Check out my friend’s review of Ani DeFranco’s concert, which we attended together in Singapore on 10 Feb 2009.

Thomas Leeb refers to his music as “the bastard child of accoustic guitar”.

Links:

No Woman No Cry

Grooveyard

I really like Larry Coryell. I bought his album “New High” today. I also discovered the very enjoyable sounds of Shunzo Ono, a trumpeter who plays with Coryell on the album.

Check out the videos below and see how versatile Coryell is. I bet you didn’t know Coryell plays mean blues guitar as well.

Our Love is Here To Stay

Slow Blues

Greensleeves

Free Improvisation

Bolero

Eleventh House

Tricycles

Blues For Hank

I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive

Cold Cold Heart

Kaw Liga

Long Gone Lonesome Blues

Why Don’t You Love Me

This is another special treat for all of you. Joe Pass, the legendary jazz guitarist, teams up with Roy Clark, the legendary country guitarist to play the songs of Hank Williams.

You Win Again

Hey Good Lookin

Jambalaya

I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love with You)

Mind Your Own Business

It gives me great pleasure to listen to wonderful music and even greater pleasure to share it with the world. In the case of Xenovibes, all these pleasures are doubled because Shueh-li Ong, half of Xenovibes (the other half being John Anthony Martinez), is a Singaporean sound engineer cum multi-instrumentalist who plays the guqin , the tin whistle and the theremin with world class talent. The theremin is an obscure and incredibly difficult instrument to master, probably the only musical instrument that you play without touching. And I’m convinced someone who plays the theremin can hear stuff that normal people can’t. (By the way, did you know that Lenin once learnt to play the theremin?)

The music shows very eclectic influences (reminds me of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “Neo-Geo” concept) and sounds really progressive. Their version of Lovers’ Tears” which you can hear below is wonderful. It has something that other versions I heard don’t have – a respect for the original tune. And it captures the mood of the original without being derivative. “Lover’s Tears” is one of my favorite tunes. Their version has no heartbroken female vocalist (Poon Sow Keng) singing to wring your heart but surprisingly, it achieves the same effect nonetheless! I love it. My favorite Xenovibe tune! I can listen to it the whole day.

You can check out Xenovibes’ music here; where I got hooked on their version of “Lovers Tears”.

Here is an interview with Shueh-Li.

Here are some videos.

Tamorgano

Music From Another Land

Neu Genteels – Nuevo

Been There Too

Ethnicity

I have no idea who Don Nick is (I heard about him on the Jimmy Bruno Guitar Institute forums) but he sure deserves to be more well known. Check out him playing Giant Steps below. The first video is at a faster tempo than the second.

Giant Steps

Also see these videos.

Oleo

Summertime

Let’s Don’t Worry

I like the refrain “You’ve got a good vibration”.

From Playing For Change, a foundation with a good cause to connect the world through music. See their blog too.

One of my favourite tunes on my favourite instrument. I would love to learn and play this.

Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence

As performed byKotaro Oshio:

As taught by him (in Japanese):

As played byTakeshi Inomata:

As played by sanji811:

As played by Kazu:

As played by Pipokenny:

Jack Wilkins – Sheryl Bailey – Guitar Duo