Guitar Magic (1): Paco de Lucia, Jim Hall, Prince, Tina Setkic and more…

Paco de Lucia is one of the greatest guitarists of all time.  He started off playing traditional music (folk, flamenco) in his native Spain, and then over the course of his life left a huge impact on jazz, Latin, fusion, and film scores.  He is best known in the U.S. for his collaborations with Al Dimeola and John McLaughlin.  Here he is in his younger days, playing his composition “Rio Ancho” with some friends.  If you are familiar with his later performances with DiMeola, you will recognize a few of the themes, which became the basis for their biggest hit, “Mediterranean Sundance”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxodluTaz4g

 

 

Jim Hall: Concierto de Aranjuez

This is one of the most beautiful jazz recordings I've ever heard. It is, in turn, an interpretation of one of the most beautiful classical pieces ever written, the Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo.  Even if you don't know the piece by name, you’ve heard parts of it because it gets used a lot in movie soundtracks—usually when something dramatic and emotional is happening.  Jim Hall spent most of his career as a session musician with some of the biggest names in music, and in appreciation, an all-star group came together to record this album with him. 

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

 

The Green God

In blues, jazz and classical music, musicianship and virtuosity are non-negotiable requirements. For fans of these genres, marveling over the wizardry of the performers is an essential part of the fun. By virtuosity, I don’t mean sheer speed.  Many guitarists can play fast, but a true virtuoso makes the instrument express something.  It takes great technical ability to do that, and make it seem easy. If you can't play, there is no way to fake it.

Peter Green in his prime was considered better than Eric Clapton. They said his guitar tone made other guitarists want to run and hide.  He played lead with the legendary John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, and went on to co-found Fleetwood Mac.  He wrote “Black Magic Woman”, a cover of which made Santana’s career. Here is Green’s signature piece from that era.  Santana later admitted that he spent his whole life obsessed with trying to capture the same sound.  Green was poisoned by someone who spiked his drink with bad acid at a party, and never fully recovered.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoasUjXBkm8

 

The Miraculous Tina S.

Tina Setkic is a French prodigy who surfaced on youtube some seven years ago at the age of 14, posted around 20 mind-blowing guitar videos, and then vanished.  Some of her clips have over 30 million views apiece. Legions of her fans (including me) are praying for her to return.  This is her cover of “The Loner” by the late great Gary Moore. How a 15-year old can pour this much feeling into a guitar solo is a mystery--it's better than the original.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9e9AyDXx19Q

 

Roll over, Beethoven!

Here is Tina at 17, doing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, and frankly, Old Ludwig will never be the same.  Look for her priceless little smirk at the end.  If this lockdown continues for another ten years, and I were to start practicing guitar 10 hours a day, I might be able to play like her.  Then again, probably not. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6rBK0BqL2w

 

Prince burns the house down

When George Harrison was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame, a few of his friends gathered to honor him, including Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, and Harrison’s son Dhani, who looks so much like his dad it’s spooky.  They invited Prince to do the guitar solo (originally played by Eric Clapton), and you’ll see what happened.  Of course, Tom Petty and Prince are now gone as well. If you have not seen this, grab a drink and get comfortable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=53&v=6SFNW5F8K9Y

 

One master honors another

David Gilmour, founding member of Pink Floyd and guitar god in his own right, performs an unannounced tribute to Prince three days after the latter’s death. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcDHXoQmxu0

 

John Petrucci having some fun

John Petrucci is a classically trained composer (he graduated from Berklee College of Music and now teaches there), and is also one of the best guitarists in the world.  Here, he receives an award, does an interview, and performs two of his songs.  It finishes with him doing a guitar duet with his wife, Rene Sands (who has a band of her own). This is a long clip, and I hope you can make the time to watch the whole thing, because, well, it’s pretty cool.  If you can’t, I recommend either the first song (starting at 3:25) or the duet (starts at 22:25).  Imagine having two such bad-ass parents! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IoF5U691gQ

 

One of the last to play the blues?

John Mayer may almost be the last one standing in blues.  With the death of Stevie Ray Vaughan, it looked like the game was up, but along came Mayer and Derek Trucks to keep the fire going.  The great irony is that blues was once a Black idiom, but there are few young Black musicians taking it seriously any more.  Mayer is first and foremost a bluesman, but knows his way around rock and jazz.  He mashes it all up in this performance from 2007—just before the financial meltdown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4R-RrSbQ-Y

 

Guitar master class

Here is Narumi, one of my favorite up-and-coming guitarists, performing one of her own instrumental compositions.  It’s fluid, atmospheric, and reflects her introverted personality.  She seamlessly transitions between genres-you can hear the classical training, the jazz influences, the metal flourishes—sort of Jim Hall meets John Petrucci.  The visual is a master clinic on guitar technique.  Beautiful sustains, string bends, distortion, pinch harmonics, alternate picking, fast runs, tapping…it’s all there. 

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

 

Is perfection attainable?

Jeff Beck has nothing to prove.  He can shred with the baddest of them, but when he’s leading an ensemble, playing a slow, thoughtful ballad, I think he’s in a class by himself.  This clip is an exquisite example.  Before Mr. Beck takes his turn, Lizzie Ball does a gorgeous violin solo, with Beck providing a few well placed accents. The bassist, Tal Wilkenfeld, holds it down like the boss she is, doing a nice counterpoint with Beck throughout.  Then there is Jonathan Joseph’s drumming--it's all sublime, but I don’t even have words for the two little crashes at 2:53.  And of course, Beck’s ending solo—no one else sounds like that. It is the closest thing I’ve ever seen to a perfect performance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00FbaDFuChk