Guthrie Govan and La Forge Estate Pinot Noir

Just got back from a ten-day trip to Holland where I have several research collaborations. That explains my hiatus from posting. Tonight I want to introduce you to Guthrie Govan (born 27 December 1971 in Chelmsford, England), a brilliant master of all things guitar. Guthrie began playing guitar at the age of three, encouraged by his father, and initially learned mainly by ear. He studied English at Oxford for a year, but left to establish a career in music. In 1993 he won Guitarist Magazine’s Guitarist of the Year competition with his composition, “Wonderful Slippery Thing,” a version of which I’ve included below.

To me, what makes Guthrie stand out is his versatility. I’ve included videos of him playing in the style of many of the great guitarists of our time and don’t miss the one labeled, “Mimicking the Guitar Greats.” He’s got technique oozing out of every pore of his skin, but his sense of composition and melody weaves musical poetry with each song. Rather than being just a lightning fast shredder, he’s a guitar storyteller. So kick back and listen to “The Tales of Guthrie Govan.”

Fives: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yPEewaalik

Robben Ford style: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GOs7iLKaTI&feature=relmfu

Funky Blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEubiUaDq0o&feature=relmfu

Larry Carlton style: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUZK9dasP8s&feature=relmfu

Bullet Blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J503OvHWKko&feature=relmfu

Albert King style: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbJUs8QPxqc&feature=relmfu

Satriani style blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMznXdD4kX4&feature=relmfu

Mimicking the guitar greats: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaIzEo013iI&feature=related

Orange Jam: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71izserFcek&feature=related

Jam on a fretless guitar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PyOZhgQnvU&feature=related

Wonderful Slippery Thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc1tFoxTepM&feature=related

Waves: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ct7qKCK8UM&feature=related

Chick Corea’s Spain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qzlrfe3t3o0&feature=related

While I was visiting Groningen, I had a very nice 2009 Pinot Noir from La Forge Estates. It’s about $10.00 in the U.S. and a good buy. La Forge wines are made by Domaines Paul Mas from grapes mainly grown at the Domaine La Forge in the Languedoc. The main part of the vineyards is located on the East of the city of Carcassonne in the Languedoc, in Limoux. This area is one of the best adapted for growing Pinot Noir in the South of France, due to its altitude and the cooler temperatures. Its color is garnet red with a nose of strawberries, cherries, and spice with hints of vanilla. It’s a medium bodied wine with a palate that follows the nose and has good acidity. Nice finish and for $10.00, you won’t go wrong. Combine it with Guthrie’s virtuoso guitar and you’ve got a great way to end the weekend. Enjoy!

Cheers!

A life well lived

No wine review tonight. Instead, I want to talk about two of my heros. Yesterday, we had the memorial service for my son-in-law, Matt Byerly. He died Monday morning at the age of 25 of a horrible cancer. Yet in spite of the tremendous pain and difficulty he suffered, he faced death with dignity, grace, courage, and humor. He was confident of his future, as he was a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, as am I. My daughter Rachel stood by him through two and a half years of surgery after surgery, several drug trials, and finally, his death. His last hours were agitated as his body began to shut down, yet when Rachel told him that she’d be all right, and if he saw Jesus, he could go, he took her arm,  squeezed it three time, their signal for “I love you,” and died. He’s now with Christ celebrating a life well lived. So tonight I celebrate the lives of two courageous young people from whom I’ve learned so much over these past few years.

I’ve place links to some music videos of Matt’s favorite songs as well as a few that I think are appropriate to a celebration of a life well lived. First songs may seem a bit melancholy, but you’re gonna wanna stomp in celebration by the end. I’ve included the lyrics to a Big Daddy Weave song that says it all. Matt’s lifesong definitely sang to God.

Lifesong: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaia32TsPq0

Counting on God: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jdkfdClHOM

There will be a day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TipLsmZgjI

I will rise:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf7t3P9ISrE

Amazing Grace: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8YRapsaRfE&feature=related

One of these days: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHdSgQVIb5c

I can only imagine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_lrrq_opng&feature=relmfu

Praise you in the storm: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHdcyue0bSw&feature=related

Blessed be your name: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qp11X6LKYY

Jesus is just all right: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqCccV6Y31s&feature=fvst

