Just in case some of you haven't had the pleasure

[John Steele]

In the spirit of someone's post in another thread with a classic vid of Joni...

youtu.be/

Michael Hedges circa late 80's. The Martin shown was his 'workhorse'

[kiwigeo]

This guy makes some of those modern day electric shredders look a bit tame.

[Nick]

Damn Hippies
Just goes to show, there's nothing new really,just reinvented. I always thought Frank Gambale was the sweep picking innovator until I watched Gypsy jazz players who were doing that stuff back in the fifties

Thanks John, it's a nice piece.

[seeaxe]

I have to admit, I'd never heard of this guy, so when I saw this, I spent a couple of wonderful hours looking at youtube which lead to looking for the transcript of Bach's cello concerto which is one of my favourite pieces of music - which lead to finding it, which lead to sitting down with the final cup of tea of the day and having a go at playing it before I went to bed.

This leads me to a couple of philosophical conclusions.

1. If JSB had been around today would'nt he have been the world's best bass player, because he IS the worlds best bass player, ever, IMHO. In fact he is the best musician ever. How's that for a thread starter?

2. The world is a completely and utterly f****d up place where all sorts of terrible things happen every day BUT man, isnt the internet a fantastic thing? People like us are just so lucky because we happen to have been born in the right place and time. It has arrived in my lifetime and the things it enables me to do blow my mind, what there is left of it.

Not the least, this forum, which is truly a place of many wonders.

That's enough philosophy, its time for another beer. (You can probably sense there have been a few already -its been one of those weeks!!)

Lastly but not leastly thanks to John for a great, great post. The rest of you should try to out do him and come up with something better.

Richard

[Dennis Leahy]

I had the pleasure, the honour, and the luck to have seen/heard Michael Hedges play live, twice. Once as a solo act, and the other time in a concert of two solo acts, Michael Manring (the incredible bassist), and Hedges, and for part of the Hedges concert, he had Manring come out and they played together.

You know how some artists, well, any person for that matter, is often undeservedly elevated in status after they die? I can tell you that the buzz surrounding the Michael Hedges legend is not hype. From what I have read, Michael viewed himself as a composer, and was not keen on "simply" being known as guitar player. He had a strong stage presence, he was witty, and entertaining. He recited a poem at one of the concerts, played flute and a bit of keyboard, and sang lyrics he had written. In my opinion, he was just OK as a lyricist, flautist, pianist, and singer - even when he played his guitar as accompaniment to his own singing. But when he just played his guitar instrumentally, succeeding in transforming it into something more symphonic or orchestral than a mere guitar, he created something magical, beyond music. It wasn't just virtuosic playing or passionate playing, it was a spellbinding, transcendent, immersive, mystical, otherworldly experience that rearranged the molecules in my neural pathways and transformed me.

I know it sounds like I was high on drugs, but the pot wore off early and Michael's playing was more powerful than drugs.

I wish each of his concerts had been professionally video taped, because you only get a glimpse of the experience from the available video clips. I had not seen this particular video clip, which is good quality, and want to thank John for unearthing it.

Dennis