Global Guitar Summit California Summer Tour

Global Guitar Summit

Featuring Konarak Reddy (India), Matthew Montfort (USA), and Teja Gerken (Germany)

Sunday, July 31, 6:30 PM - 9 PM
Fenix
919 Fourth Street
San Rafael, CA 94901
Tix: $12 advance, $15 door. For advance tix and reservations, visit www.fenixlive.com/dining/reservations, call 415-813-5600 or email info@www.fenixlive.com
Venue website: www.fenixlive.com 

Thursday, August 4, 2016, 7:30 PM
Don Quixote's International Music Hall
6275 Highway 9
Felton, CA 95018
Tix: $12 advance, $15 door. Info: Call 831-603-2294 or email tmm@cruzio.com
Venue website: www.donquixotesmusic.info 

Saturday, August 6th, 6:30 PM
Gryphon Stringed Instruments
211 Lambert Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
Tix: $20 suggested donation. Info: Call 650-493-2131 or email michael@gryphonstrings.com
Venue website: www.gryphonstrings.com 

Friday, August 12th, 8 PM
Sebastopol Community Center Annex
425 Morris St.
Sebastopol, CA 95472
Tix: $20 advance, $23 door. For advance tix and reservations, call Kevin at 707-824-1858 or email krussellmft@aol.com
Venue website: www.seb.org

This Global Guitar Summit presents three international acoustic guitar virtuosos who will perform solo and ensemble pieces. The summit features Indian nylon string guitarist Konarak Reddy, American scalloped fretboard and fretless guitar pioneer Matthew Montfort, and German fingerstyle guitarist Teja Gerken.

Poster (100 k .pdf): www.ancient-future.com/pdf/pdf/global_guitar_summit2016poster.pdf

Konarak Reddy

Hailing from Bangalore, India, Konarak Reddy is a legend among music aficionados in his home country. From the start, Konarak drew his inspiration from multiple sources, immersing himself in both Western classical theory on guitar and traditional Indian music on the sarod, which he studied with Gurus Debi Prasad Ghosh and Rajeev Taranath. Konarak later studied jazz improvisation at Boston's Berklee College of Music and the Musician's Institute in Hollywood, from which he graduated with honors. Today, his playing integrates Hindustani and Carnatic styles into contemporary solo guitar masterpieces, which frequently include live looping. Konarak was featured in a TEDx talk in 2013 (www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0ZP-hG7CN4), he frequently performs in Europe, and his own World Guitar Night, which has become an annual event in Bangalore, and featured international guitarists such as Andy McKee, Don Ross, Kevin Eubanks, Peter Sprague, Peter Finger, and others. His two albums, Searching for the Goddess and Solar Avatar have received critical acclaim. For more info, please visit www.konarak-reddy.blogspot.com.

Video

Konarak Reddy performing live in Budapest:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DMYe5YHq6U

Press

"He is known as one of India's most versatile guitarists. For over 35 years he's absolutely ruled the roost. Konarak Reddy has needed no introduction." - BANGALORE MIRROR BUREAU

Matthew Montfort

   

Matthew Montfort is the leader of the world music ensemble Ancient Future. Featured in the December 2009 commemorative Les Paul issue of Guitar Player Magazine, Montfort is a pioneer among guitarists who have had their fretboards scalloped in order to play various forms of world music that require intricate note-bending ornaments while still being able to play chords. 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. He has released two solo CDs: Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar and Sympathetic Serenade, for which he is recognized as one of the world's 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists by DigitalDreamDoor.com , a curated "best of" site, along with such luminaries as Michael Hedges, Leo Kottke, Chet Atkins, John Fahey, Adrian Legg, Merle Travis, John Renbourn, Tommy Emmanuel, Doc Watson, Pierre Bensusan, Toni Rice, Alex De Grassi, Stefan Grossman, Artie Traum, Joni Mitchell, and Peppino D'Agostino. He is also known for his work on Glissentar (11 string fretless guitar), electric guitar, flamenco guitar, sitar, charango, mandolin, and gamelan. 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. For more info, please visit www.matthewmontfort.com.

