Guitar Emporium

A few bits to tidy up and no doubt some bills to pay before I leave Spain on Sunday.. Support the show

The dream of a life in Spain comes to an end and I'm clearing the house of what I can before saying farewell to Asturias. It was a lovely dream. Support the show

My son plays Emanicipator fairly regularly and I keep having a go at that very smooth cool approach. No success yet . Elaboration turned out cheap and cheerful. Ah well until the next time and I'll try again.. Support the show

Ventura Highway was the first tune by America I heard on my brothers album Homecoming. I later heard the ever famous Horse with no name and many others. The first configuration of the band with acoustic guitars was great. Homecoming uses a few of their ideas. Support the show

Of the great flamenco guitarists Paco Pena sticks in my mind. I saw him play when I was young and later tried to study some flamenco. Like so many of these music styles it takes a lifetime and I play a few "pastiche" type pieces. This is one of them. I've recorded it as a solo, song and a band piece. I like this one the best at the moment. Support the show

Roy Wood was one of the founders, I think, of the Electric Light Orchestra - or ELO as everyone came to know them. Later the front man of Wizard all face paint and crazy costumes.  He apparently played the Mason Williams piece Classical Gas alot. On ELO's first album he recorded a piece called First Movement (Jumping Biz) - which has many similarities to Classical Gas. I put together a tune c...

Like lots of employees I have to do compliance training - modern slavery is one of the topics I had to look at.  In my ignorance I didn't know the scale of it. I'm not sure about the music but the subject is significant enough to warrant something...Don't sit down Support the show

The closing section of the "No Suite" No Logic. So many things that go on defy it.. Support the show

A more upbeat tune as part three of the "No Suite" - No consolation. Support the show

More flute in the second piece of the No Suite - the slightly despairing - No Way Out Support the show

Piece No.1 of the " No Suite" . - No reservation. A piece featuring the flute as a soloist . Support the show

The latin rhythms return for this recording.  Support the show

Hubert Rostaing on clarinet replaced Stephane Grappelli's violin playing in the quintet Hot club de France during the Second World War. Django Reinhardt's path, because of gypsy background, was not easy during this period. His brothers continued to play along with him and he survived only to die in 1953 at the young age of 43. Support the show

Look after yourself - keep some things to your self. Support the show

The introduction is taken from an arrangement of "In the bleak midwinter" I did in the band Crunch ( I know terrible name ) which became MCC briefly in the 1970's. The rest of it just developed over a very long time. Support the show

Lifting the chord sequence from Brian Protheroes late 1970's song Pinball ( I think ?) formed the basis of the chord structure and rhythm of this guitar piece. Support the show

Everywhere seems to have had some really bad storms in the last month. We complain. as always, in the UK but some countries have experienced some terrible life threatening conditions. I hope that you've been able to pick up the pieces and put everything back together. Support the show

Three contrasting characters all going their own way. The piece was written in about 2005 when it was very evident how different they were from each other. Its still very evident with I hope a thread of decency to each other and all around them running through. Support the show

A Polish composer and admirer of Chopin. The piece uses the melody of one of his preludes and the chord sequence of Alexander Tansmans " Variations on a Theme by Scriabin " . Support the show

The contrast between the sections of society is about as stark as it has been since the 19th century in the UK. Rich man Poor man contrasts the behaviour and attitudes of the two sections of society. Support the show

Based on a tune called The Roundsman this is is the instrumental version. Support the show

We have our own in the uk Nigel Farage - migrants eat pets, two speed policing, etc etc... Support the show

A short improvisation around longer nights shorter days - colder mornings chilly nights - Autumn has started. Support the show

Not a particularly inspiring title . But chords with added notes and a scale working in a modal form was the intended rather pretentious starting point for this tune . Support the show

I think we all have something that acts as a Hook - always catches us out- an achilles heel. Regardless of the obstacles we pursue it relentlessly sometime with no favourable outcome. Support the show