PART 1: LATE TO THE PARTY

Andres Segovia. Even the mention of his name elicits tones of hushed reverence in certain circles. But in the 70’s, there was a backlash against the style of playing that Segovia popularized. I began my guitar studies at a time when the guitar world was reassessing Segovia’s legacy. As a result, I was a latecomer to recognizing the genius of Andres Segovia.

Recordings:

David Russell, Capriccio Arabe by Fransisco Tárrega from Reflections of Spain

“Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” from The Wizard of Oz

Oscar Ghiglia, “Allegro Moderato” from Sonata III by Manuel Ponce from Ponce Guitar Collection Volume 3

Theme Music: Matthew Cochran, “Cicadas at the Equinox” from Vapor Trail from a Paper Plane

Commercial Break: Season Sponsor, Strings By Mail

Music Bed: Pat Metheny, “Fast” from Electric Counterpoint by Steve Reich

PART 2: SEGOVIA ON RECORD

Approaching Segovia’s recordings requires that you set aside a few modern expectations. We’re used to hearing music that’s been created in pristine conditions—soundproof booths, advanced microphone technology, digital editing software, etc. Segovia came along at a time when recorded music was just getting started. On his 1920’s recordings, you’re hearing the guy through a ribbon microphone with no processing, no reverb, very few edits, if any at all. What you’re hearing is just him. It’s basically a live performance captured on the best sound equipment available at the time.

Recordings:

Andrés Segovia, Recuerdos de la Alhambra by Francisco Tàrrega from The Art of

Segovia

Andrés Segovia, “Allegro Con Spirito” from Guitar Sonata Op 77, “Omaggio a Boccherini” by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco from The Art of Andres Segovia Vol. 5

Andrés Segovia, “Canción” from Suite Compostelana by Frederic Mompou, from The Segovia Collection

Andrés Segovia, Sevillana by Joaquín Turina from The Art of Segovia

Lionel Loueke, “Ami-O” from Mwaliko

PART 3: A GUITARIST WITH A MISSION STATEMENT…THAT’S RIGHT, A MISSION STATEMENT

Nicholas Goluses talks about Segovia’s vision for the guitar. Nick is Professor of Guitar at the Eastman School of Music. He’s been there for over 20 years now and in that time has racked up enough awards and honors to fill up his own garage and maybe yours and mine as well. Oh, and he’s a total badass guitar player.

Recordings:

Nicholas Goluses, Variations and Fugue on La Folia d’España by Manuel Ponce from From Afar

John Williams, “Allegro Preciso” from Concerto for Guitar & Small Orchestra by Heitor Villa-Lobos. English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim.

Commercial Break: Peghead Nation

Music bed: Punch Brothers, “Flippen” from Who’s Feeling Young Now?

PART 4: GRAN TORINO, OR GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY FINGERINGS

Segovia had a hands-on approach when it came to commissioning pieces from composers. We talk about Segovia’s fruitful and affectionate relationship with the Mexican composer Manuel Ponce, and the collaboration between the two.

For die-hard enthusiasts and aspiring professional classical guitarists, THE way to learn Segovia’s approach was to play for him in a masterclass. But that could get a bit dicey. The old guy could be cantankerous, especially if you didn’t cotton to his ideas. There’s a certain poignancy to all of this that, a lot of times, gets missed in the conversation. Yeah, Segovia was a bully. And, yeah, he had a tendency to be snobbish and dictatorial about his approach to the guitar. But you know, through his efforts to popularize the guitar as a respected concert instrument, he created a necessary reaction against his own vision of beauty. We hear from David Foster Wallace’s 2005 commencement address titled “This is Water”, and ask some fundamental questions about the responsibility inherent in artistic life to think independently. 

But thankfully, some of those people who cultivated their own vision of beauty continue to draw from Segovia’s enormous well. Nicholas Goluses has the last word about how his approach to the guitar has changed over the years, and how that approach is at least partially influenced by Segovia.

Recordings:

Andrés Segovia, “Allegro Moderato” from Sonata Romantica by Manuel Ponce, from Andrés Segovia, Dedication

Andrés Segovia, “Gavotte en Rondeau” from Violin Partita in E Major, BWV 1006 by Johann Sebastian Bach, from The Art of Andrés Segovia

David Foster Wallace, “This is Water”

Andrés Segovia, “Asturias” from Suite Española No 1, Op 47 from The American Decca Recordings

Videos referenced:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJrEl4Nsmsg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWA0HEOFHpo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2xh0YW1R4o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNjNXuGQaAE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVV10Higj9E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiAbqfaYGwk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aINpJzg5Bs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GY3i8EqYPA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OFXIG_3P40

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nXJ744velc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-69wdduiOE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_neeq6ObEM&spfreload=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZDA1crTi9A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxWCYLLZRNw

A couple common themes have emerged with the four guitarists we’ve covered so far. First of all: being a world-renowned guitarist is, without question, bad for your health. Another lesson we can take away from Joe, Paco, and Frank is that good music rarely occurs in a vacuum. What is often considered innovation is usually an artful synthesis of musical influences. Michael Hedges’ 1981 Windham Hill release Breakfast in the Field was a landmark guitar recording full of percussive effects, open tunings, and right hand legato techniques. There’s a third thread that ties all these artists together, and it’s probably my favorite feature of their work. That is that the guitar was a vehicle that served their compositional ideas rather than the other way around.

