Goes2Eleven

01:57:35 no Happy Holidays from some of G2E's favorite artists, like Ry Cooder, Chet Atkins, and Los Angeles Guitar Quartet matt.goes2eleven@gmail.com (Matthew Cochran)Matthew CochranHost Matthew Cochran's in-depth exploration of the strange and beautiful world of the guitar, it's players, makers, and teachers from world famous virtuosos to the first-time garage band

01:08:49 clean The fingerstyle guitar legend opens up about life on the road, the ever-changing music business, and the influence of Micheal Hedges matt.goes2eleven@gmail.com (Matthew Cochran)Matthew CochranHost Matthew Cochran's in-depth exploration of the strange and beautiful world of the guitar, it's players, makers, and teachers from world famous virtuosos to the first-time garage band

A look into the story of the electric guitar in concert music. Featuring music by Steve Reich, Kronos Quartet, Bang On A Can, Stephen Mackey, D.J. Sparr, Anthony Joseph Lanman, Bryce Dessner, and Sonic Youth

The jazz guitarist discusses his new album "Homes"

The Punch Brothers guitarist opens up about his musical beginnings, life in the band, and his duo with Julian Lage

2 very different stories about rehearsals, and the reasons why musicians do what we do

From Oregon to the Moon, Towner has been churning out great music for over 40 years

52:14 clean Down the Rabbit Hole matt.goes2eleven@gmail.com (Matthew Cochran)Matthew CochranHost Matthew Cochran's in-depth exploration of the strange and beautiful world of the guitar, it's players, makers, and teachers from world famous virtuosos to the first-time garage bandhttp://traffic.libsyn.com/goes2e

01:03:10 clean The Polish classical guitar virtuoso discusses practice habits, nihilism, and lint brushes matt.goes2eleven@gmail.com (Matthew Cochran)Matthew CochranHost Matthew Cochran's in-depth exploration of the strange and beautiful world of the guitar, it's players, makers, and teachers from world famous virtuosos to the first-time g

07:20 clean matt.goes2eleven@gmail.com (Matthew Cochran)Matthew CochranHost Matthew Cochran's in-depth exploration of the strange and beautiful world of the guitar, it's players, makers, and teachers from world famous virtuosos to the first-time gara

Richard Thompson is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist who’s pretty hard to pin down, musically. As a founding member of Fairport Convention, Thompson was a leading figure of the 1960’s folk rock movement. His long-running duo with Linda Thompson produced one of the classics in the singer-songwriter genre: the tortured and world-weary Shoot Out the Lights, which was released in 1982, just as the couple’s marriage was imploding.

Baden Powell was a composer, singer, and guitarist inextricably linked to the Bossa Nova craze of the 1960’s. If you’re at all familiar with Bossa Nova from the early 60’s, you’ll recognize what a radical departure Powell’s music was from the highly sophisticated stuff that was catching on in the U.S. around this time. We listen to “How Insensitive” from the beautiful 1967 collaboration between Frank Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim, the patron saint of Bossa Nova. The poet, essayist, and playwright Vinicius de Moraes wrote the lyrics for “How Insensitive”, and he collaborated with Jobim on “The Girl from Ipanema”, “No More Blues”, and the play that eventually became the movie called “Black Orpheus”. The Jobim/Moraes partnership wasn’t an exclusive one. Moraes started working with Baden Powell in the early 60’s, but Powell and Moraes focused their attention on a synthesis between Brazilian music and traditional African forms.

