PAST EVENTS

2024

Featured

The New York Guitar Festival’s 25th Anniversary begins with a typically eclectic event. The duo ofMarc Ribot, the New York guitarist, andLeyla McCalla, the New Orleans cellist and banjo player, may seem unlikely at first. Ribot is known for his work with Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, his own avant-noise trio Ceramic Dog, and much more; McCalla writes songs that draw on the African-American string band tradition, Cajun music, and her own Haitian heritage. But Ribot was also a student of the Haitian classical guitarist/composer Frantz Casseus, and the two musicians share a strong genre-agnostic streak. Joining them on this first of two nights celebrating a quarter century of the NYGF isYasmin Williams. She has extended the “tapping” technique into a whole new way of approaching the guitar, and occasionally adds tap shoes and kalimba to the sound, becoming a literal one-woman band. And the NYGF has long presented related instruments from around the world; for this event, it’s sitarist Neel Murgai, co-director of the globally-inspired Brooklyn Raga Massive, accompanied by Jeff The Brotherhood guitarist Kunal Prakash.

25th Anniversary

Medicine Singers is the name of an ongoing collaboration betweenYonatan Gat, the wildly virtuosic Israeli-born, New York-based guitarist, and theEastern Medicine Singers, an Eastern Algonquin powwow group from Rhode Island. Now joined by the legendaryLee Ranaldoof Sonic Youth, Medicine Singers combine ancient trance and spirituality with modern psychedelia, and make inventive use of the similarities – and differences – between the steady pulse of Indigenous American drumming and the rhythms of rock. Other special guests will includeLaraaji,Mamady Kouyaté MaalemandHassan BenJaafar.

2023

Featured

Bill Frisell & Luke Bergman, Yasmin Williams, Jiji, and “For Living Lovers” with Brandon Ross & Stomu Takeishi

The New York Guitar Festival returns to The Greene Space, WNYC’s ground floor performance venue, for an action-packed two-part series on Monday and Tuesday, June 12 and 13. For over twenty years, the NYGF has presented creative programs that feature some of the best-known guitar heroes of our time, as well as extraordinary talents that the festival’s producers, David Spelman and WNYC’s John Schaefer, have uncovered.

Louis Cato & Joe Saylor, Steve Gunn, Jiji, and Sessa

2022

Featured

William Tyler and Marta Pereira da Costa

The fourth and final night of the 2022 festival features the space-Americana and pastoral country stylings of guitarist, composer, and collaboratorWilliam Tyler. Also, there’s a fado-tinged set from bandleader, composer, and soloistMarta Pereira da Costa, the world’s first and only female professional player of the Portuguese Guitar (a double six-stringed, teardrop-shaped instrument traditionally played by men.) WNYC's John Schaefer hosts.

Badi Assad, Vernon Reid, and Laraaji

This third night features Brazilian polymathBadi Assad, who is a guitarist, yes, and…a singer, percussionist, keyboardist, and dancer. Also, on the third night, the possibly cosmic and definitely virtuosic shimmering fire of guitarist and composerVernon Reidtogether with multi-instrumentalistLaraaji, perhaps on zither. WNYC's John Schaefer hosts.

Bill Frisell and Luke Bergman, Gyan Riley

Join us for the second of four nights celebrating spectacular guitar talents features American jazz (and country, West African, classical, improvisatory) guitarist, composer, and bandleaderBill Frisell, together with bassist, guitarist, and pedal steel playerLuke Bergman. Also joining on night two is the guitarist and composerGyan Riley, whose talent also ranges and roams, spanning jazz, world music, new music, and post-minimalism. WNYC's John Schaefer hosts.

Vieux Farka Toure, Glenn Jones

This is the first of four nights of a celebration of today’s most dazzling guitar talents and features Malian guitar virtuosoVieux Farka Touré, son of the legendary West African blues guitarist Ali Farka Touré and a leading figure on the global music scene. The series opens withGlenn Jones, an inventive, and evocative fingerpicking guitar player of the “American primitive” style. WNYC'S John Schaefer hosts.

2021

Featured

Remembering Julian Bream

The 2021 New York Guitar Festival (NYGF) pays tribute to the iconic classical guitarist Julian Bream with an online series of concerts beginning July 14. This year’s series “Remembering Julian Bream,” includes commissions by a group of stellar classical guitarists, lutenists and composers –including Pepe Romero, Sharon Isbin, Leo Brouwer and Laura Snowden - in honor of the Grammy Award-winning concert artist who died at his home in Wiltshire, England on August 14, 2020, at the age of 87. In his New York Times obituary, Allan Kozinn wrote that Bream “pushed the guitar beyond its Spanish roots and expanded its range by commissioning dozens of works from major composers, and who also played a crucial role in reviving the lute as a modern concert instrument.”

2020

Featured

Reverend Gary Davis: In Search of the Harlem Street Singer

AN ON-LINE PERFORMANCE SERIES EXPLORING THE MUSIC OF BLIND BLUES MUSICIAN, REV. GARY DAVIS. FEATURING: WARREN HAYNES, LARKIN POE, BILL FRISELL, FANTASTIC NEGRITO, ROSANNE CASH, AMYTHYST KIAH, JORMA KAUKONEN, DOM FLEMONS, LARRY CAMPBELL & TERESA WILLIAMS

2019

Featured

A Celebration of Memphis Minnie in The WNYC Greene Space

For the New York Guitar Festival’s 20th Anniversary, the Festival and WNYC’s New Sounds combine forces once again, this time for a celebration of the music ofMemphis Minnie.

Memphis Minnie: In Search of the Hoodoo Lady

The 2019 edition of the New York Guitar Festival celebrates 20 years of live concerts, panels, and workshops that span the huge range of the guitar. And it celebrates one of the instrument’s pivotal but overlooked figures:Memphis Minnie. “Memphis Minnie was an incredible force during one of the most trying times for a black woman to be a performer in popular music in America,” says Amythyst Kiah, the singer/songwriter/guitarist who will be part of the tribute concert. Minnie began her career in 1929, recording the song “When The Levee Breaks” with her husband Joe McCoy, known as Kansas Joe. That song would go on to great fame when Led Zeppelin recorded it in 1971. She was an early exponent of the Delta blues style – an urgent, passionate guitarist. But she was also a formative influence on the electric blues sound associated with Chicago, and her career in the 1930s and 1940s – both solo and with her later husband, Lil Son Joe – produced hit songs like“Bumble Bee”and“Me and My Chauffeur Blues,” which have also gone on to long and productive musical lives.

2018

Featured

SHE SHREDS: A CELEBRATION OF WOMEN GUITARISTS

For this concert presented by the New York Guitar Festival and WNYC’s New Sounds, Fabi Reyna acts as guest curator. Reyna is not only a fearsome guitarist herself, she is also the founder/editor of She Shreds, “the world’s only print publication dedicated to women guitarists and bassists.” The magazine’s stated goal “is to transcend boundaries like gender and genre—supporting radicalism, respect and revolution.” For this event, we’ll hear Fabi’s own group Savila, a kind of Latina power trio built on traditional cumbia and chicha rhythms. Sterling Rhyne will present her ethereal guitar/vocal excursions into a post-folk, soul-inspired landscape. And Shana Cleveland takes the “American Primitive” tradition of fingerstyle guitar – a tradition associated almost exclusively with men, like the legendary John Fahey – and extends it into the 21st century.

Sharon Isbin, with guest artist Romero Lubambo

New York Guitar Festival proudly welcomes back Sharon Isbin, whose performance last year was a major highlight of the 2017 Festival. This time, Isbin’s program will feature a combination of solos and duos with her guest, the Brazilian jazz guitarist Romero Lubambo. Isbin and Lubambo, who performed together in the award-winning documentary Sharon Isbin: Troubadour, share a lyrical sensibility that makes their duets a natural elision of improvisation, classical music, and cross-cultural exploration. A two-time Grammy winner and founder of the guitar department at Juilliard, Isbin has premiered works by Tan Dun, John Corigliano, and Christopher Rouse, among other composers, that were written especially for her. Isbin’s most recent recording, Alma Española, pairs her with the mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard for a set of Spanish art songs by Montsalvatge, Agustín Lara, and Lorca. Hailed as much for her “mesmerizing finesse” as for the range of her repertoire, Isbin has recorded everything from Baroque and Renaissance to contemporary classical to Latin American traditions in Journey to the Amazon.

