Guitar Emporium

The last of the 6 pieces of Jacinto Freire Camacho's I have recorded - and the one that first attracted me to play his music. With elements of Antonio Lauro's Venezuelan Waltzes in its guitar style a lively race across the fretboard. I recorded this in 2003 /4.  Support the show

Back out to Ecuador - and the music of Jacinto Freire Camacho. A folk tune from the Quito based guitarist. Taken from a Latin American CD recorded in about 2003/4. Support the show

From a CD of 2003 / 2004 a collection of multi-tracked and fairly heavily processed midi based recordings. This is the first from that collection. Support the show

Recorded on Rob's Hybrid Guitar in 2013 this also was put up on YouTube in 2012. Gets the occasional listener. Harmonics, simple idea - a folk tune for a very hot Monday morning .  Here's the You Tube link if you want to view it  https://youtu.be/GQsBx2Kh9b4 Support the show

Clive and I recorded this about 2008/9 I think. Loads of energy, loads of mistakes and great bass. The Fiesta - for this amazing heat. The tidier version was loaded up on June10th as Fiesta - but this version represents the spirit of the piece. Support the show

Prelude in Dm in its original form, the second of the Five Preludes that I'll try to put up in their entirety next weekend. The form of the piece - using the interval of a 6th as the basis for the tune is taken from the 20 Studies of Fernando Sor - the great 19th Century Spanish guitarist. The 20 studies were selected (and often edited) by Andres Segovia. I don't think they get played so...

Bosco was first recorded in about 1997 as Searching for Mr Bosco coming out of an album of guitar music by the late Tim Walker " Classical Folk Guitar", a guitarist from South Africa, and the piece Msanga by Jean Bosco. An attempt to write in an upbeat West African style this piece evolved in to the song Big Society and was also recorded with bass, hand drums and with a second guitar. Fr...

From Rico Stover's Guide to Latin American Guitar Playing - a bit of Brazil in the summer heat . He dedicated this to Luis Bonfa of Black Orfeus fame. Recorded in about 2014/15 - for the cruise liner jobs ! Support the show

I'd forgotten about these tunes. Guitar and saxophone. 2005. An arrangement of Spyro Gyra's  " Catching the Sun" . Paul on saxophone. Support the show

A direct contemporary of Bach, Weiss was the great lutenist of his time. After Weiss the lute did not really hit the levels of virtuosity again again until its relatively recent revival. This is played on Rob's Hybrid guitar - recorded in May 2013.  Support the show

An arrangement I did of the prelude from the 1st sonata for unaccompanied cello. It follows John Williams version quite closely - less support for the main line of the piece than a lot of other versions and the drop D tuning. Recorded on Rob' s Hybrid Guitar 25th May 2013. Support the show

 William Lawes. Salisbury born. Brother to the more famous Henry and a court musician to Charles I.   Shot in a battle at Rowton Heath, near Chester on 24 September 1645 in the English Civil War despite being put in a post by the King that would "keep him safe". This is part of a beautiful three movement suite. Arranged for guitar by the late Julian Bream as a duo for two guitars.. Wendy...

The chord sequence is taken from a piece by Emilio Pujol in his  3 volume Guitar School. Rob on cajon and finally finished and re-mixed in 2020. Support the show

The third of the contradanzas from Manuel Saumell. An upbeat way to finish the week .  Support the show

A second piece from Manuel Saumell the 19th century Cuban composer. He lived between 1818 and 1870. The father of Cuban nationalistic music. Recorded on a CD of Latin American Guitar Music in 2002. Support the show

Three short Cuban pieces from the early 19th century take us to Friday this week. Brian, a pupil of mine in the late 1990's collected the Contradanzas when he visited Havana and was kind enough to bring them back. The first today opens in classical style before heading off into something quite different in the second section. Recorded in about 2002. Support the show

Sunday evenings between about 2001 and 2003 meant jazz rehearsal with Kenneth - a very serious concert pianist - and his assorted band. 'Round Midnight - Thelonius Monk's tune was a favourite. This is not a piano piece but for guitar - certainly late night with a little bit of improvisation. Support the show

A piece in the style of a West African guitarist Jean Bosco. Written in the early 1990's - recorded in about 2012.  Support the show

From 2008/2009 - a recording of songs we later used in our folk set in 2013.  A mythical figure in lots of cultures, I was looking at old nursery rhymes and their history. It had come up in the Lord of the Rings and Tolkein wrote an imaginary song "The man in the moon stayed up too late". I was just looking at "Hey Diddle Diddle" in particular. Talk Talk's the Colour of Sp...

Pat Metheny, the great jazz guitarist and the late John Martyn are the two main influences on Changing Time. In the album Solid Air John Martyn uses a pedal - I think it was called a duoplex - to create echoes /delays in his playing. The interesting  bit, which I think he probably did instinctively, is to then play along with the rhythm he created. I 've had a go here - instead of "tappi...

A Rumba - by Paco Pena - a real upbeat end of the week piece. I saw him play when I was about 10 - quite incredible...and he got better and better. I recorded this in about 2011/2012. Support the show

A piece for bass and guitar - I arranged it in about 2010 for Clive and I to play. Robert de Visee was a court musician to Louis XIV. A baroque guitarist, the Suite in D minor is probably his best known music . Baroque music has been used in jazz a fair amount. This is not a jazz arrangement but is a straight division of the three parts into the guitar and bass. The guitar is a bit less subtle tha...

More midi guitar. Using delay and reverb on the synthesiser. From Phases in about 2002 . Support the show

Taken from a CD recorded in about 2002. "Phases". I was using a midi guitar  - Godin Multiac - a lovely instrument. The acoustic guitar combines beautifully with loads of instruments - the trumpet being one of them. But in reality the acoustic guitar always has to be amplified to work with the much louder trumpet , which changes its character. I had the pleasure to accompany a 16/17 year...

From about 1975. I didn't get around to recording it until 2000 for a CD called Worlds Apart. A cheerful upbeat tune. Support the show