At the Crossroads Between Truth and Legend

  PART 1: LATE TO THE PARTY Andres Segovia. Even the mention of his name elicits tones of hushed reverence in certain circles. But in the 70’s, there was a backlash against the style of playing that Segovia popularized. I began my guitar studies at a time when the guitar world was reassessing Segovia’s legacy. As a result, I was a latecomer to recognizing the genius of Andres Segovia.   Recordings: David Russell, Capriccio Arabe by Fransisco Tárrega from Reflections of Spain “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” from The Wizard of Oz Oscar Ghiglia, “Allegro Moderato” from Sonata III by Manuel Ponce from Ponce Guitar Collection Volume 3 Theme Music: Matthew Cochran, “Cicadas at the Equinox” from Vapor Trail from a Paper Plane   Commercial Break: Season Sponsor, Strings By Mail Music Bed: Pat Metheny, “Fast” from Electric Counterpoint by Steve Reich   PART 2: SEGOVIA ON RECORD Approaching Segovia’s recordings requires that you set aside a few modern expectations. We’re used to hearing music that’s been created in pristine conditions—soundproof booths, advanced microphone technology, digital editing software, etc. Segovia came along at a time when recorded music was just getting started. On his 1920’s recordings, you’re hearing the guy through a ribbon microphone with no processing, no reverb, very few edits, if any at all. What you’re hearing is just him. It’s basically a live performance captured on the best sound equipment available at the time.   Recordings: Andrés Segovia, Recuerdos de la Alhambra by Francisco Tàrrega from The Art of Segovia Andrés Segovia, “Allegro Con Spirito” from Guitar Sonata Op 77, “Omaggio a Boccherini” by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco from The Art of Andres Segovia Vol. 5 Andrés Segovia, “Canción” from Suite Compostelana by Frederic Mompou, from The Segovia Collection Andrés Segovia, Sevillana by Joaquín Turina from The Art of Segovia Lionel Loueke, “Ami-O” from Mwaliko   PART 3: A GUITARIST WITH A MISSION STATEMENT…THAT’S RIGHT, A MISSION STATEMENT Nicholas Goluses talks about Segovia’s vision for the guitar. Nick is Professor of Guitar at the Eastman School of Music. He’s been there for over 20 years now and in that time has racked up enough awards and honors to fill up his own garage and maybe yours and mine as well. Oh, and he’s a total badass guitar player.   Recordings: Nicholas Goluses, Variations and Fugue on La Folia d’España by Manuel Ponce from From Afar John Williams, “Allegro Preciso” from Concerto for Guitar & Small Orchestra by Heitor Villa-Lobos. English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim.   Commercial Break: Peghead Nation Music bed: Punch Brothers, “Flippen” from Who’s Feeling Young Now?   PART 4: GRAN TORINO, OR GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY FINGERINGS Segovia had a hands-on approach when it came to commissioning pieces from composers. We talk about Segovia’s fruitful and affectionate relationship with the Mexican composer Manuel Ponce, and the collaboration between the two.   For die-hard enthusiasts and aspiring professional classical guitarists, THE way to learn Segovia’s approach was to play for him in a masterclass. But that could get a bit dicey. The old guy could be cantankerous, especially if you didn’t cotton to his ideas. There’s a certain poignancy to all of this that, a lot of times, gets missed in the conversation. Yeah, Segovia was a bully. And, yeah, he had a tendency to be snobbish and dictatorial about his approach to the guitar. But you know, through his efforts to popularize the guitar as a respected concert instrument, he created a necessary reaction against his own vision of beauty. We hear from David Foster Wallace’s 2005 commencement address titled “This is Water”, and ask some fundamental questions about the responsibility inherent in artistic life to think independently.    But thankfully, some of those people who cultivated their own vision of beauty continue to draw from Segovia’s enormous well. Nicholas Goluses has the last word about how his approach to the guitar has changed over the years, and how that approach is at least partially influenced by Segovia.   Recordings: Andrés Segovia, “Allegro Moderato” from Sonata Romantica by Manuel Ponce, from Andrés Segovia, Dedication Andrés Segovia, “Gavotte en Rondeau” from Violin Partita in E Major, BWV 1006 by Johann Sebastian Bach, from The Art of Andrés Segovia David Foster Wallace, “This is Water” Andrés Segovia, “Asturias” from Suite Española No 1, Op 47 from The American Decca Recordings   Videos referenced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJrEl4Nsmsg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWA0HEOFHpo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2xh0YW1R4o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNjNXuGQaAE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVV10Higj9E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiAbqfaYGwk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aINpJzg5Bs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GY3i8EqYPA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OFXIG_3P40 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nXJ744velc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-69wdduiOE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_neeq6ObEM&spfreload=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZDA1crTi9A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxWCYLLZRNw  