Video

Matthew Montfort performing 'Soul Serenade' at Ancient Future's 30th Anniversary Concert:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLfKTbpgO1Q

Press

5 Page Guitar Player Magazine/GuitarPlayer.com Media Report (1.4 MB):
www.ancient-future.com/pdf/MatthewMontfortGuitarPlayerMag.pdf

"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

Teja Gerken

German-born Teja Gerken is a contemporary steel-string fingerstyle guitarist whose playing merges the styles of European guitar pioneers such as John Renbourn and Pierre Bensusan with the distinct sounds of American players such as Leo Kottke and Micheal Hedges. Known for his original compositions, many of which employ alternate tunings, two-handed tapping, percussive effects, and other extended guitar techniques, Teja will also bring Celtic, jazz, and classical styles to the Global Guitars show. For more info, please visit www.tejagerken.com.

Video

Teja Gerken performing "1948" live:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7khy_8uhCA

Press

"Releasing his second CD, Postcards, is San Francisco area fingerstyle guitarist Teja Gerken, who delivers solo instrumental compositions with enough surprises and innovative twists to delight aficionados of the world music and folk genres. His tunes employ physical techniques such as two-handed tapping, alternate tunings, and percussive effects, but his developed sense of melody is what will keep his CD playing in your mind long after the 'stop' button is pressed. Another impressive feature is that Gerken's playing is captured without overdubs; the intricate arrangements delivered as you might hear the artist in concert. Gerken is one of a rare breed - a guitarist's guitarist with equal appeal for the non-musicians out there. His Postcards album is highly recommended." – GUITAR9.COM

First Audio/Video Release in Ancient Future History Drops on Earth Day

Ancient-Future.Com Records Presents:

Yearning for the Wind

Hi-Res Cover Art

by Ancient Future

Composed by scalloped fretboard guitar innovator Matthew Montfort, Yearning for the Wind is a poignant piece based on Rag Kalyan, an evening raga that corresponds to the Lydian mode. The composition also incorporates harmony and other guitaristic elements. A duet with Indian tabla virtuoso Vishal Nagar, who is considered one of the most gifted tabla players of his generation, Yearning for the Wind is set in matta tal, a nine beat rhythmic cycle. As a bridge between the slow and fast sections of the piece, Vishal Nagar performs an elegant tabla solo over the soft nine beat groove that slowly builds up to a vibrant rela (a fast tabla composition characterized by rapid drum rolls).

Yearning for the Wind is the first audio/video release in Ancient Future history. It is also the first brand new Ancient Future studio recording released to the general public since 2002'sPlanet Passion.  It isn't that Ancient Future hasn't been active. Indeed, Ancient Future has recorded over three hours of music in this period, much of it live. But rather than release it all in a market where a low value is placed on music while a high value is placed on the tech companies that deliver it, Ancient Future has taken a different approach.

Recorded in December 2013, this evocative piece was produced for the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings, Ancient Future's ambitious ongoing recording project. To financeA.F.A.R., Ancient-Future.Com Records provides financial supporters access to select files from Ancient Future's archives of alternate takes, live concerts, radio performances and new studio recordings as they are created. On February 11, 2014, the exact 35th anniversary of the first Ancient Future concert, Yearning for the Wind became the 10th track added to the archive and was made available to A.F.A.R. supporters in mp3, CD quality, and 96-kHz/24-bit hi-res audio and HD video.

To promote the Archive of Future Ancient Recordings, Earth Day (4/22/14) of Ancient Future's 35th year performing was chosen for the digital release of Yearning for the Wind. The quality is stellar with beautifully shot HD 1080p video and audiophile sound. Fans can download it on iTunes and other digital retailers as a a single (AF-20352), a video (AF-90302), an mp3 bundled with an HD video (AF-20302), or sign up to support A.F.A.R. to get it in full 96-kHz/24-bit audio resolution as a thank-you gift! An enhanced E-CD with the audio, video, and digital liner notes will be available at online stores such as Ancient-Future.Com and Amazon.com starting June 17, 2014.