Recordings:

Matthew Cochran, “Cicadas at the Equinox” from Vapor Trail from a Paper Plane

Michael Hedges, “Layover” from Breakfast In The Field

Commercial Break: Season Sponsor, Strings By Mail

Music Bed: Steve Reich, “Fast” from Electric Counterpoint, Pat Metheny, guitarist

PART TWO: SOME ESSENTIAL HEDGES GUITAR TECHNIQUES (AND WHY HE EMPLOYED THEM)

This section of the conversation gets a bit technical. Non-guitarists, bear with me for a few minutes, or feel free to skip ahead to Part Three, where I discuss Hedges early musical influences. For my money, it doesn’t get any more quintessentially Hedges than the title track from Aerial Boundaries. If you’re interested in replicating Hedges’ legato effects, or maybe you got lost in the explanation, fear not! Here’s a talented guy named Mark Whidden who’s made a video of himself playing “Aerial Boundaries” with both hands prominently displayed:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyLXPKgfjVo

Oh, and I should mention that “Aerial Boundaries”, like all Hedges compositions, uses a Scordatura, or a non-standard tuning. This particular one is, from low to high, C2, C3, D3, G3, A3, D4. If you’d like to know more about Hedges’ tunings, I’d recommend visiting www.stropes.com

Michael Hedges is often referred to as a “fingerstyle” guitarist, but he’s also great with a pick. We listen to two tracks that feature Hedges with a pick.

Recordings

Michael Hedges, “Aerial Boundaries” from Aerial Boundaries 

Michael Hedges, “Fusion of Five Elements” from Scorched

Michael Hedges, “Ritual Dance” from Taproot

PART THREE: HEDGES BIO AND EARLY MUSICAL INFLUENCES

We explore Hedges’ early life in Enid, OK, his studies at Peabody, and his first records with Windham Hill.

Recordings:

Arnold Schoenberg, “The Moonfleck” from Pierrot Lunaire, Christine Schäfer, sop., Pierre Boulez, cond.  

Steve Reich and Musicians, “Pulse” from Music for 18 Musicians

Music bed: Michael Hedges, “Baal T ‘Shuvah” from Beyond Boundaries

Michael Hedges, “Eleven Small Roaches” from Breakfast in the Field

Commercial Break: Peghead Nation

Music Bed: Punch Brothers, “Flippen” from Who’s Feeling Young Now?

PART FOUR: THE JONI EFFECT

Michael Hedges often cited Joni Mitchell as major influence. He understood the genius of Joni’s songwriting of course, but he also appreciated her unique, inventive, and criminally underrated approach to the guitar.

Recordings:

Joni Mitchell, “Otis and Marlena” from Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter

Michael Hedges, “Woman of the World” from Watching My Life Go By

Joni Mitchell, “God Must Be A Boogie Man” from Mingus

Michael Hedges, “After the Gold Rush” (Neil Young cover) from Aerial Boundaries

PART FIVE: THE HEDGES’ LEGACY

Some closing thoughts about originality and Hedges’ lasting legacy

Recording:

Michael Hedges, “Chava’s Song” from Taproot

A quick warning: today's episode contains profanity and adult content. Sensitive listeners may want to skip ahead to next week's discussion of Michael Hedges. Also, I've changed some names around so that the people that acted like jerks in my story can continue doing so in relative anonymity.

Recordings: Matthew Cochran, "Cicadas at the Equinox" from Vapor Trail from a Paper Plane

PART ONE: ZAPPA IN THE SCIENCE LAB

I talk about an incident with a high school science teacher on the day I learned about Frank Zappa's death, which takes us to a discussion of Zappa's cultural relevance. We explore the Parents Music Resource Center and those oddball Senate hearings involving Frank, John Denver and co.

Videos: Frank Zappa on MTV in 1984 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eT8Ip5mpZ0; Frank Zappa and John Lofton on CNN's Crossfire in 1986https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpdvfTlKjP8

Recordings: The Mothers of Invention, "Dog Breath, In the Year of the Plague" from Uncle Meat

PART TWO: TWO FRANKS AND A WATERMELON

From Frank Zappa's first interviews promoting The Mothers of Invention's 1966 debut Freak Out, Frank identified himself as a composer who chose rock instrumentation as his primary medium. Understanding this distinction is absolutely critical to appreciating Frank Zappa The Guitarist, because when Frank Zappa the Composer chose to highlight Frank Zappa the Guitarist, it was because Frank Zappa the Guitarist had something unique to contribute to the composition as a whole.