INTRO: THE INHERENT HEALTH RISKS OF PLAYING GUITAR A couple common themes have emerged with the four guitarists we’ve covered so far. First of all: being a world-renowned guitarist is, without question, bad for your health. Another lesson we can take away from Joe, Paco, and Frank is that good music rarely occurs in a vacuum. What is often considered innovation is usually an artful synthesis of musical influences. Michael Hedges’ 1981 Windham Hill release Breakfast in the Field was a landmark guitar recording full of percussive effects, open tunings, and right hand legato techniques. There’s a third thread that ties all these artists together, and it’s probably my favorite feature of their work. That is that the guitar was a vehicle that served their compositional ideas rather than the other way around.   Recordings: Matthew Cochran, “Cicadas at the Equinox” from Vapor Trail from a Paper Plane Michael Hedges, “Layover” from Breakfast In The Field Commercial Break: Season Sponsor, Strings By Mail Music Bed: Steve Reich, “Fast” from Electric Counterpoint, Pat Metheny, guitarist   PART TWO: SOME ESSENTIAL HEDGES GUITAR TECHNIQUES (AND WHY HE EMPLOYED THEM) This section of the conversation gets a bit technical. Non-guitarists, bear with me for a few minutes, or feel free to skip ahead to Part Three, where I discuss Hedges early musical influences. For my money, it doesn’t get any more quintessentially Hedges than the title track from Aerial Boundaries. If you’re interested in replicating Hedges’ legato effects, or maybe you got lost in the explanation, fear not! Here’s a talented guy named Mark Whidden who’s made a video of himself playing “Aerial Boundaries” with both hands prominently displayed:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyLXPKgfjVo   Oh, and I should mention that “Aerial Boundaries”, like all Hedges compositions, uses a Scordatura, or a non-standard tuning. This particular one is, from low to high, C2, C3, D3, G3, A3, D4. If you’d like to know more about Hedges’ tunings, I’d recommend visiting www.stropes.com   Michael Hedges is often referred to as a “fingerstyle” guitarist, but he’s also great with a pick. We listen to two tracks that feature Hedges with a pick.   Recordings Michael Hedges, “Aerial Boundaries” from Aerial Boundaries  Michael Hedges, “Fusion of Five Elements” from Scorched Michael Hedges, “Ritual Dance” from Taproot   PART THREE: HEDGES BIO AND EARLY MUSICAL INFLUENCES We explore Hedges’ early life in Enid, OK, his studies at Peabody, and his first records with Windham Hill.   Recordings: Arnold Schoenberg, “The Moonfleck” from Pierrot Lunaire, Christine Schäfer, sop., Pierre Boulez, cond.   Steve Reich and Musicians, “Pulse” from Music for 18 Musicians Music bed: Michael Hedges, “Baal T ‘Shuvah” from Beyond Boundaries Michael Hedges, “Eleven Small Roaches” from Breakfast in the Field Commercial Break: Peghead Nation Music Bed: Punch Brothers, “Flippen” from Who’s Feeling Young Now?   PART FOUR: THE JONI EFFECT Michael Hedges often cited Joni Mitchell as major influence. He understood the genius of Joni’s songwriting of course, but he also appreciated her unique, inventive, and criminally underrated approach to the guitar.   Recordings: Joni Mitchell, “Otis and Marlena” from Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter Michael Hedges, “Woman of the World” from Watching My Life Go By Joni Mitchell, “God Must Be A Boogie Man” from Mingus Michael Hedges, “After the Gold Rush” (Neil Young cover) from Aerial Boundaries   PART FIVE: THE HEDGES’ LEGACY Some closing thoughts about originality and Hedges’ lasting legacy   Recording: Michael Hedges, “Chava’s Song” from Taproot  

INTRO A quick warning: today’s episode contains profanity and adult content. Sensitive listeners may want to skip ahead to next week’s discussion of Michael Hedges. Also, I’ve changed some names around so that the people that acted like jerks in my story can continue doing so in relative anonymity.   Recordings: Matthew Cochran, “Cicadas at the Equinox” from Vapor Trail from a Paper Plane   PART ONE: ZAPPA IN THE SCIENCE LAB I talk about an incident with a high school science teacher on the day I learned about Frank Zappa’s death, which takes us to a discussion of Zappa’s cultural relevance. We explore the Parents Music Resource Center and those oddball Senate hearings involving Frank, John Denver and co.   Videos: Frank Zappa on MTV in 1984 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eT8Ip5mpZ0; Frank Zappa and John Lofton on CNN’s Crossfire in 1986https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpdvfTlKjP8 Recordings: The Mothers of Invention, “Dog Breath, In the Year of the Plague” from Uncle Meat   PART TWO: TWO FRANKS AND A WATERMELON From Frank Zappa’s first interviews promoting The Mothers of Invention’s 1966 debut Freak Out, Frank identified himself as a composer who chose rock instrumentation as his primary medium. Understanding this distinction is absolutely critical to appreciating Frank Zappa The Guitarist, because when Frank Zappa the Composer chose to highlight Frank Zappa the Guitarist, it was because Frank Zappa the Guitarist had something unique to contribute to the composition as a whole.   Recordings: Frank Zappa, “Watermelon in Easter Hay” from Joe’s Garage Commercial Break: Bernunzio Uptown Music (music bed: Lionel Loueke, “Ami-O” from Mwaliko)   PART 3: A PASTICHE OF MUSICAL INFLUENCES (FILTERED THROUGH AN ICONIC MUSTACHE) Frank is one of those rare musical figures who seemed to arrive fully formed, the master of his musical domain. As distinct and idiosyncratic as Frank’s compositional voice may seem, his music is an amalgam of disparate influences that he himself outlined in the liner notes of Freak Out. We take a look at some of the most prevalent influences throughout Fran Zappa’s compositional output.   Videos: Frank Zappa “The Lost Interview” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdncUKMFPiI Recordings: Edgar Varese: Poème électronique; Mothers of Invention, “The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet” from Freak Out; Igor Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring, San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas, cond.; Frank Zappa, “In-A-Gadda-Stravinsky” from Guitar, Muddy Waters “Country Blues” from Muddy Waters, the Early Recordings; Guitar Slim, “The Story of My Life” from Story of My Life; Howlin’ Wolf, “Who Will Be Next” from The Complete Chess Masters; Johnny Guitar Watson, “Three Hours Past Midnight” from Three Hours Past Midnight; Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, “I’m the Slime” from Overnight Sensation; Frank Zappa, “St. Alfonso’s Pancake Breakfast” from Apostrophe   Commercial Break: Santa Cruz Guitar Company (music bed: Leo Kottke, “Parade” from Leo Live)   PART 4: THE INSTRUMENTAL RECORDS Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar, Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar Some More, and Return of the Son of Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar are superb documents of Frank Zappa the Guitar Player, but they’re mostly jam records without a lot of compositional content, so after a few minutes, the tracks get a bit tedious for my taste (send angry letters to matt.goes2eleven@gmail.com). However, there are some tracks that are just plain irresistible, so I spin a couple of them.   Recordings: Frank Zappa, “Why Johnny Can’t Read” from Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar; Frank Zappa, “St. Etienne” from Jazz from Hell; Frank Zappa, “Chunga’s Revenge” from Trance-Fusion   PART FOUR: A SIT-DOWN WITH STEVE VAI, 20 YEARS LATER Another personal anecdote, this time about the great Steve Vai showing up at a coffee shop where I was playing a gig.   Recordings: Frank Zappa, “Dog Breath Variations” from Yellow Shark