In the light: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dProAJbetmY

Revolution: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr41skFqzb8

Brighter Day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMryIz0fg9s

Declaration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JurwjWEZyc

Stomp: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AdYnFY_bZ0

Hanging by a thread, From the tree of this life

I've been spinning round and round and round

Inside my flesh cocoon

An old beat up Pinto might be what I drive for now

But I'll be driving a Cadillac soon

Cause you know one day I will fly

To my mansion in the sky

And I'll have no regrets

when I leave this place for good

When I say my last farewell

oh, please don't forget to tell them

That I'm not really dead

I'm just changing neighborhoods

Living in this place that is only temporary

I said that this old world is in the process of slipping away

Though I have such a future

I've got to be wary that my bright tomorrow doesn't blind me

to what God has for me today

Cause you know one day I will fly

To my mansion in the sky

And I'll have no regrets

when I leave this place for good

When I say my last farewell

oh, please don't forget to tell them

That I'm not really dead

I'm just changing neighborhoods

Cause you know one day I will fly

To my mansion in the sky

And I'll have no regrets

when I leave this place for good

When I say my last farewell

oh, please don't forget to tell them

That I'm not really dead

I'm just changing neighborhoods

Alvin Youngblood Hart & Vincent Ricard Sauvignon Blanc

Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Alvin Youngblood Hart is continuing on the path laid down by acoustic blues practitioners like Taj Mahal, Guy Davis, and other '90s blues revivalists, but his roots go back much further than that, to the classic stylings of Bukka White, Charlie Patton, Leadbelly, and Blind Willie McTell.

Born in 1963 in Oakland California, he used to take summer trips to his grandparents' home in the hills of northern Mississippi, and it was there that his passion for acoustic blues was first sparked. There, people lived as they did in the 19th century, without the luxuries of indoor plumbing or phones, and often used horse-drawn wagons in place of cars.

When his parents settled in Schaumburg, IL, he began frequenting Maxwell Street in nearby Chicago, hobnobbing with the local musicians. Several years later, his parents moved back to California and Alvin began playing on the blues club scene. He soon became fed up with the politics of it and began finding his own voice, independent of any group, playing acoustic blues by himself.

Hart is known as one of the world's foremost practitioners of the country blues genre, but he’s well versed in rock, Western swing, and country, playing acoustic and electric guitar, banjo, and even mandolin.

He received the 1997 W.C Handy Award for Best New Artist, as well as two Living Blues Awards. More recently, in 2005, Hart received a Grammy Award for his contribution to Beautiful Dreamer-The Songs of Stephen Foster. So kick back and listen to the blues the way they were meant to be played.

Illinois blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nhk2GJAfvg

Pony blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tf3HJvLALR0

If the blues was money: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSh59vdSXJY

Gallows pole: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_T89f6IVxw

All her lovin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkWSX2sK0fc

Talk to your daughter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edPkZ5uS2mM&feature=related

Deep sea blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEF7vH1fG7I

Shoot me a grin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb1PNeXLoyE

Hellhound on my trail: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lgFAwbjYsU&feature=related

Screamin & Hollerin blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1USO-ZlHL2c&feature=related

Ouachita run: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Ff21X92vk&feature=related

Livin in a strain: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSNsggL5AoQ&feature=related

It’s a beautiful summer evening and summer means Sauvignon Blanc in my book. So tonight I’m drinking a 2010 Domaine Vincent Ricard Potine Sauvignon Blanc Touraine. The color is a pale yellow-green. It’s almost New Zealand-like with its bouquet of grapefruit and hints of lemon and apples. The palate is vibrant with green apples, more grapefruit, and lemon. Crisp, refreshing, and excellent for a warm summer night and the music of Alvin Youngblood Hart. Ejoy!

Cheers!

Arlen Roth and Stolpman Sauvignon Blanc

Known as "The Master of the Telecaster," Arlen Roth is a guitarist's guitarist. He is a highly regarded authority concerning "all things guitar." His first solo album won the Montreaux Critics' Award for Best Instrumental Album of the Year in 1978.

His legendary guitar prowess crosses all genres, all styles, and all types of guitar playing, including one of his specialties, slide guitar. He fluidly moves from folk and blues to country tunes, and has played some of the most resounding rock ever recorded. He is a master of acoustic ballads, (don’t miss his acoustic version of Layla included below that has been critically acclaimed as being better than Eric Clapton's version) and the most powerful version of "When a Man Loves a Woman" ever recorded, which Guitar Player magazine called "likely the most intense workout ever recorded on a Telecaster." And for you acoustic enjoyment, don’t miss his version of Anji. It’s a killer.

In addition to his recording and concerts, he’s considered an important influence on learning to play the guitar and other instruments around the world. In 1979, he and his late wife, Deborah, founded Hot Licks , a guitar learning resources company, the first to videotape famous musicians demonstrating their techniques and individual styles, creating an important historical as well as teaching legacy. I have a video of Rory Block and one of Keb Mo, both have helped my feeble style immensely…at east in my own mind. To date, the company has shipped over two million videos worldwide, while producing an extensive library of books and guitar-related materials. You’re gonna like this monster of a guitarist.

