Sam Pachetti & Baigorri Tempranillo

Sam Pacetti is quite a talent on the guitar. His picking style is reminiscent of Leo Kottke and Chris Proctor while his vocals remind me of the coffeehouses where I used to play back in the early 1970s. He debuted his first recording, “Solitary Travel” at the age of 22.  He learned to play the guitar from his flamenco-playing Cuban grandfather then went on the pursue classical guitar studies.  He fuses American traditional folk music with English reels and ballads, following in the footsteps of the great English guitarist Martin Simpson whose songs he often plays. He’s a storyteller as well as a musician and listening to him is a great way to kick back and unwind. My Dad used to play "Eight More Miles to Louisville" and this brings back fond memories of him. Enjoy.

Drowned Lovers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2vopYMiXe4

That’s all: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLBNdxN_2ZY

Shawnee Town: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dFLhF1RGeg

At the Warehouse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwtT5S73GO0&feature=related

Eight more miles to Louisville: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf4BqlQkS7k&feature=related

Layover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpLzv6BS59Y&feature=related

Only then will your house be blessed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPG0y8whpjQ

Richland Woman Blues, Jelly Roll, Back porch boogie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-Dawyltou4&feature=related 

See you in my dreams: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQEVBkXBPnI&feature=related

Bach Prelude #1 in D minor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGGIcwgcRkQ&feature=related

Augustine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FdzSn95jWM&feature=related

Christians and the Outlaws: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-rnX1H_7k4&feature=related

Medley: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu3dOLHoxOM

While I was in the Netherlands staying with a friend, he opened a bottle of Bodegas Baigorri 2005 Crianza made of 100% Tempranillo. About $15.00 in the U.S. The wine is aged for 12 months in new French oak and has a nose of spice, black cherry, blackberry and subtle note of oak. The palate is juicy with layers of cherry, raspberry, and vanilla with a long spicy finish. This is an elegant Rioja with excellent structure and balance. A great wine for listening to some excellent guitar as the weekend winds to a close.

Cheers!

Lawson Rollins and Crozes Hermitage Les Jalet

Just returned from a grueling European business trip—Amsterdam, Paris, Groningen, and Leiden all in seven days. Didn’t sleep much, but had some great science discussions, met with old friends, and drank some nice wines. I had today’s guitarist in the que for posting, but thought I’d move it up since Duane Pemberton (Facebook Friend) posted one of Lawson’s amazing videos.

When I first heard Lawson Rollins some years ago, I was blown away, not just by his technical proficiency, but his passionate interpretations of free-flowing Latin jazz, easy listening bossa nova, melodic classical pieces, and fiery flamenco, were an astounding combination of guitar styles. He has received critical acclaim through numerous collaborations, radio airplay, and the admiration of his guitarist peers. Guitar Player Magazine wrote, "Rollins seduces in so many ways that it's almost unfair. His classical tone is gorgeous, his technique is impeccable, his subtle genre blending is compelling."

Lawson developed a love for the Spanish guitar in his mid-teens through the recordings of classical guitar maestro, Andres Segovia. Through private study with several guitar teachers and master class workshops, Lawson developed his own expressive voice on the guitar and honed what, in my opinion, is an uncommonly dexterous classical fingerstyle technique. 

By his early twenties, Lawson's sense of rhythm, compositional ability, and love of improvisation led him in the direction of the improvisational freedom of Latin jazz and rhythmically enticing Spanish folk guitar styles. After graduating with an English major from Duke University and a graduate degree from the London School of Economics, Lawson moved to Washington, D.C. and in 1998 partnered with guitarist Daniel Young to form the genre-busting Latin guitar fusion group Young & Rollins. In 2007 after years of successful partnerships, Lawson moved to San Francisco to pursue his ambitions as a soloist. His style combines salsa, Latin jazz, blues, samba, bossa nova, flamenco, and classical music, all based on around a solid foundation of sparkling technical ability. I hope you enjoy him.

The Fire Cadenza: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ9PRzIyzFA

Santa Ana Wind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g9HvbKiHNc&feature=fvwrel

Improvisations on Persian Night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZS1Dsk2GPU&feature=relmfu

Southwind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHb0tilEtLU&feature=related

Migration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOZTWFNpjT8&feature=related

Into the Light: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOWIKMmiWN0&feature=related

Havana Heat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeLQA12aRes&feature=related

Echos of Madrid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65wEH9Kb_ZM

Espiritu: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn86Rvrm5Fg

Moonlight Samba: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyRS1Ix4bAA

The Awakening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB5vsRbOWws

Capetown Sky: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6owfeGZ2C1Y

Footprints: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88AKPpAvK0A

Persian Night: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZS1Dsk2GPU&feature=relmfu

Since I spent some time in France last week, I’m going to pair  Lawson with a 2008 Crozes Hermitage Les Jalet  from  Paul Jaboulet-Aîné that I enjoyed there. Crozes-Hermitage is an appellation for wines from an area on the eastern bank of the Rhone River, to the north and south of Tain L'Hermitage town. Its name, “jalets,” comes from the the Old French word for the pebbles left by alpine glaciers, as can be found at Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Crozes-Hermitage wines are made almost exclusively from Syrah.

Like any good Syrah, its color is dark ruby and displays fragrant red and dark berry fruit scents. Its supple dark cherry and raspberry flavors are accompanied by some peppery spice and friendly tannins. The finish is silky with a bit of lingering sweetness. It went well with my steak tartare, just as it goes well with the music of Lawson Rollins. Enjoy!

