Los Angeles Guitar Quartet – Classically Groovy in CDs
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
Late note: Helios Quartet to perform at Sundays Live this Sunday, Aug. 1. Details at end of review. BP
REVIEW…
I have always been a purist about my CDs—only hearing one album at a time. But, a friend of mine insisted that I would enjoy a multiple disc player to hear various tracks of changing musical styles. It turns out I do enjoy the eclectic. The other night, though I loaded three Los Angeles Guitar Quartet CDs and found that there are enough stylistic differences between the albums for good listening. One caution: their latest recording, “Interchange” contains a concerto by Joaquin Rodrigo and a work for guitar quartet and orchestra by Sergio Assad that properly needs to be heard as full works.
I recommend buying the three albums as a set. The first is “LAGQ Spin” released in 2006. The album is filled with sensational new compositions. In fact the “Spin” title comes from guitarist Andrew York who composed the piece while a member of LAGQ where he served with the group for 16 years.
The second album in the set should be “LAGQ Brazil” released in 2007. Recorded at George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, the 15 tracks are loaded with great material by Sergio and Odair Assad, Marco Pereira, Hermeto Pascoal, Baden Powell, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Heitor Villa-Lobos and others. Singer Luciana Souza adds her special jazz vocalizing to two tracks, although I find the voice distracting from the overall appeal of the guitar music. In addition to regular LAGQ members John Dearman, William Kanengiser, Scott Tennant and Matthew Greif, Katisse Buckingham’s flute is downright sassy.
The third album is their latest Telarc release, “Interchange” that musically draws attention to Los Angeles freeways and its intersection with our diverse cultures and influences. Two works are heard on the album performed by the LAGQ with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra conducted here by David Amado. The album opens with “Concierto Andaluz” by Rodrigo. Written in 1965, it is a perfect musical companion to his well-known composition “Concierto d’Aranjuez”. Assad, commenting on his “Interchange”, says of this work, ” ‘Interchange’ grew out of my view of the quartet’s ability to blend different music styles into a unique and novel interpretation. I used their individual taste in music as starting points for the first four movements and I end the piece with the coalescence of these four different pieces forming an interchange.” As Assad says, each Los Angeles Guitar Quartet member has an opportunity to display individual abundance of talent.
The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet is a multi-winning Grammy group that has performed for nearly 30 years.
Note: Four current or former students of William Kanengiser, a founding member of the LAGQ will perform as the Helios Guitar Quartet this Sunday, Aug. 1 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in the Leo S. Bing Theater at 6:00 p.m. The guitar quartet will perform selections from J. S. Bach’s Well -tempered Clavier and other works. Part of the museum’s Sundays Live, the performance can be heard and seen at www.helioguitarquartet.com Admission is free.
By Bill Peters
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