'Yearning for the Wind' Video

YouTube Video

Release Specifications

Yearning for the Wind 1 Sheet

• Digital Release Date: April 22, 2014 (Earth Day)
• Radio Add Date: May 20, 2014
• E-CD Release Date: June 17, 2014
• Label: Ancient-Future.Com Records
• Audio/Video Catalog Number: AF-20302: Audio/Video E-CD - $17.98 list; MP3/Video - $2.97 list. UPC: 825336203020
• Audio Catalog Number: AF-20352: MP3 - $1.98 list. UPC: 825336203525
• Video Catalog Number: AF-90302: Video - $1.99 list. UPC: 825336903029
• Copyright: © 2014 Ancient Future Music
• Genres: International/World/Indian Fusion/Hindustani Classical
• Video Director: Michael Braden
• Producer: Matthew Montfort
• Total Length: 9:37
• Track List:
  1. Yearning for the Wind (Matthew Montfort. 9:37). audio (ISRC: US-N9P-14-20302). video (ISRC: USN9P1490302).

Biographies

Hi-Res Photo by Devki Saraiya.

Ancient Future has expanded its musical vision through collaborations with traditional musicians from all over the world who are now an integral part of what is today more than just a band. To enable its core mission of creating world fusion music, Ancient Future has grown to become a large chamber ensemble of world music masters with many smaller ensembles within it, including this improvisatory duet featuring world guitar pioneer Matthew Montfort accompanied by renowned Indian tabla virtuoso Vishal Nagar. They present an innovative and accessible take on Hindustani classical music and contemporary fusion, with expressive and energetic renderings of raga and tala.

Matthew Montfort

Hi-Res Photo by Michael Braden.

Matthew Montfort conjures lovely Asian zither-like inflections with a scalloped fretboard guitar.– Guitar Player Magazine

Honored as one of the world's 100 Greatest Acoustic Guitarists, Matthew Montfort has devoted himself to the scalloped fretboard guitar since 1978. He spent years of study with some of the world's best musicians, such as gamelan director K.R.T. Wasitodipuro and North Indian sarod master Ali Akbar Khan. 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.

Vishal Nagar

Hi-Res Photo by Michael Braden.

Considered one of the most gifted tabla players of his generation, Vishal Nagar was born into a family of musicians and had his initial training for a very brief period with the late Ustad Latif Ahmed Khan of the Delhi Gharana. Along with the dense and rare tabla repertoire which was he received from his Ustad, he also has had intense rhythmic training from his mother, the renowned and highly respected Kathak dancer and vocalist, Urmila Nagar. Vishal has been praised in the Indian press for his unique combination of melodic tabla sound production with masterful command of rhythm. Vishal has had the privilege of performing with many renowned artists: Ustad Shujaat Khan, Guru Urmila Nagar, Vidhwan Trichur Ramachandran, Pandit Ramesh Misra and Kala Ramnath, to name a few. Vishal has shared the stage with some great world music masters such as African drum legend Babatunde Olatunji, Michel Shrieve, Evyind Kang, Carmona Flamenco, and Michael Wimberley. Vishal has also expanded his cultural boundaries and collaborated with musicians from around the world. Some of his memorable works have been with the Ghanaian Guitarist Koo Nimo with whom he also appeared in WOMAD USA (a leading world dance and music festival started by Peter Gabriel).

Sympathetic Strings & Resonant Reeds: A Benefit Concert for Matthew Montfort

Financially Supporting his Recovery from a Wrist Injury

Featuring Acoustic Guitar Icon Alex de Grassi, Reed Virtuoso Paul McCandless, Classical Guitar Virtuoso Jon Mendle, Mariah Parker's Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble, and an Acoustic Guitar Round-Robin with Teja Gerken and Ronnie Ray Padilla

Wednesday, February 29, 7:30 PM
142 Throckmorton Theatre
142 Throckmorton Avenue
Mill Valley, CA 94941
Tix: $20 general, $30 reserved seating.
Info: 415-383-9600
Venue Website: http://www.142ThrockmortonTheatre.com
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/215454935212972/
Press Release: http://www.ancient-future.com/pr_2_29_12.html
Poster (401k pdf): http://www.ancient-future.com/pdf/2_29_12benefit.pdf
Wrist Recovery Donations: http://www.ancient-future.com/donation.html#injury.

