Nr.16 untill Nr. 20 CD III

 Nr. 16

"Danza Brasilera". Sometimes a piece is a challenge to play. As a friend
of mine proclaimed: "That piece is almost impossible to play" I wanted
to prove the opposite. And while I'm always listening to other rendition 
you are able to give your own rendition some extra's. Of course this is 
South American music and the swing should be there. And to be honest,
it often is played a bit too fast to my opinion. You can hardly play "around"
the beat then. When I'm playing the accompaniment played in the beginning
I'm already adding a syncope in order to add a bit more tension to my playing.
I'm glad I have been active with my band playing electric guitar as that 
ability adds to a certain kind of swing together with a groove a lot, this music 
simply is asking for. I'm playing this song on a Domenico Fisschetti that
sounds surprisingly strong in this recording. An unknown luthier only 
mentioned in the Vannes dictionary. He used top woods for his instruments 
and built this guitar with a lot of care. But I haven't found a second classical 
guitar from his hands yet.... Most likely from the thirties of the past age.

Just recently I found a second one in England! (on the right)

 

Nr. 17.

Merlin's Time" I heard this piece from a guitar player who didn't mentioned

the exact title in the first place. I found it, luckily, and it is composed by 

Al Stewart from whom I always play the acoustic guitarsolo in "Year of the

Cat" to try out a dreadnought guitar. Finally I decided to have that solo and 

the intro of that song published on Youtube. Merlin's Time I'm playing with 

variations that sometimes are both rhythmical and harmonically to keep 

things fresh. A beautiful comment on that song a piano player reacted with 

on YouTube. Played on a Mass Hirade nr. 15 that plays like butter. I never 

experienced a guitar that is playing that easy. Very carefully constructed 

with the Mass Hirade plans but probably executed by the Takamine workforce, 

anyway from their most experienced workers. Built in 1983, the He days of 

Japanse guitar building. Spruce topped.

Nr.18.

"How's Benson" Of course inspired on a lick I learned from George Benson 

a long time ago. That lick only starts at about 50 seconds. I've changed the

bass notes thus suggesting other chords but with respect to the actual lick. 

At some times, especially when you get older you sometimes think of other

people and how they are doing in present times. Played on a Jose Ramirez III

from 1981. As students in the seventies we were all leaded towards this Madrid 

based luthier. And I must say after extensive investigations these guitars can

be used for the most different styles while holding up well. In fact too big for

my small hands, I ordered a 1974 Jose Ramirez that I played a long time until

I found this 1981 example with a too high action but incredible sound and 

much better than my 1974 guitar. And though I found that guitar on an auction 

in Vichy I already heard there that this one was outstanding. Reducing the

high action was the next step to make but with that I started to employ my

skills around guitar restorations to a next level.

Nr. 19.

On a somewhat cloudy day with blue and grey clouds  I composed this

guitar piece. And though the cloudy landscape changed from time to time

it gave me a kind of rest I wanted to translate into a guitar piece. So here

it is. Played with a dropped D, a tuning I particularly like as it gives some

extra force to the overall sound of a guitar. Played on a Francisco Esteve

ELEC I was able to buy on an auction in England. Imported in England 

and provided with a "Granados" label, I think people weren't aware of the 

fact that it fact was their highest cutaway model in the Esteve range and

sounded as such! Cedar topped guitar.

Nr. 20.

"Christmas 2021" was an odd time for people all around the world as the

Corona crises affected everyone's life. There was a bit of hope for this to

be ending soon but on the other hand people involved were telling their

"audience" that it was just a start for these kind of epidemical diseases. 

Hope and fear is what you might hear in this piece, framed together in 

my composition. Also played on the guitar here above. As for now I 

should have used a just recently acquired guitar: Casa Garrido, a shop labelled

guitar but built by a very good luthier who did a great job on this guitar

built in 1977: Vicente Perez Camacho.