Cheers!

Susan Tedeschi & Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc

One again I find myself wide awake at 4:00 AM in a foreign country. Fortunately the day looks light: A 3 hour ride on a high speed train to Paris, the afternoon free, and an evening dinner with a scientist who could be a very exciting collaborator. But for now, how about some music? Born November 9, 1971, Susan Tedeschi is a blues and soul musician who has received multiple Grammy nominations. She’s known for her soulful singing and blues guitar, and her marriage to Derek Trucks, the slide playing blues guitarist for the Allman brothers has enhanced her music by adding an extra dimension to her creativity.

Back in 1995, her then boyfriend, Boston musician Tim Gearan taught Tedeschi how to play blues guitar. It must have set her on fire because it was then she really began to hone her skills on the instrument. Since then, she’s opened for the likes of B. B. King, John Mellencamp, the Allman Brothers Band, and Buddy Guy. In 2003, she even opened for the Rolling Stones.

Musically, she’s been influenced by Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Freddie King, and Doyle Bramhall II. In 2001, she married Derek Trucks whom she met when she was the opening act on the Allman Brothers Band’s 1999 tour. With Tedeschi’s powerful vocals and Derek Trucks playing incredible slide guitar, they compliment one another like no other blues couple and now tour as the Derek Trucks & Susan Tedeschi Band. And if you want to see two of the greatest slide guitarists add a bit of Allman Brothers flavor to Tedeschi’s act, check out Comin Home. Warren Haynes wailing like no other can. If you like the blues, you’re going to love them. Enjoy!

Little by little: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9I6lQNK6Ok

Comin Home: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEhRsEk4iZw&feature=related

Anyday: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXD6cYOPBFI&feature=fvwrel

Ain’t no use: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFrFHKgWacA&feature=related

Get out of my life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWezyb9ijNk&feature=related

Let the good times roll: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZWJgo2jyCM&feature=related

Space Cowboy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Eb_UXDxUbs&feature=related

Rock me right: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5yVkoLhByw&feature=related

Just won’t burn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSZ7IV3lJYg

Angel from Montgomery: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlcP3FOTM0U

When I left Lincoln, winter had hit with a vengeance, meaning snow, ice, cold, and crummy driving. It makes me long for the days of summer and sitting in the yard with a chilled Sauvignon Blanc. In fact, I’m going to live in that memory and suggest you get a bottle of Cloudy Bay Sauv, chill it, and stare at a picture that reminds you of summer, even if you do have the fireplace going.

Along with the Sauvs from Kim Crawford and Whitehaven, Cloudy bay is one of my favorite New Zealand wines. Its color is a pale green with fragrances of ripe stone fruit and citrus. The subtle grapefruit flavor that I so love in New Zealand Sauvs comes out in the palate, zesty and succulent. This is a plush Sauv with a lingering crisp finish. Oh yeah, can’t you just feel the sunshine, can’t you just feel the moonshine…that’s James Taylor going to Carolina, which doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Here in the Netherlands, I’ll let the memory cut through the cold drizzle and take me back to blues on the iPod and a classic Sauvignon Blanc in my glass.

Cheers!

Jan Akkerman & Clayhouse Syrah

I’m in the Netherlands on business right now, so it’s only appropriate that I present a great Dutch guitarist. Jan Akkerman (born 1946) has done almost anything a musician can possibly do. He’s worked with musicians like BB King, Charlie Byrd, Cozy Powell, Claus Ogerman and Ice-T, besides being a former member of internationally acclaimed bands such as Brainbox and Focus. He’s made more than a dozen solo records that lean toward jazz-fusion and smooth jazz in a style reminiscent of Larry Carlton. Jan combines elements of rock, jazz, blues, classical and modern dance music creating a unique signature sound and style.

On stage, Akkerman has appeared several times at the Swiss Montreux Jazz Festival and the Dutch North Sea Jazz Festival as well as on countless tours around theatres and stages far beyond Western Europe to countries like Japan, Russia, Brazil, and Indonesia. Being a big fan of Larry Carlton, I’ve quickly become a fan of Jan and I think you will too. Enjoy!

Central Station: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfHhz2_hGag

Solo Acoustic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAdiSc3c3l8

Hocus Pocus finale: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BiRCvfARGE&feature=related

While my guitar gently weeps: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32X_vMgloow&feature=related

Akkerman-Rosenberg Trio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzRv9k_JoYs&feature=related

With Leoni Jansen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-XhInSeAX4&feature=related

Blues Café: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6plgx2ppsU&feature=related

In the Mood: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzdcEKtU6CQ&feature=related

Palace of the king: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGG96TLhiGg&feature=related

Tranquilizer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2CdKcOI5XM&feature=related

Cool in the shadow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiHJ7FMtqT4&feature=related

Shame on you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNkpOmvtvGQ&feature=related

Blind baby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSXdB66e5kc&feature=related

Hocus Pocus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFDW9b_ejfI&feature=related

I’ll pair Jan with a 2005 Clayhouse Syrah ($15.00) that I tried on a recent trip to Chicago. The wine is a dark ruby colored wine with and aroma tinged white pepper and slightly floral notes that give way to rich black cherry, cedar and cola flavors while supported with smooth tannins and a hint of vanilla. Pairs well with a guitar legend. Enjoy!

Cheers!