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MP3 Richard Gilewitz - Strings for a Season
15 MP3 Songs in this album (39:44) !
Related styles: FOLK: Fingerstyle, SPIRITUAL: Hymns
Details:
Strings for a Season - Richard Gilewitz
GillaZilla Records/ GZ7070/ October 1, 2008
GillaZilla Records has released Strings for a Season, a collection of favorite seasonal tunes, gathered up by fingerstyle guitarist Richard Gilewitz. Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, with Grammy award winning sound engineer Tim Roberts, and co-produced with Grammy nominated artist Tim May, Strings for a Season is a flurry of sounds from a family of strings from guitar, cello, violin, mandolin, banjo, and piano.
This 15-track release features nine guitar arrangements from Mel Bay Publications author Stephen C. Siktberg’s 1993 book, Christmas Music for Acoustic Guitar along with a John Fahey arrangement of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, and five arrangements by Richard Gilewitz, inspired by John Fahey’s earlier popular Christmas albums.
Each track contains the signature 6 and 12-string guitar sounds of Richard Gilewitz as he shares the spotlight with the ambiance of cello from Laurie Jarski and Deidre Emerson, piano and keyboard from David Webb, and the violin of Gretchen Priest. Tim May, recording artist who has played with the likes of Patty Loveless, Eddie Rabbit, and Charlie Daniels, adds his touch with mandolin, tenor banjo, acoustic guitar and resophonic guitar. All solo guitar performances are by Richard Gilewitz except for a guitar duet with Tim May on “Angels We Have Heard on High”
According to Richard, his leap into the commercial arena of holiday music for his 7th recording “began nearly a year after first hearing Stephen Siktberg’s CD filled with utterly brilliant and tasteful guitar arrangements of popular seasonal tunes. These pieces from his release simply titled Christmas Music for Acoustic Guitar, stuck with me long enough to get my attention and never let go.
“Convinced that I heard two guitars playing simultaneously, one day just out of curiosity I examined the music and realized these were arrangements for one guitar. I was floored and hooked! I believe the first piece I attempted was “Deck the Halls” and after four more years I selected my favorites from the book, along with some of my own arrangements inspired by John Fahey’s earlier popular Christmas albums.”
Strings for a Season is also available from https://www.tradebit.com and other retail outlets.
1. Deck the Halls* (Traditional Welsh Carol) 1:56
2. O Tannenbaum/We Wish You A Merry Christmas* (Traditional German Carol/ English Folksong) 3:19
3. O, Holy Night* (Adolphe Adam) 4:14
4. O Come, All Ye Faithful* (J.F. Wade) 1:56
5. Silent Night (Franz Gruber) 2:56
6. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing* (Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy) 3:02
7. Angels We Have Heard on High (Traditional French Carol) 2:18
8. What Child Is This? (16th Century English Melody) 2:44
9. Joy to the World* (George Frideric Handel) 1:40
10. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (19th Century English Carol) 2:48
11. The First Noel* (17th Century English Carol) 2:16
12. We Three Kings of Orient Are (John H. Hopkins, Jr.) 2:30
13. O, Little Town of Bethlehem* (Lewis H. Redner) 3:00
14. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear* (Richard Storrs Willis) 2:40
15. Jingle Bells (J. Pierpont) 2:15
*Guitar arrangements by Stephen C. Siktberg from “Christmas Music for Acoustic Guitar”, Mel Bay Publications 1993
Track 10. Guitar arrangement by John Fahey
Tracks 5, 7, 8, 12, 15. Guitar arrangements by Richard Gilewitz
All solo guitar performances by Richard Gilewitz, except for guitar duet with Tim May on Track 7
Richard Gilewitz
Richard Gilewitz has been touted as one of the strangest men in acoustic music today – fascinating audiences with fingerstyle gymnastics on his 6 and 12-string guitars while spinning yarns too unbelievable not to be true. His ability to make one guitar sound like an entire orchestra stems from 35 years of well-honed technique and 27 years of worldwide touring, fashioning his own signature sound that has been captured on his seven releases. But it is his live show - laced with the sounds of blues, folk, classical, traditional and points in between - that brings out the best in this man. Gilewitz definitely follows a distinct cadence that generates a continuing radiance, glowing a little brighter with each tune and tale.