Blues Improv: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P769t-_7MKo

Tequilla: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmuTcr7pUKM&feature=related

The art of blues soloing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHq8Xy3ByTU&feature=related

Heavy funk blues: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAdQohBt1Qs&feature=related

Treat her right with Jack Bruce: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z6ajBqBgC4&feature=related

House of the rising sun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz6fxZYK4jE&feature=related

When a man loves a woman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-AK5Nls57k&feature=related

Can’t stop loving you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVeQGwYc1iE&feature=related

Georgia on my mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0sHJU00bt4&feature=related

Mrs. Robinson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNDVHjm7UWQ&feature=related

Anji: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5KkETZsM3w&feature=related

Classical Gas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqXfic4doeg&feature=related

Don’t think twice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oytp4UxfhA&feature=related

Upstate Rag: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaER3btofVA&feature=related

Toolin around with Sonny Landreth: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwVJV-0-0K0&feature=related

Ballad of a thin man: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AsWVKSX1Bg&feature=related

Layla: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O02eF96r-w

My favorite summer wines are Sauvignon Blanc, Albarino, and Reisling. New Zealand gets a lot of good press on their Sauvignon Blancs, but tonight’s American version can go toe to toe with the best of them. The 2010 Stolpman Sauvignon Blanc ($16.00) hits with aromas of apples, pears, and citrus. The first sip feels almost effervescent in the mouth. It’s light and crisp, full of green apples and citrus with a finish reminiscent of a classic Sancerre. I am so glad I’ve got a case of it sitting in my cellar. A bottle of this and the music of Arlen Roth is a great way to welcome summer. Enjoy!

Cheers!

Dimitri Illarionov & Brancaia Tre

Dimitri Illarionov (born 1979) is a brilliant young Russian classical guitarist. In 1997, he graduated with honors from the Academic Music College at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, then studied at the Russian Gnesins's Academy of Music with Professor Alexander Frauchi, graduating cum laude in 2002. He studied with the Russian composer and guitarist Nikita Koshkin as well as prominent guitarists Carlo Marchione and Roberto Ausselll.

Dimitri is the winner and laureate of numerous international competitions in the USA, Spain, Italy, Poland, Belgium, the Czech Republic, and Russia. He took second place in the III Alexander Tansman International Competition of Musical Personalities (Lodz, Poland - 2000) in which piano, violin, cello, guitar and other instruments compete directly with each other. Dimitri’s success there was the highest place ever by a guitarist.  In October 2002 Illarionov won one of the most prestigious guitar competitions in the world – The Twentieth International Guitar Foundation of America Solo Guitar Competition (GFA – Miami, Florida, USA). He followed that in 2006 when he won prizes for best interpretations of the music of two of the best-known Romantic composers for guitar – the Francisco Tarrega Prize (Francisco Tarrega Competition in Benicassim, Spain) and the Agustin Barrios Prize (Agustin Barrios Competition in Nuoro, Italy). Currently, he is on a concert tour across Europe. He musical repertoire is diverse ranging from baroque to Renaissance, to modern. He is truly a bright rising star in the world of classical guitar. Hope you like him.

Las Abejas by Agustín Barrios: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ev6HXhENXQ&feature=related

Passacaglia by Tansman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WlQJ24qWNk&feature=related

Francisco Tarrega’s Carnival of Venice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn--js38c50&feature=related

Richard Johnson’s The Promise: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaZCxAPV17Y&feature=related

Tango en Skai by Roland Dyens: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaRpQKjBEJQ&feature=related

Aranjuez by Rodrigo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPRPz3jjLzE&feature=related

Un dia de Noviembre" by Leo Brouwer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-pPQM_LdSY&feature=related

Valseana (II) & Preludio e Toccatina: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKG38G7SqHM&feature=related

Alexei Rybnikov "Andersen's Fairy Tales": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rt0oiL6gSs&feature=related

Virtuosos of Guitar concert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO65JHmmIw0&feature=related

Skye Boat Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB8e-xNIDzo

I think European when I listen to classical guitar so I’m pairing Dimitri with the 2007 Brancaia Tre ($20.00). Tre means three and as the name implies, it’s a blend of predominantly Sangiovese with touches of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. It was the #10 wine in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 of 2009 and it’s a spectacular value. Aromas of dark berries and fresh flowers are followed by flavors of raspberry, blackberry and coffee with velvety tannins and a long soft finish full of fruit character. The 2007 is the best of the vintages I’ve tasted of this wine, but you won’t go wrong with any of them. Beautiful wine and a brilliant guitarist make for a great way to end the weekend. Enjoy!

Cheers!