's music by my friend and Acoustika Trio member George Pollacco (the other guitarist of my trio). George is a little older than me and was into jazz before I was too so he was more up to date with what was going on in that field at the time. He gave me some cassettes from his albums to listen to and one of them was an Earl Klugh album which I heard over and over again. Sadly I do not know the name of the album and I never saw it for sale neither. All I know is that it had the track Heard it on the Grapevine in it - a track which I try to reproduce when I play finger-picking style.

Click [HERE] for more information about this artist.

Podcast description:

TRACK 1. Jamaican Winds - from Midnight in San Juan. This is Earl Klugh at his best according to me. This is the Earl Klugh sound I prefer. Most of his albums have this sound anyway but he did try to experiment with playing solo or with orchestras as you will see in the next tracks. This album has a particularly Caribean or Latin feel to it.

TRACK 2. Goldfinger - from Earl Klugh Trio Sound and Vision Volume II. This is the only Earl Klugh album I know of where he plays with his trio, which consisits of himself on guitar, Gene Dunlop on drums and Ralph Armstron on bass. Sadly I do not have volume I. The trio are accompanied by the fabulous Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Nice combination indeed.

TRACK 3. Someday my Prince will come - from Solo Guitar. In contrast with the previous album, Solo Guitar is what I would term "bare" in that one here listens to Earl Klugh and Earl Klugh alone! You can concentrate on his finger-picking style and appreciate his mastery. He interprets some well known songs too and one of them is the one I am bringing to you - it is his interpreatation of the theme from Disney's Snowwhite and the Seven Dwarfs.

Instructions for first-timers:
Download the Juice Podcast Reader from the right-hand sidebar. Then subscribe to this Podcast by using the RSS feed (copy and paste) in the appropriate field in the program. Double click on it when it appears in the list and then click on the download button [which says "Check/Download selected Feeds"]. It should be easy but I suggest that you view this short tutorial.

Should you wish to be notified by email when new podcasts are uploaded just enter your email address in the field provided in the sidebar and click the Subscribe Me button.

Check out this video of Earl Klugh in action:

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Check this out!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 27 Feb 2006 10:42:00 +0100

This is not a podcast ok. Just wanted to share with you the fact that someone in the USA, a College Freshman majoring in Music, played Acoustic Dream, from my trio's CD, in his podcast! I submitted the title track Acoustic Dream, (you can listen to it in my first podcast) to http://music.podshow.com and this guy found the track good enough to include in his podcast. How about that! You can listen to the podcast by using the following RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/trucast (and do as with my podcasts ie. insert the rss feed in Juice Podcast Reader or your favouite reader). He plays the tune at the end of the podcast - he seems to talk for ages so you can move your mp3 player's slider way to the end of the mp3 if you want to skip the bla bla and just listen to the track.
Well that was it. Just wanted to share the news.

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Third Plectrum Podcast - The Great Paco De Lucia

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 25 Feb 2006 12:45:00 +0100

Hi whoever you are who reads this:) I am dedicating my third podcast to the guitar giant Paco De Lucia. He was born in Algeciras in Spain as Francisco Sanchez Gomez. He took De Lucia as his stage name as a tribute to his Mother, ie, Lucia Sanchez Gomez. Click [HERE] for his biography.

I was first introduced to Paco's music through his album Sextet - One Summer Night. Unfortunately I only have a vinyl copy of the album...but I do have another Sextet album, the more recent Sextet Live in America.

His music attracts me most because most of the time its not pure flamenco which at times tends to be a bit too crude for the untrained ear. Paco's music is what now is termed as New Flamenco but with a difference. De Lucia seems to be more influenced with jazz music than all the other exponents of New Flamenco as you can hear for yourself in this podcast. Obviosly you will get to listen to more of Paco De Lucia in future podcasts. Happy listening.

Podcast description:

TRACK 1. Monasterio de Sol - from Solo Queiro Caminar. Just relax and enjoy the genius of Paco De Lucia. Note the jazz bass lines though while at it. Also note the breath-taking scale with which he ends this piece! Just brilliant!

TRACK 2. Chanela - from Solo Queiro Caminar. Another mesmerising tune masterly executed by Paco De Lucia. No further comments required.

TRACK 3. Zyryab - from Sextet Live in America. Don't ask me what the name means ok. This track is representative of how Paco De Lucia's music fuses jazz and flamenco in such an effective and pleasant way. I would tend to say that Paco invented a new music style. Note how the saxaphone blends nicely with the other traditional flamenco instruments.