Goes2Eleven continues its tribute to guitar heroes with flamenco superman Paco de Lucía. We discuss Paco’s traditional flamenco roots and his explorations beyond the folk form into jazz and world music, plus his legendary collaboration with Camerón de la Isla, and Paco’s chart-topping trio with Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin.   INTRO A reminder to G2E listeners to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Stitcher, or RSS feed, and to check us out on Facebook and Twitter. Recordings: Matthew Cochran, “Cicadas at the Equinox” from Vapor Trail from a Paper Plane   PART ONE: WE ALL PRETTY MUCH LEFT OUR HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO (1:07) Paco de Lucía was a towering figure of Nuevo Flamenco by the early 1980’s. But if you’re of a certain age, chances are good that Friday Night in San Francisco was your introduction to the guitarist. Recordings: Paco de Lucía, Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin, “Rio Ancho/Meditteranian Sunrise” from Friday Night in San Francisco   PART 2: AN OVERVIEW OF FLAMENCO CULTURE AND GUITAR PLAYING (5:02) We take a look at the connection between flamenco music and dance, and discuss some of the most common techniques employed by flamenco guitarists, such as rasgeuado and golpe. Recordings: Paco de Lucía, “Doblan Campanas” from El Duende Flamenco de Paco de Lucía; Sabicas, “Bularias” from Sabicas: the Greatest Flamenco Guitarist. Commercial Break: Bernunzio Uptown Music   PART 3: AN IMPECCABLE PEDIGREE (12:02) The guitarist we know as Paco de Lucía was born Francisco Gustavo Sánchez Gomes, December 21, 1947 in Algeciras. Paco’s earliest recordings pay homage to his upbringing in a flamenco incubator. Recordings: Niño Ricardo, “Zapateado” from The Spanish Guitar, the Flamenco Masters; Paco de Lucía, “Llanto a Cádiz” from La Fabulosa Guitarra de Paco de Lucia; Camerón de la Isla and Paco de Lucía, “Por Cositas Malas” from Castillo de Arena. Commercial Break: Santa Cruz Guitar Company   PART 4 PACO’S MATURE STYLE (25:45) The term “mature” may be a misnomer because Paco never stood still long enough to get pegged down musically. Instead, we tell the story about a musical nomad who constantly circled back to his flamenco roots, gaining wider appeal with each pass. Recordings: Paco de Lucía, “Entre dos aguas” from Fuente y caudal; Paco de Lucía, “A La Perla de Cadiz” from Almoraima; Paco de Lucía, “Ritual fire Dance” from Paco de Lucia Interprets Manuel de Falla; Paco de Lucía, “Zyryab” from Zyryab   Part 5: CONCLUSION (51:45) Recordings: Paco de Lucía, “Doblan Campanas” from El Duende Flamenco de Paco de Lucía

Goes2Eleven starts its run with a tribute to the jazz giant Joe Pass (1929-1994). We take a look at the guitarist’s early years in Johnstown, PA, his struggles with addiction throughout the 50’s, and his ascent to stardom through legendary collaborations with Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson, and his final years as a peerless solo guitar virtuoso. Visit www.goes2eleven for complete show notes.