Adam del Monte, with special guests Sonia Olla and Ismael Fernández

Known for the introspective lyricism of his classical guitar style as well as the exuberant spontaneity of his flamenco repertoire, Adam del Monte delights and moves audiences with his mastery of both art forms. In addition to performing iconic works by Albéniz and Tárrega, del Monte has composed two concertos for flamenco guitar and orchestra. His most recent recording, Asi lo siento yo, features collaborations with other flamenco musicians in songs that integrate aspects of tango, jazz, and Gypsy soul. Del Monte has also made music for the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Osvaldo Golijov, and film composer John Williams. Joining del Monte for his afternoon program will be the flamenco dancer and choreographer Sonia Olla (described by the New York Times as “a furnace of earthy sensuality”) and her partner, the Seville-born cantadore Ismael Fernández.

Marija Temo

Triple threat Marija Temo does it all: she sings, dances, and fiercely plays flamenco guitar. Praised for her formidable chops, Temo plays a guitar specifically tailored to the nuances of both classical and flamenco; she co-designed this unique instrument with luthier Tom Rodriguez. Although immersed in flamenco tradition, Temo also plays pop crossover and solos with symphonies. Composer Loris Ohannes Chobanian wrote the Concierto del Fuego especially as a showcase for Temo’s individual synthesis of classical rigor and Spanish style. She performed in Fuego Ibérico, a flamenco musical inspired by cabaret. Currently, she serves as Guitar Chair at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. Temo received a Master’s degree from the Peabody Conservatory, where she studied with Manuel Barrueco. Her solo recital at this year’s NYGF marks her first appearance at the Festival since “Audible Cloisters” in 2016.

Pepe Romero

Classical guitar legend and Festival friend Pepe Romero returns to the NYGF for the first time since 2014. On that occasion, Romero gave an all-Bach recital. This time, the maestro will pay tribute to his father, Celedonio Romero, and the music of Spain, particularly that of his native Málaga. Romero will focus on flamenco guitar, bringing with him a to-be-announced roster of special guests, singers, and dancers. Among his celebrated accomplishments, Romero has premiered works – composed especially for him – by Rodrigo and Torroba. He’s recorded more than 60 albums across his career, 30 of which were as part of a quartet with his father and brothers in The Romeros, an ensemble widely regarded as “The Royal Family of the Guitar.” In addition to championing new works for the instrument, Romero has also rescued previously lost concerti by Giuliani and Carulli, among others, bringing them out of the archives and into the light.

2017

Featured

WNYC’s New Sounds Presents the 2017 NYGF

Building on last year’s sold-out event, the New York Guitar Festival and WNYC’s New Sounds present a four-week series that features a diverse cast of guitar slingers performing newly commissioned works and special collaborations. The festival will take over The Greene Space stage every Thursday evening, from May 18 to June 8, featuring multiple short sets and onstage interviews with New Sounds hostJohn Schaefer.

WNYC’s New Sounds Presents the 2017 NYGF

NYGF Academy

The Life of a Luthier: How visibility can create the next generation of guitar builders. Local repair women and luthiers Rachel Rosenkrantz, Mamie Minchand and Chloe Swantner discuss their experiences in starting, maintaining and inspiring the humble career of guitar building. Moderated by Fabi Reyna, founder and editor-in-chief ofShe Shreds Magazine.

NYGF Academy

The Ruts of Performance: Guitarists Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn, Erika Anderson (EMA) and Ava Mendoza share and explain their methods of moving past creative walls. Moderated by Fabi Reyna, founder and editor-in-chief ofShe Shreds Magazine.

NYGF Academy

The guitar is still an instrument most often associated with guys.Fabi Reynawants to change that. Not just by being a badass guitarist herself, but by creating a place where the ever-growing community of female guitarists can learn from and support each other. That place isShe Shredsmagazine, which she founded and which celebrates women, and girls (Fabi is an alumna of the Rock Camp For Girls), who play guitar or bass and who totally rock. Literally and figuratively.

NYGF Academy

The world is full of great guitarists, and India is full of gifted classical musicians. But in both worlds,Debashish Bhattacharyacuts a singular figure. Playing a specially-designed slide guitar, he has made his instrument an extraordinarily versatile and emotive purveyor of India's ancient raga tradition, while attracting fans from around the world. He'll talk withJohn Schaeferabout feeling at home between musical worlds.

NYGF Academy

Sharon Isbinhas been at the forefront of the classical guitar world for over 40 years. More than a virtuoso, she has commissioned more new concertos than any other guitarist, including a major new work by John Corigliano. And she has a long history of performing with leading Brazilian and jazz musicians as well. Truly the First Lady Of The Guitar, she talks withJohn Schaeferabout a career that has sent her from Italy as a young girl to the White House in 2009.

Raga Marathon

It’s a first in Festival history: A marathon devoted entirely to... ragas! The Winter Garden at Brookfield Place will host thisFREE-ADMISSIONall-day event. In Hindustani classical music, melodies and modalities are thought to reach full potency at a particular hour, in tune with the Earth on its axis. OnFriday, May 19, ragas will flow from morning until midnight atBrookfield Place’s Winter Garden. At 8 AM, Debashish Bhattacharya, one of the world’s pre-eminent slide guitarists, begins the Marathon with a raga specifically for early morning. At noon, the sarodist Anupam Shobhakar performs a raga made for midday; at 5 PM, a power trio of guitarist Gyan Riley, sitarist Krishna Bhatt, and percussionist Dan Weiss takes over with an early evening raga; and Bhattacharya returns at 7.

2016

Featured

New York Guitar Festival at The Greene Space

An evening of music and conversation with Rez Abbasi, Derek Gripper, Kaki King and Glenn Jones. Hosted by WNYC New Sounds' John Schaefer.

Creation

Creation: A panel discussion on trends in composition, commissioning, performing and publishing new music for classical guitar. FeaturingRobert Cuckson,Marco CappelliandAndrew McKenna Lee. Moderated byMichael NewmanandLaura Oltman, of the Newman Oltman Duo.

NYGF ACADEMY

Renowned luthierSaul Kollwill present a keynote talk about his guitars and design process. Koll is known both for his ‘Glide’ electric guitars, which hybridize many attributes of classic instruments, and his innovative custom instruments, the RE 7 and 8 String ergonomic archtop jazz guitars, played by artists such as David Torn, Elliot Sharp, Bill Frisell, and Lee Ranaldo. Q&A with the audience will follow the talk.

NYGF ACADEMY

In recent decades an increasing number of luthiers have addressed the challenges surrounding ergonomic guitar design. Shape, weight and playability are part of this; the greater availability of new materials and manufacturing processes have played a substantial role also as builders use carbon fiber, synthetic materials, laminates and aerospace glues, and CNC milling machines for fabrication. Some controversy surrounds these instruments, as some players enthusiastically adopt them and praise sound and playability while other guitarist insist on more ‘traditional’ forms and materials. The discussion will address these questions, and more- and include demonstrations of some ergo instruments.

NYGF ACADEMY

A discussion on American Primitive presented by Tompkins Square, featuringDon Bikoff,Jeff Conklinand and moderated byKid Millions.The Tompkins Square Label has released many essential recordings by first-gen cosmic guitar players like Harry Taussig, Michael Chapman, Peter Walker and Max Ochs, as well as young gun slingers in the medium such as Chris Forsyth, Daniel Bachman and Ryley Walker.

NYGF ACADEMY

Liberty Ellman, Grey McMurray and Gyan Riley in conversation with Alternative Guitar Summit founder/curator Joel Harrison. A loose, wide-ranging discussion on the incredible breadth of guitar styles and approaches that have proliferated in new music and jazz in the 21st century.

NYGF ACADEMY

A presentation byNigel Northon the instrument, tuning, tablatures, and music that a lutenist lived with 350 years ago.

