California Guitar Trio + Montreal Guitar Trio

Wednesday October 15, 2014 @ 8:00 PM

CGT+MG3 features all six virtuoso guitarists from California Guitar Trio (CGT) and Montreal Guitar Trio (MG3). Representing four countries (Japan, Canada, Belgium, and US), they fuse over 40 years of combined performing experience into one unique six-by-6-string ‘phenomensemble’. In a pleasantly surprising way, CGT's steel stringed-guitars blend naturally with MG3's nylon-stringed guitars, as each trios fret boards chase the others' original compositions and new arrangements of progressive rock, world, jazz and classical music.

Inspired in 2010 by an impromptu studio session together in Montreal, CGT and MG3 have proceeded to release a live recording (2011), land showcases at numerous arts presenter conferences, and sustain frequent co-bill touring throughout North America; from the Iridium in New York City, to Montreal Jazz Festival (twice), to Napa Valley Opera House. The two trios tour again in 2012/13 visiting 20 cities (and counting) in the United States and Canada.

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THE CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO’S RELENTLESS passion for following the muse has served it well. The acoustic group’s fearless multi-genre explorations have driven 14 albums and nearly 1,500 gigs across its 22-year career. It has also proven that a zero-compromise musical approach can yield an ever-expanding audience. Comprising Bert Lams of Affligem Belgium, Hideyo Moriya of Chiba Japan, and Paul Richards of Utah USA, the group crisscrosses the universes of rock, jazz, world music, surf music, and classical music in its performances and recordings.

CGT’s most recent album, Masterworks [CGT 2011], focuses exclusively on the classical side of the house, featuring works by composers such as Bach, Beethoven, Arvo Pärt, Shubert, and Vivaldi. Accompanying the trio on the project are Tony Levin on upright bass and cello, and Fareed Haque on classical guitar.

The trio met while participating in Robert Fripp’s Guitar Craft courses in 1987. They first toured together as part of Fripp’s League of Crafty Guitarists, an orchestra of acoustic players that served as exponents of the King Crimson founder’s teachings, compositions, and performance approach. In 1991, they founded the California Guitar Trio, which initially gained notoriety opening for the likes of King Crimson, John McLaughlin, and David Sylvian. They have fans in high places too: the crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavour used their pieces as wake-up music.

Recent years have found the group working with the Montreal Guitar Trio. The acts perform both independently and in a dazzling six-guitar format during gigs. They play arrangements of each other’s material, as well as innovative takes on rock standards. The collaboration has also yielded the concert recording +Live [CGT 2011].

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Montreal Guitar Trio

When it comes to bridging diverse genres of music, Montreal Guitar Trio (MG3), which CBC described as “the hottest guitar ensemble in Canada,” has quickly established itself as a force to be reckoned with. For more than 14 years, the trio’s virtuosity, rigor, creativity, and dynamic stage presence — they are noted for the wit and warmth of their interactions with audiences — have been winning applause around the world. They won the 2011 Opus Prize for concert of the year in the Jazz / World Music category. They have given hundreds of concerts in prestigious venues in North America, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia, including the BB King Blues Club in New York, the Rundetårnet in Copenhagen, and the legendary Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

MG3 (guitarists Glenn Lévesque, Marc Morin and Sébastien Dufour), released their fourth CD, Cambria (©2011), after four years of international touring. The product of a long period of musical introspection and the Trio’s most accomplished and personal work yet, this album contains six original tracks and three covers — including the legendary While My Guitar Gently Weeps by George Harrison and The Mexican by Babe Ruth. With all the influences which over the years have marked the Trio’s eclectic and original music, Cambria takes listeners on a journey through the worlds’ many cultures — strains of flamenco and Argentinean tango blend with Cuban music. Nordic music mixes with Brazilian samba and progressive rock. The sounds of the orient subtly blend with those of Californian surf guitar, and modern pop. Once again, MG3 sails past the formulaic boundaries that usually limit guitar trios, while charming ears and capturing hearts of seasoned critics and ever-expanding audiences.

Links:

Tickets:

$25, $35