For newcomers please follow this tutorial.

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Second Plectrum Podcast - Al Di Meola - One of my guitar heroes.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 18 Feb 2006 10:25:00 +0100

Welcome back for my second podcast. This one is much better I believe as I used an external microphone for the voice recording and its much clearer.
Well this time I wanted to introduce to some of you at least, the talents of Al Di Meola. He's American born but has Italian roots, which probably explains why two of his collaborations are with Italian artitsts. His style is very versatile and quite difficult to describe. It verges from Jazz to Latin / Spanish though describing it as Latin Jazz is not good enough a description. In future podcasts I will bring to you more tracks by this giant of guitar music. In this podcast I limited myself to tracks in which Al Di Meola collaborated with other artists.

Podcast description:

Track 1. TANGO - Al Di Meola with Leonid Agutin from the Album Cosmopolitan Life. All the album is excellent stuff which I would recommend to anyone even those uninitiated in this type of music. The Russian singer, Agutin, sometimes sounds like Sting and some songs verge on the commercial style which makes the album accessible to a vaster audience. This particular track starts off with some brilliant guitar work by Al Di Meola accompanied by a sumptuous brass accompaniment.

Track 2. INFINITE DESIRE - Al Di Meola with Italian singer and guitarist Pino Daniele. This is the only track in the album with the same name, Infinite Desire, featuring Pino Daniele. It is a beautiful love song, very romantic. Pino lets Al take centre stage on the guitar and uses his other marvellous musical instrument - his voice.

Track 3. THE SOUND OF SILENCE - From the album Armentos - Al Di Meola with Sardinian singer Andrea Parodi (remember Tazenda - Spunta La Luna Dal Monte - with Pierangelo Bertoli?) Its their long haired, very skinny singer. Anyway I left this track for the end because one either loves or hates this unique voice of Andrea Parodi...I did not want you to be scared away immediately after starting listening to the first track! The voice grows on you though while one cannot but love Al Di Meola's guitar work especially in the intro, sounding more like El Condor Pasa - but then eventually evolving into The Sound of Silence.

For newcomers please follow this tutorial.

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My First Podcast - Selected Tracks from Acoustic Dream by Acoustika

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 11:36:00 +0100

This is my first podcast so please be gentle on me - I know I was rather shakey with the voice recording and I am sure my English pronounciation is not perfect...But I wanted it to be understood by all that's why I used English. I could have done it in Maltese but then only Maltese people would understand it - and that's not much isn't it - there are only 400,000 of us in Malta!

Anyway - I hope you enjoy this week's selection. I took the opportunity to publicise Acoustika, my trio and our CD Acoustic Dream for my first Podcast.

Next time it will be just tracks that I like from my rather vast collection.

I intend to create a new podcast each week - Saturday morning will be most likely the time it will be ready.

Podcast description:

Track 1: Theme from Romeo and Juliet. Joseph Micallef and George Pollacco on guitars. No percussions on this track. This is one of my favourites in the CD. George came up with the chords there and then in the studio - for some reason he never used them again. You can hear me double tracking the melody with a sort of mandolin effect in the background and using the guitar's bass strings in the end.

Track 2: Besame Mucho / La Playa. A medley of two latin songs played in the bossa nova style which is not usual for these two tunes. In this track you can listen to Louis Naudi's expert percussions at their best.

Track 3: Acoustic Dream. This is the title track. It is an original composition by Acoustika and not a cover version as with the rest. This track was born in the studio. Notice how I recorded my guitar three times doing three melodies that converge perfectly to create a wierd sound, almost oriental at times.

Track 4: Viva Malta. This is our interpretation of the 70's hit by the Malta Bums (led by Freddy Portelli). The original was a pop/rock song but we converted it into a gypsy song.

Instructions for first-timers:
Download the Juice Podcast Reader from the right-hand sidebar. Then subscribe to this Podcast by using the RSS feed (copy and paste) in the appropriate field in the program. Double click on it when it appears in the list and then click on the download button [which says "Check/Download selected Feeds"]. It should be easy but I suggest that you view this short tutorial.

Should you wish to be notified by email when new podcasts are uploaded just enter your email address in the field provided in the sidebar and click the Subscribe Me button.

Just right click and choose Save Target As

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