Recordings: Frank Zappa, "Watermelon in Easter Hay" from Joe's Garage

Commercial Break: Bernunzio Uptown Music (music bed: Lionel Loueke, "Ami-O" from Mwaliko)

PART 3: A PASTICHE OF MUSICAL INFLUENCES (FILTERED THROUGH AN ICONIC MUSTACHE)

Frank is one of those rare musical figures who seemed to arrive fully formed, the master of his musical domain. As distinct and idiosyncratic as Frank's compositional voice may seem, his music is an amalgam of disparate influences that he himself outlined in the liner notes of Freak Out. We take a look at some of the most prevalent influences throughout Fran Zappa's compositional output.

Videos: Frank Zappa "The Lost Interview" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdncUKMFPiI

Recordings: Edgar Varese: Poème électronique; Mothers of Invention, "The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet" from Freak Out; Igor Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring, San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas, cond.; Frank Zappa, "In-A-Gadda-Stravinsky" from Guitar, Muddy Waters "Country Blues" from Muddy Waters, the Early Recordings; Guitar Slim, "The Story of My Life" from Story of My Life; Howlin' Wolf, "Who Will Be Next" from The Complete Chess Masters; Johnny Guitar Watson, "Three Hours Past Midnight" from Three Hours Past Midnight; Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, "I'm the Slime" from Overnight Sensation; Frank Zappa, "St. Alfonso's Pancake Breakfast" from Apostrophe

Commercial Break: Santa Cruz Guitar Company (music bed: Leo Kottke, "Parade" from Leo Live)

PART 4: THE INSTRUMENTAL RECORDS

Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar, Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar Some More, and Return of the Son of Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar are superb documents of Frank Zappa the Guitar Player, but they're mostly jam records without a lot of compositional content, so after a few minutes, the tracks get a bit tedious for my taste (send angry letters to matt.goes2eleven@gmail.com). However, there are some tracks that are just plain irresistible, so I spin a couple of them.

Recordings: Frank Zappa, "Why Johnny Can't Read" from Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar; Frank Zappa, "St. Etienne" from Jazz from Hell; Frank Zappa, "Chunga's Revenge" from Trance-Fusion

PART FOUR: A SIT-DOWN WITH STEVE VAI, 20 YEARS LATER

Another personal anecdote, this time about the great Steve Vai showing up at a coffee shop where I was playing a gig.

Recordings: Frank Zappa, "Dog Breath Variations" from Yellow Shark

INTRO

A reminder to G2E listeners to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, or RSS feed, and to check us out on Facebook and Twitter. Recordings: Matthew Cochran, "Cicadas at the Equinox" from Vapor Trail from a Paper Plane

PART ONE: WE ALL PRETTY MUCH LEFT OUR HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO (1:07)

Paco de Lucía was a towering figure of Nuevo Flamenco by the early 1980's. But if you're of a certain age, chances are good that Friday Night in San Francisco was your introduction to the guitarist. Recordings: Paco de Lucía, Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin, "Rio Ancho/Meditteranian Sunrise" from Friday Night in San Francisco

PART 2: AN OVERVIEW OF FLAMENCO CULTURE AND GUITAR PLAYING (5:02)

We take a look at the connection between flamenco music and dance, and discuss some of the most common techniques employed by flamenco guitarists, such as rasgeuado and golpe. Recordings: Paco de Lucía, "Doblan Campanas" from El Duende Flamenco de Paco de Lucía; Sabicas, "Bularias" from Sabicas: the Greatest Flamenco Guitarist. Commercial Break: Bernunzio Uptown Music

PART 3: AN IMPECCABLE PEDIGREE (12:02)

The guitarist we know as Paco de Lucía was born Francisco Gustavo Sánchez Gomes, December 21, 1947 in Algeciras. Paco's earliest recordings pay homage to his upbringing in a flamenco incubator. Recordings: Niño Ricardo, "Zapateado" from The Spanish Guitar, the Flamenco Masters; Paco de Lucía, "Llanto a Cádiz" from La Fabulosa Guitarra de Paco de Lucia; Camerón de la Isla and Paco de Lucía, "Por Cositas Malas" from Castillo de Arena. Commercial Break: Santa Cruz Guitar Company

PART 4 PACO'S MATURE STYLE (25:45)

The term "mature" may be a misnomer because Paco never stood still long enough to get pegged down musically. Instead, we tell the story about a musical nomad who constantly circled back to his flamenco roots, gaining wider appeal with each pass. Recordings: Paco de Lucía, "Entre dos aguas" from Fuente y caudal; Paco de Lucía, "A La Perla de Cadiz" from Almoraima; Paco de Lucía, "Ritual fire Dance" from Paco de Lucia Interprets Manuel de Falla; Paco de Lucía, "Zyryab" from Zyryab

Part 5: CONCLUSION (51:45)

Recordings: Paco de Lucía, "Doblan Campanas" from El Duende Flamenco de Paco de Lucía