Beauty and Noise

Beauty and Noiseis devoted to players who inhabit electronic frontiers, creating sonic rapture, sometimes absent of notes. Listeners will be immersed in wild, mysterious textures rarely imagined. Some artists will play solo, others will have accompaniment, some of the music will be composed, some improvised. Participants areDavid Torn,Dither Guitar Duo,Elliot Sharp,Anthony Pirog,Ben Monder, andPatrick Higgins. Of particular note will be a rare pairing of Sharp and Torn, both of whom are long time innovators in this vein. Expect collaborations.

While We’re Still Here: Honoring Joni Mitchell + Carla Bley

This year, the Alt Guitar Summit launches a new annual series entitled "While We're Still Here," celebratinglivingcomposers. For this inaugural, the honorees will be none other than jazz big-band leaderCarla Bleyand the widely influential Canadian singer-songwriterJoni Mitchell.Bley, a 2015 NEA Jazz Masters recipient as well as the composer of “Ida Lupino” and “The Girl Who Cried Champagne,” plays piano, but like Duke Ellington, she makes an entire orchestra her instrument, expressing her trademark wit in large-scale structures of piquant harmonic density. She has also written for guitar, as heard on her 1977Dinner Musicand Gary Burton’s all-Bley albumDreams So Real. Mitchell, whose long career has traversed folk, pop, rock, and jazz, needs no introduction: her era-defining anthems like “Big Yellow Taxi,” “River,” and “Both Sides Now,” continue to resonate across the generations, as do her collaborations with the celebrated bassists Charles Mingus and Jaco Pastorius.

NYGF ACADEMY

The South African guitarist/composerDerek Gripperin conversation with author, guitarist, broadcasterBanning Eyre. Eyre has spent years exploring the guitar styles of Africa, and is the author of four books, includingIn Griot Time: An American Guitarist in Mali. The conversation will cover issues from techniques and innovations to the ethics of appropriation.

AUDIBLE CLOISTERS: GUITAR MARATHON

Perched atop North Manhattan’s Fort Tryon Park, with a view of the Hudson River below and cliffs of the Palisades across the way,The Cloistershouses one of the world's finest collections of medieval European art. The structure, assembled from Romanesque architecture and borrowings from Gothic cathedrals and abbeys, features chapel-like galleries, the repose of ornately carved tombs, unicorn tapestries, windows with centuries-old stained-glass panels, as well as cloistered gardens of fragrant herbs and spring crocus. In essence, what better place to hear 14 guitarists whose collective repertoire spans the Renaissance to right now. This year’s Guitar Marathon will be mostly unamped music and includes performances on the lute, oud, and pipa – all historic precursors of the guitar. Hosted by WNYC'sJohn Schaefer, curated by the New York Guitar Festival's Artistic DirectorDavid Spelman, and presented in collaboration withMetLiveArts.

Ring The Golden Bells

NYGF ‘16 begins with a Mother's Day concert in honor of gospel/blues legendSister Rosetta Tharpe, the godmother of rock & roll. She was America’s first national gospel star, and her famous windmill guitar moves lived on in Keith Richards and Pete Townshend. From the Cotton Club to Carnegie Hall and the Apollo, Sister Rosetta merged sacred lyrics with secular rhythms in a scorching guitar style.

2014

Featured

MASTERCLASS: New Approaches to Guitar

Five modern masters discuss new approaches to jazz guitar through the lens of Paul Motian's music. Ben Monder, Steve Cardenas (both Motian alumni), Vic Juris, Liberty Ellman, and Joel Harrison will talk about comping, ensemble playing, linear improvisation, band-leading, electronics, philosophy, and more, using Paul Motian's singular opus as a starting point. All levels invited.

An afternoon masterclass with Nels Cline

Nels Cline will demonstrate how he achieves his unique sound world where all conceivable musical roads converge. This is Cline's first such class in New York City. All levels invited.

ALT-GUITAR SUMMIT

When drummer, bandleader, and composer Paul Motian died at age 80 in the autumn of 2011, it was, for jazz critic Steve Futterman writing inThe New Yorker, “like waking to find that your favorite neighborhood bookstore—the one that stocked the edgy stuff that no one else would touch—had closed overnight.” Motian’s music lives on in duo performances bySteve Cardenas and Jacob Sacks,Ben Monder and Bill McHenry (Motian band alums) Gilad Hekselman and Jeff Ballard,Brandon Ross and Stomu Takeishi,Vic Juris andMary Halvorson, theNels Cline & Julian Lage Duo, andJoel Harrison and Tyshawn Sorey.

ALT-GUITAR SUMMIT

"Feel the Noise!" – curated by Joel Harrison.

ALT-GUITAR SUMMIT

An evening of trios that explore evolving concepts of rhythm, curated by Joel Harrison.

Silent Films/Live Guitars

The West African-inspired Asheville, North Carolina-based ensembleToubab Kreweplays Malian-accented world-pop that’s imbued with laconic, Southeastern minimalism. Their cross-cultural flair will take a turn to the East as the band premieres an original score to Japanese directorYasujirô Ozu’s boisterous 1932 comedyI Was Born, but…. Two young brothers, outsiders in a new town, skip school to dodge a bully and fret over their father’s lowly social standing as an office clerk.

SileNT Films/Live Guitars

Formerly lead guitarist with The Black Crowes and current front-man for North Mississippi Allstars, Memphis-bornLuther Dickinsondeploys his aggressively Southern sensibility toWalter Ruttman’s 1927 documentary portrait of a Berlin long gone by, Berlin: Symphony of a Great City. A painter and a chamber musician before becoming a filmmaker, Ruttman cast an impressionistic eye over a single day-into-night of life observed in the German capital.

SILENT Films/Live Guitars

The extraordinary Brazilian guitarist/singerBadi Assadpremieres her score for one of the best-known films of China's cinematic golden age:Wu Yonggang’s 1934 debutThe Goddess, the story of a prostitute working the seamy streets of Shanghai to afford an education for her young son.

Silent Films/Live Guitars

“Marc Ribotdid such a fabulous job with Chaplin's classicThe Kidat the 2010 Festival,” NYGF Founder David Spelman remembers, “bringing out not just the humor, but the deep humanity of the film, that I knew we wanted to have him back, but this time with a film that might summon up an even wider emotional palette.” This season, Ribot returns with a new score for Joseph von Sternberg’s passionate 1928 dramaThe Docks of New York, which tells the New York waterfront story of a boiler room stoker’s romance with a suicidal dance-hall girl. Ribot has frequently collaborated with Tom Waits and John Zorn; his most recent band is the trio Ceramic Dog.

GUITAR MARATHON: LAS AMERICAS

FREE for the first time in our Festival's history, this six-hour Marathon (taking place on MLK Day) celebrates the classical guitar in North and South America, contrasting rich traditions with bold experimentation.

Pepe Romero

Pepe Romero’s distinguished career, both as a solo performer and charter member of the "Royal Family of the Guitar," encompasses some 60 albums, multiple White House invitations, Carnegie Hall concerts, and world premieres by Rodrigo and Moreno Torroba, in addition to receiving a Knighthood by King Juan Carlos I of Spain. This New York Guitar Festival appearance marks Romero’sfirst ever all-Bach recital in New York. Touring the world in celebration of his 70th year, Romero will givehis only New York concert this seasonat the New York Guitar Festival.

2012

Featured

Silent Films/Live Guitars

Califone + Howard Fishman premiere scores to Buster Keaton silent films

Groundbreaking guitarists premiere original film scores for silent films by Buster Keaton.

Califone & Buster Keaton's Go West (1925)

Howard Fishman & Buster Keaton's The Frozen North (1922)

Honoring Jim Hall

As part of ourAlternative Guitar Summit, we present a tribute to the jazz guitar legend Jim Hall. Each act will perform either Jim Hall compositions, tunes associated with him, or improvisations in his spirit.

Alternative Guitar Summit

A series of alt-guitar music curated by the guitarist/composer/arranger/bandleader Joel Harrison.

