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Melding Jazz Guitar With Experimental Sensibilities
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Guitarist Kim Reith gets a great chance to display her fluent jazz chops on her trio's recent CD release BAIL!. Featuring Reith on hollow-body electric guitar, Kevin Green on drums and Bruce Grafrath on acoustic bass, the album offers nine original jazz numbers and an arrangement of Thelonius Monk's "Epistrophy". Built on a bebop foundation, tunes such as the opener "Gargantua" deliver melodic, jazzy flourishes set off by alternative streams of electric jazz guitar experimentation. Reith likes to push into new territory, as cuts such as "Kindergarten" and the title tune amply demonstrate. Never letting the listener settle into complacency, the trio reveals bass solos, harmonic twists and other surprises to keep things interesting. Bail! is a great find for fans of bebop jazz, and guitar fans who wish to expand their musical palates.
Kim began studying guitar in 1985 with bebop guitarist Marlena Teich, then later studied privately with Duncan James and Art Johnson. From 1996 through 1998 she formally studied jazz theory, composing and arranging with Rick Helzer at SDSU. Kim briefly flirted with the punk scene in her early years before concentrating on jazz in 1987. In 1992 she supported herself by playing solo jazz guitar on the streets of Paris; since 1993 Kim has been performing with jazz duos and trios throughout San Diego. Since recording BAIL! in 1999, she first focused on solo jazz guitar performance and composition, and now plays in solo, duo and trio settings in the Los Angeles area.
Reith's future plans revolve around performing with her trio and continuing to write and explore music. She has three areas of interest: solo guitar chord-melody, creative jazz composition for the small ensemble and outside improvisation.
Contact Information
Kim Reith
776 Alameda Street
Altadena, CA 91001-2445
United States
E-mail:
Kim Reith Trio
Web site:
www.kimreith.com
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Classical Guitar Meets Electric Guitar
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Rob Ward's predominantly classical, debut solo guitar CD, Both Sides of the Story, features original solo guitar works and some well-chosen cover tunes, including Jimmy Page's "Bron-Yr-Aur" and Adrian Legg's "Anu". Several beautiful pieces by Granados and Domeniconi ("Spanish Dance No. 2: The Oriental", "Koyunbaba") are also present, as well as an arrangement of the traditional "Scarborough Fair". Ward filled Both Sides of the Story with the music he grew up loving, and his originals fill out the CD quite nicely - florid, melodic guitar conversations you'll grow to appreciate with each repeated listen. He manages to also integrate a bit of electric guitar into his works, adding the instrument as a compliment to the acoustic textures. Ward is a talented and gifted guitarist, and his debut CD will delight fans of the acoustic guitar with its richness, variety and timeless melodicism. Well worth picking up.
Inspired at age 7 to pick up the guitar by the Dire Straits music video "Money For Nothing", it wasn't until Rob was older and desired to learn Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" that he began to get serious. Learning Van Halen and Randy Rhoads solos gave him a great head start, but seeing a classical guitarist performing in a book store inspired him to take that path of musical growth. In 1996, Rob studied classical guitar with Pablo Cohen for two years while attending Mansfield University in Pennsylvania. He later studied music theory/composition while performing with rock bands during the college years. Prompted to consider teaching guitar by a local guitar studio, Rob now has taken 50+ students under his wing.
Currently, Ward has the pleasure of performing with two ensembles that have helped him grow as a musician. They include the The Judy Aron Band and The New York Guitar Orchestra (an ensemble made up of eight very good classical guitarists). He is also working on his second solo guitar album.
Contact Information
Rob Ward
P.O. Box 91
Fair Lawn, NJ 07410
United States
E-mail:
Rob Ward
Web site:
www.robward.com
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