Sympathetic Strings & Resonant Reeds Benefit Concert Program

'Sympathetic Strings & Resonant Reeds' is a multi-artist bill featuring sets by acoustic guitar icon Alex de Grassi; Mariah Parker's Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble featuring Grammy-winning reed player Paul McCandless, Ancient Future percussionist Ian Dogole, and bassist Fred Randolph; classical guitarist Jon Mendle, who has performed with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble; and an acoustic guitar round-robin with Teja Gerken and Ronnie Ray Padilla. There will be some collaborations between the performers as well. For example, Paul McCandless will be adding his resonant reeds in concert with the sympathetic strings of some of the other artists, such as Alex de Grassi, with whom he has a history of performing.

Matthew Montfort

Hi-Res Photo by Julie Marten. 5" x 3" 600 dpi jpeg (2 MB)

The concert is a benefit for guitarist Matthew Montfort of the world fusion music band Ancient Future. Funds go to support his recovery from a wrist injury that resulted in the cancellation of several months of performances. Wrist injury recovery donations are also accepted online at ancient-future.com.

Montfort is a pioneer of the scalloped fretboard guitar (an instrument combining qualities of the South Indian vina and the steel string guitar). In 2009, he released his first solo guitar recording, 'Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar,' which debuted at #8 on the ZMR World Radio Chart. He has performed concerts world wide, including at the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra on the golden coast of Spain near Barcelona and the Mumbai Festival at the Gateway of India in Bombay. 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. He teaches music privately at his studio in San Rafael, California, and online via Skype.

Performers

Alex de Grassi (Acoustic Guitar Icon)

Hi-Res Photo. 5" x 8" 300 dpi jpg (2.4 MB)

Though born in Yokosuka, Japan, Alex de Grassi grew up in San Francisco, California, where his grandfather played violin for the San Francisco Symphony and his father was a classical pianist. At age thirteen he learned to play the trumpet but soon taught himself the guitar, the instrument for which he is now famous. He has performed at such notable venues as the Montreux Jazz Festival, Carnegie Hall, Belfast International Festival, Telluride, and Wolftrap. Alex is the subject of a PBS concert/interview television show, Alex de Grassi: The Artist's Profile, and is both a Grammy Award and Indie award nominee. He performed as a guest artist on Ancient Future's 1986 release, 'Quiet Fire,' on Montfort's composition, 'Caged Lion (Escapes).'

Paul McCandless (Reed Virtuoso)

Hi-Res Photo. 6" x 4" 300 dpi jpg (1.7 MB)

During a distinguished career spanning three decades, Paul McCandless has brought a soaring lyricism to his playing and composing that has been integral to the ensemble sound of two seminal world music bands, the original Paul Winter Consort and the relentlessly innovative quartet, Oregon. A gifted multi-instrumentalist and composer, McCandless has specialized in an unusually broad palette of both single and double reed instruments that reflect his grounding in both classical and jazz disciplines.

Performing with Mariah Parker's Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble

Hi Res Photo. 4" x 2" 300 dpi jpg (1 MB)

"Parker and friends blend the rhythmic syncopations of Latin jazz music with the entrancing, asymmetrical meters of East Indian rhythms resulting in first-class world music." — LATIN BEAT MAGAZINE

Mariah Parker (Composer, Pianist, Santurist)

While completing her degree in music at UC Santa Cruz, Mariah Parker worked with ethnomusicologist Fred Lieberman and Mickey Hart on the 'Planet Drum' project. She has performed in festivals in the US and Europe, and worked with many musicians of note including composer Pauline Oliveros, the late Dumisani Maraire (renowned composer from Zimbabwe). She has studied with jazz great Art Lande and Latin jazz pianist extraordinaire Rebeca Mauléon, and performs regularly with the innovative world music group Ancient Future. She released her first solo recording of her compositions, 'Sangria' (Ancient-Future.Com AF 2017), in February of 2009. Her CD release party and debut of her Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble drew a full house at the famous Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland.