Alternative Guitar Summit

A series of alt-guitar music curated by the guitarist/composer/arranger/bandleader Joel Harrison.

Guitar Marathon: Bell’Italia

The warmth and splendor of Italy has inspired guitarists and composers for five centuries. Our day-long celebration of Italian guitar music, from the Renaissance and Baroque to Berio and the music of today, as performed by artists includingEliot Fisk,Bill Kanengiser,Connie Sheu,Dale Kavanagh,Emanuele Segre,Jason Vieaux,Nigel North,Hopkinson Smith,Pino Forastiere,The Harlem Quartet, andLionheart.

Silent Films/Live Guitars

Silent Films/Live Guitars: Groundbreaking guitarists premiere original film scores for silent comedies by Buster Keaton.

Silent Films/Live Guitars

Groundbreaking guitarists premiere original film scores for silent films by Buster Keaton.

Silent Films/Live Guitars

Groundbreaking guitarists premiere original film scores for silent films by Buster Keaton.

The Apollo Project

2012 marks the 30th anniversary of Brian Eno's landmark tribute to the NASA moon landings,Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks. The New York Guitar Festival presents a rare live re-imagining of this masterpiece featuring the Brooklyn ambient ensemble Itsnotyouitsme, legendary NY guitar master Larry Campbell and special guests David Torn, Noveller, Tortoise's Jeff Parker, and Phish's Mike Gordon.

2010

Featured

Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog and Skeleton$

Ceramic Dog is a post-everything band combining the energies of two masters of downtown New York City mayhem: guitarist/vocalist Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, John Zorn, Robert Plant, T-Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello) and bassist Shahzad Ismaily (Laurie Anderson, Will Oldham), with West Coast indie/experimental genius drummer Ches Smith. Ribot is a widely recognized original on the guitar, with influence across multiple genres of music, including rock, jazz, punk, Latin, soul, 80s No-Wave, avant-garde and noise. Opening the show will be Matt Mehlan's revolving ensemble musical project Skeleton$, also known as Skeletons and the Girl-Faced Boys and Skeletons and the Kings of All Cities.

Silent Films/Live Guitars

Charlie Chaplin’s Pay Day & The Idle Class plus short animations from Harry Smith’s Early Abstractions. The Peruvian-influenced psychedelic pop of Chicha Libre mixes Colombian cumbia, dreamy surf guitar, and Andean melodies. They present their scores to Chaplin’s Pay Day (1922) and The Idle Class (1921). Gyan Riley is an equally strong presence in the worlds of classical guitar and contemporary music. He’s performed throughout Europe and the U.S., both as a soloist and in ensembles with Zakir Hussain, the San Francisco Symphony, the Falla Guitar Trio, and his father, the composer/pianist/vocalist Terry Riley.

The Guitar Marathon: Bach

Our 5th biannual Guitar Marathon at the 92nd Street Y’s Kaufman Auditorium is co-curated by Paul O’Dette and the NYGF’s David Spelman. Some of today’s finest classical guitarists and lutenists will reveal the different facets of the music of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries. The event runs from 2—10pm, with a break at 5pm. “An epic event” is how the The Wall Street Journal classified our first Marathon, and Jazz Times called it “a veritable guitar orgy.” Half and full-day tickets will be available in August. Presented in association with WNYC Radio and broadcast on 93.9 FM.

Silent Films/Live Guitars

One of the top fingerstyle, steel-string guitarists, Grammy nominee Alex de Grassi is renowned for his impeccable technique and compelling compositions. He’s explored a variety of world music influences and drawn acclaim for his 14 recordings on Windham Hill and other labels. He presents his original score for Chaplin’s 1918 masterpiece Shoulder Arms. James Blackshaw is a London-based prodigy who's released seven albums of mesmerizing 12-string compositions. His style is often described as "American primitive” and incorporates elements of Indian raga, improvisation, and psychedelia. He presents his original score for The Fall of the House of Usher (directed by James Sibley Watson and Melville Webber).

The New Possibility

An evening of exquisite solo finger-style guitar, assembled by New York City's Tompkins Square label, a leading purveyor of acoustic guitar music. The Village Voice called the label’s three-volume ‘Imaginational Anthem’ series “the gold standard for guitar nerds.” Ben Hall and Nick Jonah Davis will be making their first-ever New York performances.

Django a Go Go 2010

The great Gypsy Swing guitar player would have been 100 years on January 23rd of this year. To celebrate, some of the best gypsy swing guitar player in the world are throwing a massive jam session at Barbès. Featuring Maie Bittel, Biel Ballester, John Intrator, Babik and Stephane Wrembel. Concerts will be preceded by workshops; 1:30 pm : Maie Bittel, 3:15 pm: Babik, 5 pm: Biel Ballester. To register for the workshops (cost $50), simply show up at Barbès.

Silent Films/Live Guitars

Bon Iver is the nom-de-guerre of musician Justin Vernon. His album For Emma, Forever Ago was a critical and commercial hit, making him one of the most talked-about indie artists of 2008. For his scores to One A.M. & Easy Street, he’s joined by Chris Rosenau, of Collection of Colonies of Bees, whom Justin calls his “guitar mentor.” Steve Kimock is best known as co-founder and guitarist for the San Francisco band Zero. He’s recorded and performed with Bruce Hornsby and members of the Grateful Dead—Jerry Garcia once hailed him as his favorite guitarist. He performs music for Buster Keaton’s Cops.

Silent Films/Live Guitars

2008 Grammy nominee David Bromberg is known for his eclectic combination of blues, bluegrass, jazz, folk, country, and rock. He’s recorded and performed with Reverend Gary Davis, Jorma Kaukonen, Jerry Garcia, Bob Dylan and George Harrison among others and is presenting the premiere of newly commissioned music for Charlie Chaplin’s 1917 The Immigrant. Style-morphing icon Marc Ribot has lent his mercurial guitar sounds to collaborations including Robert Plant and Alison Kraus, Tom Waits, Elvis Costello and John Zorn, and will improvise a score for Chaplin’s 1921 classic, The Kid.

Debashish Bhattacharya

Slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya, and his tabla-playing his brother Subashish will present an evening of Hindustani guitar music. This Grammy-nominated artist is one of India’s most esteemed musicians and has performed with musicians such as Derek Trucks, Jerry Douglas and John McLaughlin. Debashish’s music, spirit, and generosity have won him new admirers and devotees around the world and we are thrilled to have him open our tenth anniversary festival.

2008

Featured

Blue Country Heart: The Music of Loretta Lynn

American icon and songwriting giant Loretta Lynn has entered the very heart of what country music describes: hard times made good through sharing music. Her career has been an autobiographical journey of what is truly one of the toughest spirits at work in music. |www.jormakaukonen.com|www.lauracantrell.com|www.gesmith.com|www.jenchapin.com

Larry Coryell & Bombay Jazz

Beginning in 1966 with his head-turning recording debut on Chico Hamilton’s album The Dealer, guitarist Larry Coryell became a true pioneer of jazz-rock guitar. We’re proud to present the four exceptionally talented musicians from India and the US known as Bombay Jazz as they explore the melodic richness and dynamic rhythmic interplay that characterize both great jazz and the finest Indian classical music. Spanning the musical globe, Ronu Majumdar (a Grammy Nominee) , Vijay Ghate and George Brooks have performed with such luminaries as Ravi Shankar, George Harrison, George Duke and Etta James.

Fabio Zanon Master Class

Classical guitar students at the Manhattan School of Music will perform for the acclaimed Brazilian French guitarist Fabio Zanon. Zanon came to international prominence in 1996, when he won first prize in both the 30th "Francisco Tarrega" International Competition in Spain and the 14th GFA International Competition in the USA. The audience will have the opportunity to see and hear the fascinating process which normally takes place behind closed doors. An intimate view of a master’s technique and unique way of teaching.

Wolfgang Muthspiel/Mick Goodrick Duo

On the second night of his New York Guitar Festival residency, Wolfgang Muthspiel offers a rare combination of accessibility and sophistication, melodicism and dazzling technique. His six-string “guru,” Mick Goodrick, one of the nation’s foremost jazz educators and author of the best-selling instruction book, The Advancing Guitarist, joins Wolfgang for this intimate duo performance.