As a youngster, Richard embraced artists such as The Beatles, Andres Segovia, Leo Kottke, Arlo Guthrie, John Fahey, and Flatt & Scruggs. Soaking up the wealth of inspiration supplied by the diverse acts featured on the “Dr. Demento Radio Show” and “The Midnight Special”, Richard welcomed the challenge of mastering and adapting many styles of music for the acoustic guitar – a trait that continues to mark his signature sound today. States Richard, “My own upbringing in the world of fingerstyle guitar always seems to come from two angles. One being the more classically inspired and in this case a somewhat Baroque approach, while the other stems from what John Fahey referred to as his own “American Primitive” brand of composition and performance. The attacks and “attitude” towards the instrument are very different. As a composer and player, drawn to the techniques and repertoire of the nylon and steel string guitars, I am always intrigued and challenged while fusing the two styles.”
Richard began honing his skills both as a performer and composer during the late 1970’s at the University of Alabama, playing the local coffeehouse circuit while pursing degrees in Computer Science, Mathematics, and Music. Following graduation, Richard placed his music career in the background and joined the business world of flight simulation design, telemetry and satellite systems. Soon the pull of his passion for music was so compelling that Richard left corporate life to teach and perform full time.
The 1980’s brought Richard to Florida where he released his first LP recording, Somewhere In Between. He has released six more CD recordings, Voluntary Solitary, Synapse Collapse, The Music of David Walbert, Thumbsing, Live at 2nd Street Theater, and Strings for a Season, plus an instructional guitar video and a self produced solo instrumental collection. Collaborating with Mel Bay Publications, Richard’s “Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar Workshop” book with an audio CD and instructional DVD was released in June 2005, as well as a DVD of popular tunes.
His wit and humor constantly fascinate audiences worldwide, whether he is playing a solo performance or sharing the stage with other artists. He has appeared in concert with The California Guitar Trio, John McCutcheon, John Renbourn, Mose Allison, John Fahey, Leo Kottke, Norman Blake, Kenny G, Adrian Legg, The Little River Band, David Bromberg, Taj Mahal, Greg Brown, John Hammond, Steve Morse, Patty Larkin, The Indigo Girls, Joe Ely, Rory Block, America, Mike Cross, Sonny Landreth, Maria Muldaur, Jane Siberry, and Jorma Kaukonen.
As an educator as well as a performer, Richard is actively sought after for his popular Clinic Workshop Series on behalf of several major music manufacturers including Audio Technica, Breedlove Guitars, D''Addario/Planet Waves, Intellitouch Tuners, LR Baggs, and Shubb Capos. His “Meet the Artist/Music in the Schools Enrichment Program”® gives Richard the opportunity to meet with elementary, middle school, and high school students across the nation as he conducts in-residence sessions. Richard also teaches private lessons and Master Classes and is the creator of GillaCamp – a three-day guitar adventure.
Here’s what folks are saying about Richard’s performances:
“Richard Gilewitz is possibly one of the strangest men in acoustic music today. Much of the charm of a Gilewitz performance is in the stores he tells.” Spectrum
“Similar to like-minded souls Jorma Kaukonen, John Fahey and Sandy Bull, Gilewitz’s acoustic magic works best in a live setting.” NASHVILLE/
“Richard Gilewitz has found a superb balance of playing skilled techniques in a wide range of styles in a rousing own signature.” Bridge Guitar Reviews
Strings for a Season (GillaZilla Records) 2008 – CD
Fingerscapes (TrueFire) 2008 CD-Rom Set
Richard Gilewitz, Live at Charlotte''s Web (Mel Bay Publications) 2007 - DVD
Live at 2nd Street Theater (GillaZilla Records) 2006 - CD
All-Time Favorite Fingerpicking Guitar Tunes, Vol. One (Mel Bay Publications) 2006 – DVD
Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar Workshop (Mel Bay Publications) 2005 – Book, CD, DVD
Master Anthology of Fingerstyle Guitar Solos, Vol. 3 (Mel Bay Publications) 2005 – Book,CD
Thumbsing (Gillazilla Records ) 2004 - CD
Fingerstyle Guitar Selections (Gillazilla Music) 2002 - Book
Dirt To Dust (GillaZilla Music) 2001 - https://www.tradebit.com compilation
Richard Gilewitz Music and Instruction for Fingerstyle Guitar (Peavey Electronics) 2000 - Video
The Music of David Walbert (Gillazilla Records) 2000 - CD
Synapse Collapse (Gillazilla Records ) 1997 - CD
Performance Video (Alligator Alley Productions) 1996 - [out of print]
Instructional Video (Alligator Alley Productions) 1995 - [out of print]
Voluntary Solitary (Gillazilla Records) 1994 - CD
The Richard Gilewitz Songbook (Armadillo Press) 1993 - Book
Somewhere In Between (Hacker Backer Records) 1992 - Album
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