SOUNDTRACK: DAVID RUSSELL-Tiny Desk Concert #55 (April 19, 2010).
David Russell is a classical guitar player (or “god,” as they call him). Although I am unfamiliar with his work, apparently he is huge.
And deservedly so. When he started playing the first song I assumed he was looping the low notes while he soloed the high notes. But no, he is playing the low notes slowly with his thumb while he speeds along the nearly pizzicato notes with the rest of his fingers. And that’s just his right hand.
His left hand doesn’t move fast–he’s not shredding–but man, the elaborate chords, the expanse of his hand covering so much of the neck at once–are really stunning to watch. The chords are complex and the way he can play solo notes and low notes at the same time is amazing.
The Couperin piece absolutely blew my mind–there are two melodies going at once. And the Albeniz piece is simply lovely.
It’s also fun to listen to his Scottish accent when he describes what he loves about the guitar he is playing (and his unexpectedly baudy joke about why he doesn’t name it).
The set list includes:
- Augustin Barrios: “Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios”
- Francois Couperin: “Les Silvains”
- Isaac Albeniz: “Granada”
You can watch it here. It’s amazing.
[READ: May 27, 2015] Dog on the Roof
I usually try to only read books that I’ll enjoy, but every once in a while you get a stinker. So this weekend is devoted to two recent stinkers.
I saw this book on a pile at work. And I thought why on earth did we get this completely out of date book in 2015? I see now that it was donated to the library. My goodness, thank you random person.
So perhaps you remember that in the 2012 campaign, Mitt Romney put his dog on the roof of his car or something. It was a minor scandal (or a major scandal if you love dogs). And it was a jokey talking point for a little while.
Well, as happens in political cycles, some people decided to make a jokey book about it. Kluger and Slavin are satirists who work for All Things Considered. And, as the blurb on the back of the book says (not too overstate what was a minor incident) “It is the inside look at the Man Who Would Be President and the wild ride that’s sweeping and bewildering the nation.” (more…)
I Just Read About That... 