Wolfgang Muthspiel Trio

Join Wolfgang Muthspiel – “a shining light of the contemporary jazz-guitar generation” (The New Yorker) – as he launches his New York Guitar Festival residency tonight. The internationally acclaimed guitarist and composer will perform with a dynamic trio featuring two longtime collaborators, bassist Larry Grenadier and alto saxophonist Chris Cheek. Writing in The Times of London, Chris Parker described Muthspiel music as “rivetingly original, thoughtful, and totally absorbing without being forbiddingly esoteric; firmly structured but allowing just enough space for free individual expression.”

Ralph Gibson

Internationally celebrated photographer Ralph Gibson presents a preview of two works-in-progress; Ich Bin die Nacht --music for lens and guitar, featuring Gibson performing his own electric guitar compositions to accompany moving and still imagery from Berlin at night; and State of the Axe --his forthcoming book and exhibition of portraits of over 60 of the world’s most distinctive avant garde guitarists. Mr Gibson will discuss the role of Apple computers and software in the creative process and answer questions from the audience.

The Brazilian Guitar Marathon

Our 4th biannual Guitar Marathon at the 92nd Street Y’s Kaufman Auditorium is co-curated by Sérgio & Odair Assad and the NYGF’s David Spelman. Today's Brazilian guitar masters explore the guitar’s rich history in Brazil, from bossa nova to the music of Heitor Villa-Lobos and other classical composers. The event runs from 2—10pm, with a break at 5pm. “An epic event” is how the The Wall Street Journal classified our first Marathon, and Jazz Times called it “a veritable guitar orgy.” Half and full-day tickets will be available. Presented in association with WNYC Radio and broadcast on 93.9 FM.

Pietro Russino (a.k.a. Hypnofolk)

The improvisational music of this former member of Robert Fripp’s The league of Crafty Guitarists is a rich blend of Mediterranean roots, progressive rock, organic blues grooves and a psychedelic free-form approach to the heritage of acoustic finger style guitar.www.pietrorussino.com

Roland Dyens Master Class

Classical guitar students at the Manhattan School of Music will perform for the noted French guitarist/composer Roland Dyens. The audience will have the opportunity to see and hear the fascinating process which normally takes place behind closed doors. An intimate view of a master’s technique and unique way of teaching.www.rolanddyens.com

a closing night party

To conclude a dizzying three weeks of ‘guitarded’ (as Bill Frisell likes to say) behavior we invite you to come lift a pint of Brooklyn Lager with us at The Lakeside Lounge. This Alphabet City tavern sports a vintage black & white Asbury Park photo booth, and one of the best jukeboxes in the city (with lots vintage vinyl cut to cd). They also run a label for studio owner, guitarist, producer Eric Ambel's bands. No cover charge, but you gotta be at least 21 to enter.

Pino Forastiere

Like the late guitar innovator Michael Hedges, Italian guitarist and composer Pino Forastiere employs a dazzling blend of slapping, tapping, strumming, altered tunings, and harmonics. However, he also combines those elements with classical phrasing and a focus on distinct and addictive melodies.www.forastiere.it

Blue Country Heart: The Music of Merle Haggard

Carrying the mantle for country music forward into the rock era, Merle Haggard is the embodiment of how it’s done right. With forty number one hits in his career Merle continues to tour in his 70th year. |www.jormakaukonen.com|www.mojomusic.com/alvin|www.jimlauderdale.com

Live at the Apple Store

When Teddy Thompson, whose parents are British folk-rock legends Richard and Linda Thompson, released his 2005 Separate Ways, the Times of London exclaimed, "not since Jackson Browne issued from 1970s California a succession of mournful masterpieces has a songwriter so completely nailed the sense that, in every celebration, the sense of imminent regret hovers... Brilliant..". In 2006, he participated in Leonard Cohen - I'm Your Man, a film tribute to the legendary Leonard Cohen.www.teddythompson.com

Larry Campbell & Friends: Live at the Apple Store

Virtuoso guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell was a member of Bob Dylan's "Never Ending Tour" band from 1997 until 2004, and has performed and recorded with Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, Little Feat, Lyle Lovett, B. B. King, Levon Helm, Little Feat, Cyndi Lauper, k.d lang, Rosanne Cash, Elvis Costello, Emmylou Harris, Sheryl Crow, Phil Lesh and many others. A rare chance to hear Larry perform with some favorite musical friends and also play solo acoustic guitar pieces from his album “Rooftops.”http://members.cox.net/larrycampbell2000/

Chocolate Genius Inc.: Live at the Apple Store

Chocolate Genius, Inc. is a loose collective of musicians centered around Marc Anthony Thompson, a singer-songwriter/guitarist from New York City. Thompson released two albums in the 1980s under his own name, and was signed to V2 Records for Black Music, his ‘98 debut under the name of Chocolate Genius. He’s been compared to a wide variety of musicians, including Tom Waits, Prince, Jeff Buckley, and Lenny Kravitz. In 2006, he was a member of Bruce Springsteen’s Seeger Sessions Band, playing guitar, providing backing vocals and sharing lead vocals on several songs.www.chocolategeniusinc.com

Michael Nicolella

Referred to as “one of the contemporary guitar’s most gifted stars”by Classical Guitar magazine, Michael Nicolella is recognized as one of America's most innovative classical guitarists. His concert will include music for classical and electric guitar by Domenico Scarlatti, Jacob ter Veldhuis, Isaac Albeniz, Jimi Hendrix and Nicolella; including music from his latest album, Shard, described in a recent issue of Frets magazine as“an exciting textbook on how to honor the classical tradition and kick it in the ass at the same time.”

Jon Diaz

Guitarist/composer Jon Diaz will play music from his debut CD, Circling From Above. He will be joined by Pietro Russino on guitar, Mazz Swift on violin and Mathias Kunzli on percussion. This quartet will be exploring the thread that connects music from America, North Africa & Asia. The quartet will debut some newer pieces as well.www.jondiaz.com

Blue Country Heart: The Music of Lefty Frizell

Over thirty years ago Lefty Frizell left us with a legacy of country music that inspired generations of singers and songwriters. Merle Haggard, Roy Orbison and Willie Nelson among others claim lineage to this early country and rockabilly legend. Lefty’s sound continues to be imitated today as we reinvent this legendary music on the concert stage.

Kaki King: Live at the Apple Store

The zeitgirl of instrumental guitar, Kaki King could hardly be expected to just stand still. Lately she’s swapped her acoustic for an electric and her own voice. Still fully capable of jaw-dropping pyrotechnics, King is self-assured and irreverent but not afraid to be vulnerable and disarmingly sweet. The New York Times said King’s earlier “percussive, super-fluid style” was “the kind of thing that makes people say ‘Wow’ as an involuntary reflex,” going on to note, “now she’s making music that more often sounds like the abstract, dreamy and hypnotic end of alternative rock.”www.kakiking.com

Dan Zanes & Friends: Live at the Apple Store

Dan Zane picked up the guitar when he was only eight and started listening to Lead Belly records as soon as he could snag a library card. In the 80s, he found fame with the Del Fuegos, a group dubbed the “Best New Band” by Rolling Stone in 1984. But it wasn’t until a few impromptu jam sessions with other musical fathers and their kids that he discovered his latest calling — creating music that could be enjoyed together by every member of the family.www.danzanes.com

Live at the Apple Store

It’s true that Goran Ivanovic was born of a Serbian father and a Bosnian Croat mother...and that Fareed Haque was born of a Pakistani father and a Chilean mother...but that’s just the beginning of their musical lineage. Ivanovic studied at Salzburg’s Mozarteum with Eliot Fisk and Joaquin Clerch. Haque has performed with Sting, the classical violinist Kennedy, Cassandra Wilson, Kurt Elling, Edgar Meyer, and Paquito D’Rivera. Strains of classical, pop, jazz, Latin, blues, and world music simmer in the haunting laments and propulsive dances of their “Macedonian blues for two guitars.”

