Benefit Concert for the Sierra Nevada Guitar Society (www.sierraguitar.org)
Scalloped Fretboard Guitar Pioneer Matthew Montfort Performs
An Evening of Ancient and Modern Guitar Music from Around the World
With Opening Act, Larry Aynesmith, Classical Guitar
Saturday, October 17, 2009, 7:30pm
Trinity Episcopal Church
200 Island Avenue
Reno, NV 89505
Adm: $15.00 Adults, $10.00 Seniors, $5.00 Students. Tickets at door, or online at www.sierraguitar.org. Bring your Paypal receipt as your ticket.
Info: Email or sierraguitar@yahoo.com call 775-321-8584.
An Evening of Ancient and Modern Guitar Music from Around the World
Matthew Montfort, the leader of the pioneering world fusion music ensemble Ancient Future, brings tonalities from world music traditions to guitar. Montfort will be performing music from his new release, 'Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar.' The recording showcases his pioneering work on the scalloped fretboard guitar, a special modified instrument able to produce ornaments more characteristic of the sitar.
Opening act Larry Aynesmith will perform works for classical guitar inspired by South American, Turkish and modern musical influences.
MATTHEW MONTFORT
www.matthewmontfort.com
As leader of the world music group Ancient Future, Matthew Montfort has devoted himself to the scalloped fretboard guitar since 1978. An award-winning guitarist (Louis Armstrong Jazz Award, Colorado Outstanding Young Guitarist Award), he is a pioneer of the scalloped fretboard guitar (an instrument combining qualities of the South Indian vina and the steel string guitar). Montfort immersed himself in an intensive study with vina master K.S. Subramanian in order to fully apply the South Indian gamaka (note-bending) techniques to the guitar. The method is based on pulling the strings across the frets in order to raise the pitch.
He has performed concerts worldwide, from the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra on the golden coast of Spain to the Festival of India in Mumbai. He has worked with many world music legends, including tabla phenomenon Zakir Hussain and Chinese zither master Zhao Hui. Montfort wrote the book “Ancient Traditions – Future Possibilities: Rhythmic Training Through the Traditions of Africa, Bali, and India,” which has been used by many musicians to improve their rhythm skills.
REVIEWS
"Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar is best described as world fusion; Indian music is an influence, but it isn't the disc's only influence -- and Montfort also draws on everything from Spanish flamenco to blues to folk-rock and Celtic music.Through it all, Montfort demonstrates that even though he has considerable chops and technical prowess, he is much more interested in feeling and expression than technique." – Alex Henderson, ALL MEDIA GUIDE
“Because Montfort’s guitar has a scalloped fretboard, his fingers touch only the strings, enabling him to produce ornaments more characteristic of the sitar. This album reveals a thorough knowledge of Hindustani microtonal ornaments, transferred in ways that create one of the most distinctive guitar sounds in contemporary music. However, it also reveals a lifetime of exploration in world music, which can be immediately summoned in a flash of inspiration. When this level of mastery is reached, there is no need to rewrite. The first improvisation has the depth of a reworked composition.” – Teed Rockwell, INDIA CURRENTS, March 2009
“Matthew Montfort conjures lovely Asian zither-like inflections with a scalloped fretboard guitar.” – GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE
“Though he plays guitar, Montfort's music isn't merely guitar music; it's a sonic environment that features a guitar. Strong Indian and Balinese influences permeate these seven exotic soundscapes. Beautifully recorded, this sumptuous music creates a unique wall of sound that you won't soon forget.” –Steven Stone, VINTAGE GUITAR MAGAZINE
“The mind-bending playing abilities of guitar virtuoso, Matthew Montfort, stems from the note-bending capabilities of the scalloped fretboard guitar. This produces a different sound than the more familiar guitar, because the fretboard is carved out, so the fingers only touch the strings. Musically, the songs verge on a flamenco-Indian-jazz continuum. This is partly due to Matthew's playing technique and the sitar-like sounds of his guitar. The crystal-clear picking on guitar and accompaniment on didjeridoo (with Alan Tower), violin (with Patti Weiss) and santur (with Mariah Parker) provides a rich musical texture. For everyone interested in the sounds of guitar, especially fans of Bob Brozman or Ben Bowen King, then this is definitely for you.” – Matthew Forss, INSIDE WORLD MUSIC
LARRY AYNESMITH
www.larryaguitar.com
Larry Aynesmith is a winner of the 2008-2009 Nevada Artist Fellowship Honorable Mention Award. He has appeared on ABC Television, National Public Radio, with the Northwest Indiana Symphony, the Carson City Symphony, Toccata, Carson City Chamber Singers and others in symphony performances and concertos. He also performs extensively as a solo artist and in ensembles with others primarily in the North Lake Tahoe and Florida regions. His primary instrument is Classical Guitar and he also performs on Cello and African percussion instruments.
Larry Aynesmith received an M.M in Music and advanced doctoral study in ethnomusicology and anthropology. He attended Valparaiso University, Jordan College of Fine Arts at Butler University, and Indiana University-Bloomington where he taught undergraduate music classes.
Larry has performed in master classes for many of the world's leading leading classical guitarists including Roland Dyens, Marc Teicholz, Ana Vidovic, Steve Thachuk, Elena Papandreou and Jeremy Jouve. In addition, Larry has performed to standing ovations in concert duos with leading guitarists Marc Teicholz and Ricardo Cobo, and with the Sierra Nevada Guitar Ensemble. Larry founded the Sierra Nevada Guitar Society, www.sierraguitar.org.
REVIEWS
"Larry Aynesmith is the finest Classical Guitarist we have heard in the Reno / Tahoe area. It was a pleasure hearing him perform." – Dr. and Mrs. William Feltner, Reno, NV 2008
"This festive audience demanded an encore and left delighted and humming with appreciation." – Ernie Grossman, Lake Tahoe Music Festival
"Your playing is beautiful." – Comedian Andy Dick
"Larry was a great duo partner." – Ricardo Cobo, Classical Guitarist of World Renown
"Larry plays with great tone." – Marc Teicholz, Classical Guitar Faculty, San Francisco Conservatory of Music
"Larry plays with great energy and has something to communicate." – Jeremy Jouve, Guitar Foundation of America International Competition Winner
