Excerpted from Acoustic Guitar magazine, November 2000, No. 95.

News RETURN TO TOP	Long before anyone had coined the term world music, Robin Williamson and Mike Heron of the Incredible String Band were fusing folkish pop songs with exotic instrumental sounds from around the globe. After a 25-year hiatus the pair reunited in August for a series of concerts in London. Buena Vista Social Club guitarist and singer Eliades Ochoa will make his way across the U.S. in October and November. The popular Cuban artist is touring with his combo in support of his new disc, Tribute to the Cuarteto Patria (Higher Octave, www.higheroctave.com). Glyn Johns and Bernie Leadon assembled an all-star lineup on August 8 and 9 in Santa Monica, California, to play benefit concerts for cancer victim Fred Walecki, proprietor of L.A.’s Westwood Music. David Crosby, Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, David Lindley, Emmylou Harris, Ry Cooder, and Spinal Tap were among the many artists contributing their talents to the fund-raisers. To learn more or make a contribution via the Guacamole Fund, go to www.cidnet.net/bporch/guacamole2.htm or call (800) 728-6223.
Events RETURN TO TOP	November in Florida is paradise for acoustic music fans. In Clearwater, Trout Fishing in America, the Limelighters, and Arlo Guthrie headline the Clearwater Folk Arts Festival, November 10–13. Details are available online at clearwater-fl.com/cpl/cfaf/. The following week you can get into the Celtic spirit at the Music of the Rivers event in Jacksonville, where the Shannon wends its way toward the Everglades. Scheduled artists include the Poor Clares, the Drovers, Mary Custy, and the Young Dubliners. For more information, go to www.musicoftherivers.org or call (904) 384-4709. The Classical Mandolin Society of America welcomes David Grisman and Enrique Coria, the Modern Mandolin Quartet, Chris Thile, Don Stiernberg, and dozens of plectrum-wielding enthusiasts to Atlanta, Georgia, November 8–12. Go to www.mandolincafe.com/cmsa/ to get the lowdown.
In Memory	Famed guitar collector Scott Chinery passed away on October 24. The self-made millionaire had one of the world's largest collections of new and vintage guitars. Several years ago Chinery and Tom Bacon collaborated on a book entitled The Chinery Collection, a volume that profiled 250 exquisite guitars from the collection. Chinery also commissioned a number of custom archtops by two dozen of the world's finest living luthiers for his "Blue Guitar Collection," a project conceived as a tribute to the legendary James D'Aquisto. Read more about the Chinery collection online at www.chinery.com/index3.html. Below, the D'Aquisto Blue Guitar from the Chinery collection. Trailblazing Brazillian guitarist Baden Powell passed away on September 26 in Rio de Janeiro. The influential stylist blended jazz, classical, and samba threads to create a vital new guitar music noted for its passion, virtuosity, and and invention. He was 63 at the time of death. Read a full obituary in the January 2001 issue of Acoustic Guitar. Spanish luthier Jose Ramírez IV passed away on June 5 after a long illness. Born in 1953, Ramírez was the most recent head of the legendary dynasty of Madrid guitar makers. Under Ramírez IV the instruments achieved a new ease of playability and consistency of quality. The hugely influential Ramírez instruments have been prized by generations of classical guitarists for their outstanding tone and projection.
Contests	Win a chance to hear Jorma Kaukonen play "Hesitation Blues" live in your living room. The house concert performance is being raffled off to benefit the Fur Peace Ranch Youth Instructional Scholarship. Get more information at www.furpeaceranch.com or call (740) 992-7595. If you’ve ever dreamed of owning a music store, here’s a chance to win Big Valley Music in sunny Santa Clarita, California. The owners are giving away the business—lock, stock, and barrel—to the writer of the best essay that begins "I’ve always wanted to own a music store . . ." Get the scoop at www.bigvalleymusiccontest.com.
New Releases RETURN TO TOP	Learn the intricacies of session etiquette from banjo maven Pete Wernick’s new video, Bluegrass Jamming: A Guide for Newcomers and Closet Pickers, available from Homespun Tapes. Join Wernick and an all-star band on 17 bluegrass classics and build the essential skills for joining in the fun. Call (914) 246-2550 or go to www.homespuntapes.com. Also new from Homespun is The Country Blues Guitar of Catfish Keith, featuring complete arrangements of seven blues classics. Fuel 2000 has released Absolutely the Best, 14 favorites from country blues artists Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. The famously fractious harmonica-and-acoustic-guitar duo made beautiful music together when they stepped in front of microphones, and this new collection of remastered favorites is a wonderful introduction to their work.
Cyber Notes RETURN TO TOP	Watch a guitar being built in real time at Acoustic Guitar’s new online gear section at www.acousticguitar.com. In Bob's Big Adventure we follow the step-by-step construction of a guitar made from a Martin guitar kit. Other features include great articles, reviews, advice, how-to tips, and Web-only features about guitars, gizmos, and gear. Find the words to your favorite traditional blues ballad at Harry’s House of Blues, www.blueslyrics.tripod.com. The site features lyrics to thousands of songs, blues history, essential information about books and recordings, and many other resources for the blues enthusiast. The Folkie’s Dictionary at www.cgrg.ohio-state.edu/~spencer/FF helps you separate your halyard song from your harpeggios. Bill Markwick’s site provides definitions for hundreds of arcane folk and musicology terms, as well as minibiographies and trivia. Check out the online harp guitar gallery in Florida guitarist Andy Wahlberg’s Harp-Guitar House at www.hometown.aol.com/harpgtrguy. Check out the lovely online gallery of new guitars at www.guitarnation.com. Scores of full-color images celebrate the modern guitar and the art of lutherie. Need some help with an Acoustic Guitar lesson? Check out the new Lessons section in the Guitar Talk forums at www.acousticguitar.com. Ask questions, post tips, and get advice from the experts at A.G. about our book, magazine, and online lessons. The Guitar Talk discussion forums at Acoustic Guitar Central are generating a lot of buzz about guitars, gear, players, and technique. Drop by to add your two cents or pick up a tip at www.acousticguitar.com.

 

 Return to Top