Dominic Frasca & Roy Wiemann

Guitarist/ composer Dominic Frasca and visual artist Roy Wiemann will present a preview of "Fixations.” a collaboration combining the visual art of Wiemann, who will present a series of new paintings/constructions along with music and film by Frasca . The event also serves as the opening for Mr Wiemann’s exhibition of new work entitled "newsuffering", which will run at The Monkey January 19 to February 16.www.wiemann.com|www.dominicfrasca.com

Live at the Apple Store

One of the most exciting young artists on the jazz scene today, internationally-acclaimed guitarist and composer Wolfgang Muthspiel is commanding attention worldwide as an artist of deep integrity, intelligence and daring musicality. Join Wolfgang for a rare solo performance emphasising his trademark use of a loop pedal to build a world of sound from the one instrument.

Modal Kombat with special guest 350 Duo

Modal Kombat is a live instrument battle channeled through the video game Mortal Kombat. Two classical guitars control movements of characters in Mortal Kombat Trilogy. The concert begins with a set by the 350 duo, performing original compositions influenced by Bach, Reich and Cold Play. Afterwards, the Super Bowl will be shown on a giant 10x16 foot screen with free food and beverages.

Blue Country Heart: The Music of Hank Williams

Hank achieved much in his short life. Taught everything he knew by a bluesman known as “Tee-Tot”, Hank went on to write and sing some of the best loved country music. His love for the blues gave his music a lasting quality that has kept him in the spotlight for over fifty years after his death. |www.jormakaukonen.com|www.gesmith.com|www.littletobywalker.com

Ich Bin die Nacht: Music for Lens + Guitar

Internationally celebrated photographer Ralph Gibson presents his work-in-progress; Ich Bin die Nacht --music for lens and guitar, featuring Gibson performing his own electric guitar compositions to accompany moving and still imagery from Berlin at night.www.ralphgibson.com

Benjamin Verdery + William Coulter

Classical guitarist and composer Benjamin Verdery and steel-string guitarist William Coulter have found a unique and energizing musical partnership. They first met in 1984, and have gone on to tour and make recordings since 1990. They will perform music from their CD Song for our Ancestors, featuring original compositions and music from Ireland, Spain, Germany, Africa, Tibet, and the United States.

Live at the Apple Store

Jon Diaz

2006

Featured

Blues Fallin’ Down Like Rain: The Music of Elizabeth Cotten

Elizabeth Cotten was a true original and among the most influential guitarists to surface during the roots music revival era. Turning her instruments upside-down to play them left-handed, she developed a truly distinctive guitar style and sound. Her song “Freight Train”has become a fingerpicker’s classic.

Julia Sarr & Patrice LaRose

One of the most original vocal artists to emerge from West Africa in decades, Julia Sarr honed her reputation as a backing vocalist in Paris for Lokua Kanza, Manu Dibango, MC Solaar, and other luminaries. Her and Patrice Larose’s first album, Set Luna (So I’ve Observed), and their recent U.S. concert debut at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall, are unlike anything else from the rich Senegalese and Flamenco traditions. Hailed by Youssou N’Dour as “the fresh face of African music”, and by The NY Times as a probing source of “introspection” in a revitalized African tradition.

Marco Cappelli

Since landing in NYC two years ago, the Italian classical guitarist Marco Cappelli (a student of Oscar Ghiglia) started to develop a unique style which includes avant garde compositions, improvisation, live-electronics, hard rock sounds, classic licks, and much more. This melting pot of sounds, is rarely heard on a classical guitar. At The Monkey he will present a program of his own through-composed/improvised music using the so-called Extreme Guitar, which has 8 sympathetic steel strings running under the regular 6 nylon strings.

Michael Nicolella

Praised by Gramophone for his "stunning technical skill and unfailing musicality" and characterized by Classical Guitar magazine as "a fully enlightened musician of our time," Michael Nicolella is recognized as one of America's most innovative and eclectic classical guitarists. He will perform music for classical and electric guitar, including works by Steve Reich, J.S. Bach, Hans Werner Henze, Jimi Hendrix and himself.

Kevin Gallagher

Kevin Gallagher, winner of both the 1993 Guitar Foundation of America Competiton and the 1997 Francisco Tarrega competition, will premiere his new “avant-pop” group, Electric Kompany. The group arranges, composes and commissions music for rock quartet. For this concert, they will perform compositions by Arvo Part, Jacob Ter Veldhuis, Marc Mellits, and others. www.guitar69.com

Daniel Lanois’ “Silvio” Project

Celebrated guitarist, singer, songwriter & producer Daniel Lanois brings his music and experimental film images to NYC for the first time. Glorious pedal steel guitar playing and innovative sonics will make for an electrifying night. Of his last NYGF performance, The NY Times wrote: "In a rare performance playing solo pedal steel guitar, Mr. Lanois, who has produced albums by U2 and Bob Dylan, used the instrument for hovering meditations. Liquid chords welled up behind folky melodies, making music that was expansive yet humble, as if contemplating wide-open spaces."

Stephen Griesgraber

Guitarist/composer Stephen Griesgraber will present Redhooker, an evening of music for guitar and live electronics. Inspired by his interest in hypnagogia and the altered auditory experiences reflected in various dream states, Stephen will perform music for solo guitar, guitar with live electronics and samples, as well as music for guitar and ensemble. The work will be representational as well as interpretive in its exploration of states of semi and unconsciousness.

Blues Fallin’ Down Like Rain: The music of Charley Patton

A giant in the field of Delta country blues, Charley Patton (1887-1934) was an acknowledged celebrity and seminal influence on musicians throughout the Delta. His music embraced blues, ballads, ragtime, to gospel, and his influence can be heard in the music of Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Son House, and Robert Johnson. Five amazing artists will interpret the music of this great blues figure.

Made On A Mac

Learn how chamber ensemble Slow Six integrates live audio processing intoits performances via custom applications designed on a Mac using the Max/MSPenvironment.

Bill Frisell & Jim Woodring

The Grammy Award-winning guitarist and composer Bill Frisell performs new work for his string ensemble & special guests plus the world premiere of a new, short multi-media piece created in collaboration with visual artist Jim Woodring. Deceptively mild-mannered and soft-spoken, Bill Frisell has been described by Spin magazine as the “Clark Kent” of electric guitar who “coaxes and slams his hovering split-toned ax into shapes of things to come.” Jim Woodring has been called everything under the sun, but we like "Nuts" and "Genius" the best.

A Story of Floating Weeds + A Page of Madness

Guitarist/composer Alex de Grassi (“The level of de Grassi’s accomplishment is astonishing” wrote Jazziz Magazine) performs music to accompany the 1934 silent film A Story of Floating Weeds. Celebrated Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu weaves a tragic tale of rekindled love, showing how it profoundly changes the lives of a retired actor, his present girlfriend, his ex-lover and the son he never knew he had.

Made On A Mac

Guitarist and research diver Henry Kaiser joins us to share exciting work captured while exploring the Artic. Henry will discuss how his PowerBook is essential in both his scientific and creative endeavors.

Cindy Cashdollar & Friends

What makes steel guitar and Dobro player Cindy Cashdollar's musical journey stand out is a combination of restless creativity and an uncanny ability to understand and add to a wild array of styles. She has worked with the likes of Leon Redbone, Graham Parker, Bob Dylan (on his Grammy winning "Time Out Of Mind" CD), Jorma Kaukonen, Peter Rowan, and the stellar Cajun group BeauSoleil. As the steel guitarist for eight years with western swing kingpins Asleep At The Wheel, she logged many road miles and won five Grammy Awards.

Blues Fallin’ Down Like Rain: The music of Skip James

Among the earliest and most influential Delta bluesmen to record, Skip James (1902-1969) influenced everyone from Robert Johnson to Eric Clapton. These five distinctive artists will honor the musical legacy of this American original in a special tribute concert. www.SonnyLandreth.com | www.cindycashdollar.com | www.mojomusic.com/alvin | www.chocolate-genius.com | www.garylucas.com

Stephen Arons

Stephen Aron, has been a featured artist for many years at nearly every major American classical guitar festival. The artistic director of the Guitar Foundation of America Convention 2005 at the Oberlin Conservatory, Aron's recordings have been described as "breathtaking" (Guitar Review), and as "one of the best discs to cross my desk" (Soundboard). He will play a program of Chopin and Mendelssohn transcription as well as a selection of works by Spanish and South American composers.