Ian Dogole (Global Percussion)

For nearly 30 years, Ian Dogole has articulated his vision of Global Fusion Music as a multipercussionist, bandleader, educator, recording artist, composer and producer. He is a member of Ancient Future, and has recorded and performed with artists such as Hamza el Din, Tito La Rosa, and Alex DeGrassi on a wide variety of percussion instruments, including udu, cajon, hang, African talking drum, kalimbas, cymbals and dumbek. Ian has received numerous grants, including a Jazz Performance Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, and grants from the San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music (SFFCM).

Fred Randolph (Bass)

While working on his Masters Degree in Composition at CSU Hayward, Fred Randolph fell under the spell of the bass, captivated by its endless possibilities. An accomplished performer, composer, arranger, and educator, Fred is a first-call bassist for many of the Bay Areas finest jazz ensembles, including the Contemporary Jazz Orchestra and Sandy Cressmans Homenagem Brasileira, Marcos Silva, and Frank Martin.

Jon Mendle (Classical Guitar Virtuoso)

Hi Res Photo. 10" x 7" 300 dpi jpg (1.1 MB)

Since making his Carnegie Hall debut at age 19, classical guitarist Jon Mendle is rapidly building a career as a performer, teacher, arranger, and composer. He has since gone on tour with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble. Jon began studying the guitar at the age of 12, and recently finished his graduate studies at the San Francisco Conservatory under the tutelage of renowned guitarist Sergio Assad, earning a Master of Music degree in Classical Guitar Performance. In 2009, he won the San Francisco Conservatory of Music's biennial Guitar Concerto Competition, playing Heitor Villa-Lobos' Concerto for Guitar and Small Orchestra. He performed this work with the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra in May 2010.

Acoustic Guitar Round-Robin

Hi Res Photo. 4" x 6" 300 dpi jpg (2.7 MB)

This format is well-known to Bay Area acoustic guitar fans. Teja Gerken, an editor of Acoustic Guitar Magazine, has hosted round-robins at venues such as San Francisco's Bazaar Cafe, the Sleeping Lady Cafe, and Freight and Salvage for over a decade now, performing over 100 shows with over 100 players!

Teja Gerken (Fingerstyle Guitar)

Born in Germany in 1970, Teja Gerken began his journey on the guitar at the age of six and became a serious student of the instrument after his family moved to California in the mid '80s. Weaving together influences of folk, jazz, classical, and world music, Teja's playing reflects his diverse musical interests. Teja has shared the stage with guitar visionaries such as John Renbourn, Alex de Grassi, Peter Finger, and Henry Kaiser, as well as with his mentors, Duck Baker and Peppino D'Agostino. He has been a featured guest at the International Guitar Night, and in 2004, he participated in a ten-city tour of Hungary.

Ronnie Ray Padilla (Guitar, Vocals)

A San Francisco Bay Area musician, Ronnie Ray Padilla is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and vocalist whose style spans pop, funk, jazz, afro and several global styles. He has recorded with Billy Young (formerly of Earth, Wind and Fire), Kenneth Nash (formerly with Herbie Hancock, Weather Report and many more), Lion of Juda (Jamaican reggae band), Rocker-T (dance-hall recording artist), and many other artists.

105 Word Radio Announcement

On Wednesday, February 29, at 7:30 PM the 'Sympathetic Strings and Resonant Reeds' concert to benefit pioneering scalloped fretboard guitarist Matthew Montfort, who is recovering from a wrist injury, will be held at 142 Throckmorton Theatre in Mill Valley, California. The show features sets by acoustic guitar icon Alex de Grassi, Mariah Parker's Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble featuring Grammy-winning reed player Paul McCandless and Ancient Future percussionist Ian Dogole, classical guitarist Jon Mendle who has performed with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, and an acoustic guitar round-robin with Teja Gerken and Ronnie Ray Padilla. For more information, call 415-383-9600 or visit www.142ThrockmortonTheatre.com.

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