PREVIEW
California Guitar Trio & Montreal Guitar Trio
Saturday, Oct. 19, at 7:30 p.m.
Arden Theatre
5 St. Anne Street
Tickets: $45 Call 780-459-1542 or at ticketmaster.ca
As California Guitar Trio (CGT) and Montreal Guitar Trio (MGT) revel in their 10th year playing together, their concerts show no boundaries.
As the two trios fearlessly cross genres and explore intersections between rock, blues, jazz, classical, Latin and world, they have slowly gelled into one of North America’s hottest sextets.
And nothing spells out the ensemble’s synchronized dazzling musicianship and interplay as well as its new and also first studio album, In a Landscape. The sextet previously released a self-titled live 12-track in 2011.
“We recorded the live album because we needed something quick to officialize the project. But we really started to feel like a sextet with this alum. Now was the time to create our own compositions from all influences across the world,” said MGT classical guitarist Sébastien Dufour.
MGT’s other two musicians are Glenn Lévesque on classical guitar and vocals, and Marc Morin on classical guitar and bass.
Recorded in a small village church north of Montreal, In a Landscape features new original material and several guitar arrangements from Radiohead, John Cage and David Bowie.
“It reflects where we came from and where we are now,” Dufour explained. He added all the ensembles’ influences are heard, from flamenco to East Indian Raga to Latin to prog rock.
To make matters sweeter, the nine-track released on Oct. 15 is included in the first round of voting for the upcoming Grammy Awards contemporary instrumental category.
Although fairly humble about the initial behind-the-scenes voting, CGT guitarist Paul Richards acknowledges nominations are a big deal.
“It’s such a recognized award across the world. The albums that receive awards are considered great. To have an album included is a special thing,” Richards said.
Acoustic guitarists Bert Lams and Hideyo Moriya round out the CGT ensemble.
CGT and MGT’s success is in part due to a chance encounter at Oregon’s Arts Northwest Conference where both ensembles delivered a presentation. The trios saw each other perform and coincidentally were booked on the same flight after the conference.
At a stopover in Chicago, they shared a beer and planned a one-off concert. With vastly different schedules, it was one year before a performance was booked.
“We had one rehearsal and we had instant chemistry,” Dufour noted.
Their managers booked a tour and audience response was phenomenal. A second tour was planned and currently the two trios rack up kilometres together for six months of the year.
While CGT and MGT had their pick of sophisticated recording studios to record In a Landscape, they chose Holy Trinity Church, a wood and stone building located in the Laurentian Mountains. The ambient sound produced was very natural and smoother, a perfect pairing with their guitar sounds.
“It has a natural reverb and that makes a big difference to our music. The stone walls and the wooden pews contribute to the sound. Recording studios spend a lot of money to create rooms with natural sounds,” said Richards.
The album presents a breakthrough whether it’s the challenging In a Landscape, the NASA inspired New Horizons or the world-galvanizing Magneto.
The sextet is performing Saturday, Oct. 19 at the Arden Theatre.
Richards added, “We’re looking forward to returning to the Arden. It’s a beautiful place and the audiences have always enjoyed our concerts.”