Made On A Mac

Guitar Player magazine’s “Guitar Hero of 2006” Dominic Frasca shows you whyhe leaves all the heavy audio equipment at home in favor of his 17-inchPowerBook and Logic Pro software.

David Bromberg Quartet w/ Peter Rowan & Tony Rice

The David Bromberg Band live show is an extraordinary event, and follows no set patterns. A singular performer/writer/arranger, Bromberg's remarkable versatility has earned him vast acclaim. Peter Rowan, a major cult bluegrass artists, enjoys a devoted, international fan base. A skilled singer/songwriter, Rowan also yodels, and plays numerous stringed instruments. A maverick of the flat-picked acoustic guitar, Tony Rice was the first instrumentalist, in the context of a bluegrass band, to seize upon the innovations of guitarists like Doc Watson and propel them into new flights of virtuosity.

The Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo

Guitarists Laura Oltman and Michael Newman have received acclaim for their 10 CDs and have been featured widely in the national media. Their concert tours and collaborations with such artists as fiddler Eileen Ivers (Riverdance), Turtle Island String Quartet, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Frank McCourt (Angela’s Ashes), have taken them to forty-nine states and five continents. They will perform new duets they have premiered in the past few years by Roberto Sierra, Augusta Read Thomas, Dusan Bogdanovic, Lowell Liebermann, Rami Vamos and Randall Avers.

Flamenco in the City

A celebration of the flamenco soul with some of New York’s finest guitarists and dancers. Presented in partnership with the New York City Classical Guitar Society.

Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, plus special guest Marty Stuart

By age 21, Ricky Skaggs was already a recognized master of one of America's most demanding art forms, but his career catapulted him to popularity and success in the mainstream of country music. Now the road has brought him back to where it all began: bluegrass music, where he's known as the music's official ambassador. Marty Stuart is country music's renaissance man. He’s scored countless hits and awards, and has made lasting music as a front man and in collaboration with major roots music figures from Lester Flatt to Bob Dylan.

The Goddess + Lotus Blossom

Guitarist/composer Leni Stern (whom The New Yorker described as “Fleet and Lyrical” and LA Weekly classified “one of the world’s most fully realized songwriters and guitarists”) performs live music to accompany a screening of the 1934 silent film The Goddess. Written/directed by Yonggang Wu, the film stars legendary actress Ruan Lingyu, who plays a single mother whose only hope for supporting her son is to submit to a life of prostitution. Also on the bill, guitarist Brandon Ross, and bassist Stomu Takeishi, will perform music to accompany the surviving reel of “Lotus Blossom” from 1921.

Dominic Frasca

Guitarist Dominic Frasca, winner of the First Annual Guitar Player Magazine Guitar Hero Competition, will perform an evening of original compositions for solo 6-and-10-string electro/acoustic guitar. Time Out New York wrote, "Fans of classical minimalism, the hypnotic counterpoint of early 80's King Crimson, and the peerless techniques of the late Michael Hedges will find much to admire in his rich, propulsive, polyphonic works. It's like New Age music for people who grew up listening to Black Sabbath."

Andre LaFosse

Andre LaFosse calls his live performance style 'turntablist guitar': a cutting-edge cut-up of hip-hop, avant-garde, funk, and left-field dance music... which just happens to be played completely live with only a guitar, an Echoplex, and a tiny smattering of effects. Andre will be returning to both the NYGF (where he shared a bill with David Torn in 2004) and The Monkey (where he presented a highly successful run of shows in March ‘05) for a one-night performance, exploring his concepts for the role of a six-string electric guitar in a non-linear, post-DJ world.

Blues Fallin’ Down Like Rain: The music of Mississippi John Hurt

Mississippi John Hurt (1893- 1966) was an amazingly lyrical and refined fingerpicking guitarists, who sang with a warmth and gentleness unique in the field of blues. Classic songs such as "Frankie," "Louis Collins," "Avalon Blues," "Candy Man Blues," "Big Leg Blues," and "Stack O' Lee Blues," were highly influential on subsequent generations of musicians. Four distinctive artists will honor his musical legacy in this special tribute concert.

Toubab Krewe

Wielding its unique, Malian influenced "Afro-cowboy-ninja-surf" music, Toubab Krewe has been attracting enthusiastic crowds to venues that have included Bonnaroo Music Festival and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. The instrumental quintet's members developed their fusion sound over the course of extended trips to West Africa, where they immersed themselves in the local culture and studied and performed with masters such as Lamine Soumano, Madou Dembele, and Koungbanan Conde.

Pepe Romero Master Class

Classical guitar students at the Manhattan School of Music will perform for the renowned guitarist Pepe Romero. The audience will have the opportunity to see and hear the fascinating process which normally takes place behind closed doors. An intimate view of a master's technique and unique way of teaching.

Ralph Gibson

The eminent American photographer, who began his career as an apprentice to Dorothea Lange and Robert Frank, Ralph Gibson is known for his highly distinctive vision in still photography. His photographs are in major collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. To celebrate his 67th birthday, he’ll give a powerpoint presentation of his work. Guitarists Dominic Frasca, Chuck Zwicky, Brandon Ross and Ralph himself (!) will perform compositions & improvisations inspired by the photographs. | www.ralphgibson.com

The Guitar Marathon

Our 3rd biannual Guitar Marathon at the 92nd Street Y’s Kaufman Auditorium is co-curated by Pepe Romero and the NYGF’s David Spelman. The guitar’s rich history in Spain will be explored, from renaissance, baroque, and classical repertoire to newly commissioned works. Featuring Pepe Romero, Eliot Fisk, Bill Kanengiser, Paul O’Dette, Hopkinson Smith, Martha Masters, Jason Vieaux, Ana Vidovic, Gyan Riley, Dominic Frasca, Bryce Dessner, and others!

The Nebraska Project

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the classic Bruce Springsteen album, a distinctive roster of singer-songwriters, bands and instrumentalists perform their own arrangements of the album’s songs from start to finish. Performers will include Michelle Shocked, Laura Cantrell, Dan Zanes, Vernon Reid, The National, Otis Taylor, Chocolate Genius Inc., Mark Eitzel, Martha Wainwright, Jesse Harris, Kevn Kinney, Lenny Kaye, Gary Lucas, Marc Ribot, Harry Manx, and others.

2004

Featured

Let It Slide: Masters of Slide Guitar

Brozman’s work with musicians from around the world has marked him as a pioneer in finding a common thread among global musical cultures. Cashdollar was a member of the Grammy-winning western swing band Asleep At The Wheel and has played with Bob Dylan, Levon Helm and Paul Butterfield. Lanois has produced albums by U2, Bob Dylan and Peter Gabriel and makes a special solo appearance on pedal steel, which he has described as his "first love." Musician Magazine recognized Tronzo’s groundbreaking slide technique, calling him one of the "100 greatest guitarists of all time."

Vinicius Cantuaria & Marc Ribot

Brazilian guitarist Vinicius Cantuária and New York guitarist Marc Ribot perform together in a rare duo format. Cantuária has worked with everyone from Laurie Anderson to Bill Frisell, and is at the forefront of the Neo-Brazilian music scene. Marc Ribot, a leading light of New York City's downtown scene, initially made a name for himself through indelible road and studio work with Elvis Costello, Marianne Faithfull and Tom Waits. Ribot formed Los Cubanos Postizos and is currently working on a new, sonically dense rock band called the Marc Ribot Mystery Trio.

