JULIA CROWE and MY FIRST GUITAR

Yesterday, I was out looking for a specific Jazz Standards paperback Book at Barnes and Noble and saw a book right up my alley by a colleague and friend JULIA CROWE!!! The book is "MY FIRST GUITAR" and it is another great job by this special Guitarist/Author. You have seen the name of JULIA CROWE in many Guitar Magazines as she is one of the finest writers in the Guitar Reporting field. She writes an excellent monthly column in the English Publication "CLASSICAL GUITAR MAGAZINE" entitled "LETTER FROM NEW YORK". I don't know how she finds the time for all her duties but she surely does an excellent job no matter what she is involved in. This is just a "Get your attention" post as I am trying to deliver all the posts I had promised in my past posts. Just heard from my young virtuoso RUPERT BOYD who is back from an outrageous tour and looking for my promised review of his brilliant concert here in New York a couple of months ago.I just am swamped with a ton of stuff to pass on to you and just popping that extra vitamin "C" and "E" to get my 62 year young body in Posting Mode. Just wanted to pop this out to you all as I pull in my reins to share some great moments. This weekend, I will be taking a Brazilian Guitar Workshop with New York Guitarist Billy Newman and Brazilian Guitarist ROGERIO SOUZA.Hope to be blogging that sometime Sunday or Monday ( my usual gig day off ). A Donnie Shout out goes to my dear colleague "across the pond" FORBES HENDERSON. He and I have hooked up in my quest to seriously consider the greatness of the Bach Chacconne! I would hope to add to the literature on the various concepts of this thoroughly deep work. After checking out the wonderful interpretive ideas shared by Forbes in his transcription posted on you tube,MAN OH MAN! I was blown away by how deep FORBES went into the soul of BACH with his transcription so here I am trying to catch some time to move forward with this project. I also am getting a new 6 movement Suite under my belt that must be ready by the beginning of next month, so I have to eat my WHEATIES!! Forbes was also kind enough to give me some hints about other sources of ideas that propelled him in his transcription so I have to check them out. I also borrowed a book years ago completely discussing various interpretations of famous Violinists on the Chacconne and the treasure trove of info on the web will bury my butt if I let it!! Gotta stay focused like a laser! Well again I am up past my bedtime as I have been checking the web for info about my teacher on Saturday and looking at pertinent videos having to do with our master class topics. I am dead tired but must push on and get this completed. See you at next post.

CONNIE SHEU - WHAT A GREAT TALENT!

I have known the great artist CONNIE SHEU for at least a decade and she has never failed to perform at the highest level of artistry over that time.Tonight will be her second appearance this week in New York as she will give a lecture on the Life and Work of Female Guitarist and composer Emilia Guiliani ( The daughter of Mauro Guiliani ).After I attend tonight's lecture, I will review her concert given two days ago to open the new "SALON CONCERT SERIES" by the New York City Classical Guitar Society in a wonderful Guitar Friendly Concert hall. Let me just say that anyone in the New York City Concert area should check with the New York Classical Guitar Society this year because there are some great young kids out there that will make you love the guitar even more and I will do my best to cover all I can. For now I'm just going to taste Connies' You Tube Videos to re visit this awesome artist and let me say that she is also a sweet and gorgeous woman whose Concert Platform presence is full of elegance and she plays so effortlessly with absolutely beautiful tone and jumps around the fingerboard like a Olympic Gold Medalist! Mark my words! If you see her name in your area, jump and attend a slice of gourmet musical treats. Connie has it all together!!!