On Wednesday November 10, 2010, I had the pleasure of attending the International Guitar Night presented by Syncrude Arts Alive at Keyano Theatre. This show featured four talented guitarists/composers who dazzled the audience with their most recent original songs.
Brian Gore, guitar poet from San Francisco, founded the International Guitar Night in 1995. He began this show with a beautiful composition where he used a pair of capos to adjust the pitch. Thankfully, for those of us with limited knowledge about the world of guitars, he gave a bit of information about the use of the capo tempered with his offbeat sense of humor.
Alexandre Gismonti, son of legendary Brazilian guitarist Egberto Gismonti, delighted the crowd with his clean style of play during his solo presentation. Alexandre was announced as an “up and comer” who has an incredible family history of guitar composition. He ended his solo performance with a touching song dedicated to his great grandfather.
Pino Forastiere from Rome, Italy has a unique two-handed technique the steel guitar that mesmerized the crowd. His music combines a percussionist sentiment of tapping and slapping with beautiful rhythmic melodies. Forastiere’s music resembles a dance as he fully engages with his steel guitar. I was captivated by his quirky sense of humor and Latin charm.
Clive Carroll, from England, rounded out the quartet during the solo portion of the show. Carroll shared his background through an Irish composition that had the crowd tapping along to the upbeat tune.
The second half of the show continued the musical magic through a combination of duets and quartets that emphasized the unique styles of each musician and the beauty of combining all of their talents. The guitarists were casual and playful, which offered an intimate and endearing evening that I enjoyed very much.
For more information about these musicians and the International Guitar Night, please see their website: http://internationalguitarnight.squarespace.com/
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