Badi Assad

The extraordinary singer, guitarist, and percussionist Badi Assad showcases her exhilaratingly adventurous style. The sister of Sergio and Odair, the famous classical guitarists "Duo Assad", Badi followed in her brothers' footsteps on the instrument, while exploring her own creative vision, winning Guitar Player magazine's 1995 Readers' Poll for Best Classical Album of the Year. As a singer, Badi is vibrant and electric, responding to her inner passions with deft creativity. www.badiassad.com.br

Marco Cappelli: The Extreme Guitar Project

Marco Cappelli commissioned 10 musicians to compose “extreme” guitar pieces for him to play, wielding both the unusual possibilities of his own guitar style and the composers’ rigorous written structures. The composers include: Elliott Sharp, Otomo Yoshihide, Ikue Mori, Marc Ribot, David Shea, Anthony Coleman, Nick Didkovsky, Mark Stewart, Erik Friedlander and Annie Gosfield.

Marco Cappelli: The Extreme Guitar Project

The Choro Ensemble

Choro Ensemble captures the authentic, swinging sounds of Choro music with dazzling instrumental virtuosity. New York's only group dedicated exclusively to the preservation and perpetuation of this once-endangered musical form best identified with the celebrated composer Pixinguinha. www.choroensemble.com

David Torn & Andre La Fosse

One of the most original and creative artists of today, David Torn is a texturalist/guitarist, composer, multi-instrumentalist, producer, writer and occasional singer. Torn has released many acclaimed records as a leader and has recently collaborated with a diverse array of artists, such as Annie Lennox, Jeff Beck, David Bowie and Tori Amos. Mojo magazine cited LaFosse as “an astonishing guitarist of a very different ilk... Fripp and Zappa, step aside” and 20th Century Guitar magazine described his music as “A spectacular collision of manifold musical thoughts and patterns.”

$29 and an Alligator Purse: The Music of Tom Waits

Paying tribute the genius of this American original, are veteran bluesman, John Hammond, singer-songwriter Eleni Mandell (referred to by the New Yorker as "perhaps the best unsigned artist in the business.") and Tin Hat Trio, the freewheeling chamber music ensemble described by Acoustic Guitar magazine as “the poster band of a new folk-jazz fusion.” Presented in association with WFUV Radio and broadcast on 90.7 FM.

The Guitar Marathon

Our 2nd biannual Guitar Marathon at the 92nd Street Y's Kaufman Auditorium will run from 2 - 10pm, with one break at 5pm. “An epic event" is how the The Wall Street Journal classified our last Marathon, and Jazz Times called it “a veritable guitar orgy.” Half- and full-day tickets are available now.

Christopher Parkening

Performning works by Sanz, Brouwer, Piazzolla, Rodrigo, Tórroba, Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Albéniz, Gustavino, de la Torre, Scheer, Copland, Geoghegan, Myers & Domeniconi.

Alex de Grassi

Renowned for his technique, innovation and compelling compositions during his two-decade recording career, Alex De Grassi is considered one of the world’s top fingerstyle, steel-string acoustic guitarists.His album The Water Garden was a nominated for a Grammy Award and he is the subject of a PBS concert/interview television show, “Alex de Grassi: The Artist’s Profile.”

If I Had My Way: The Blues, Gospel & Ragtime of Reverend Gary Davis

Reverend Gary Davis (1896-1972) was a giant in the field of acoustic blues and gospel music. A powerful singer and a masterful guitar player, many rock and roll legends of the 60s learned his songs and playing style, some from him personally. His works have been recorded by David Van Ronk, Taj Mahal, Jorma Kaukonen, The Grateful Dead and Stefan Grossman. Four distinctive artists will honor his musical legacy in this special tribute concert. Presented in association with WFUV Radio and broadcast on 90.7 FM.

The Bill Frisell Trio

The world premiere of new Bill Frisell film scores commissioned by the New York Guitar Festival®. The scores will accompany five early films by Georges Méliès, including "A Trip to the Moon" (1902) and "The Impossible Voyage" (1904).

The Bill Frisell Trio

Vusi Mahlasela

Featured in the acclaimed “Amandla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony”, VusiMahlasela is South Africa's leading political songwriter. At a young ageVusi was exposed to the music of local legends Miriam Makeba and HughMasekela. Vusi participated in ANC rallies where he would recite poetry,sing and perform with the guitar South African writer and Nobel-prize winnerNadine Gordimer gave him. In late 2000, Vusi was invited to perform on DaveMatthews Band's multi-platinum album Everyday. In 2003, Matthews signedMahlasela to his own New York-based label, ATO Records.

2002

Featured

A Tribute to John Fahey

John Fahey (1939-2001), was one of acoustic music's influential innovators and eccentrics, and as host John Schaefer notes, Fahey "was an icon to many American guitarists--he put the sound of roots-based American music on the map 25 years before the 'O Brother Where Art Thou' soundtrack became a surprise hit."

Bach, Brazil and Beyond

featuring Andy Summers, Victor Biglione and Benjamin Verdery.

A Long Strange Trip: The Legacy of Jerry Garcia

The Long Strange Wide World of Jerry Garcia:Though he was quite possibly the brightest and most philosophically articulate interviewee of his era in popular music, Jerry Garcia was not the guru that the media canonized in his name. While charismatic and charming, he refused to be a leader -- not of the counterculture that flowered in his hometown neighborhood, the Haight-Ashbury of San Francisco in the '60s, nor even of the band, the Grateful Dead, for whom he played lead guitar for 30 years -- "You can call me the boss, man, just don't expect me to make any decisions."

2000

Featured

After Segovia

A tribute to the man who almost single-handedly defined the classical guitar in the 20th Century, Andres Segovia. The California Guitar Trio extend the role and the repertoire of the acoustic guitar by mixing Bach and Beethoven with the Ventures and their own original music. Tim Sparks is a country and gospel-inspired guitarist whose classical studies and passion for the traditions of other cultures has resulted in his being equally at home with Portuguese fado and The Nutcracker Suite. And Virginia Luque, a pupil of Segovia, brings classical music and flamenco thrillingly to life.

At the Crossroads: A Tribute to Robert Johnson

Hardly a guitarist alive is not indebted in some way to Robert Johnson, the most important and influential Delta blues guitarist in history. Three eclectic talents will each illuminate a different facet of Johnson's legacy: guitarist John Renbourn, who weds the blues to his native British folk traditions, singer-songwriter Toshi Reagon, harnesses Johnson's visionary fervor and updates it for today; and guitarist Gary Lucas, who extends Johnson's ideas via his own decidedly post-modern avant-garde take on jazz, the blues, rock and folk styles.

Aerial Boundaries: A Tribute to Michael Hedges

Hedges, an extraordinary musician named by Guitar Player magazine as one of the "25 Guitarists Who Shook the World" blended elements of jazz, folk, classical and other styles into a hybrid he applied such tongue-in-cheek labels as "violent acoustic," "heavy mental," and "acoustic thrash." Paying tribute to the genius of this American original, who died in an car crash in 1997, are three former colleagues: the formidably talented bass guitarist Michael Manring, French Algerian acoustic guitar wizard Pierre Bensusan, and, in a rare performance on Hawaiian slack key guitar, George Winston.

1999

Featured

After Hendrix: The 21st Century Guitar

This program explores the legacy of legendary rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix, featuring a trio of progressive guitarists: jazz/experimental guitarist David Torn, classical guitarist/composer Benjamin Verdery and rock guitarist Vernon Reid (of Living Colour, and the Black Rock Coalition).

Plucked and Bowed...

This concert will feature the cross-cultural mix of Minnesota guitar virtuoso Steve Tibbetts and Norwegian hardanger fiddler Knut Hamre, as well as the Newman and Oltman Guitar Duo with the Turtle Island String Quartet in the world premiere of a new composition by Dusan Bogdanovic (himself an outstanding guitarist). Bogdanovic draws on American jazz, Byzantine music, Western classicism and his own Balkan roots.

The Guitar Music of Terry Riley

This concert will focus on the rarely-heard guitar music of pioneering minimalist composer Terry Riley, performed by his son Gyan Riley, as well as other compositions performed by his All-Stars, featuring Terry Riley on keyboards, Krishna Bhatt on Sitar, George Brooks on Saxophone and other of Riley’s favorite collaborators. A gala festival of Riley’s music presented in association with the World Music Institute.

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