I haven’t been very bloggerific lately. Real life – teaching, grading, watching kids’ soccer – has cut way into my time for writing. So in lieu of my half-baked thoughts, this (via Jim Yeager at Skippy the Bush Kangaroo):
Tommy Emmanuel shows his virtuosity, but his technical brilliance is never overshadowed by the fire of his interpretation. There must be a lesson for us in there, somewhere.
Four and a half years ago, right after my husband was sprung from chemotherapy, I got to hear Tommy Emmanuel play live at the paradisiacal Fur Peace Ranch, Jorma Kaukonen’s place a few miles outside of Athens, Ohio, near the oddly-named town of Darwin. (I always expect to run across the HMS Beagle on the drive out).
Whenever I’ve heard him on CDs since then, I wonder why I don’t just assign random grades to my student’s work and spend two hours a day on the piano. I’ll never ever be transcendently good; I’m not even in the same universe. But if you play enough music, however ineptly … well, once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right.
Plasma ball from Flickr user naughty architect, used under a Creative Commons license.
Patron cat of Kittywampus (1985-2001)
Thanks for the reminder. I do a weekly Internet radio eclectic music show, and Tommy Emanuel is overdue for inclusion.
Another blistering and highly musical guitar soloist to look out for is Adrian Legg.
Good luck with “real life”.
Oooh, it’s nice to have a new recommendation. Will definitely check out Adrian Legg.
Reg, would you provide brief info on your radio show, mostly just how to find it? Since it’s on the internet, I should be able to hear it, right, even in these benighted states?
Thanks!
Thanks sungold.
I deliberately didn’t put self-promotional info on someone else’s blog but having, I hope, been invited to do so, my show goes out every Wednesday for 2 hours. It’s called “Reg’s Good Stuff”, and there is no format at all, comprising any kind of music, bits of comedy, whimsical poetry ETC.
It starts at noon Eastern time, and can be accessed via:
http://therideradio.net
Feedback welcome
Twitter:
http://twitter.com/regsgoodstuff
and Skype (with voicemail) regsgoodstuff
Live from the “Benighted” Kingdom.
I’m happy to have you post this – but unhappy that I am tied up with teaching a two-hour class at noon on Wednesdays! I’ll hope to catch your show during the winter break.