International Guitar Night returns to the University of Victoria’s Farquhar Auditorium Sunday.
Founded by Brian Gore in 1995, the world’s premier touring guitar festival brings together interesting and innovative acoustic guitarists to exchange musical ideas in a public concert setting.
Stepping in as guest host for this highlight of the winter calendar is gypsy jazz legend Lulo Reinhardt, a third-generation Latin jazz master from Germany.
Joining Reinhardt are three dynamic musicians – Italy’s innovative contemporary guitarist Luca Stricagnoli, brilliant young Brazilian composer/performer Chrystian Dozza and India’s ground-breaking slide guitarist, Debashish Bhattacharya.
The evening features solos, duets and quartets highlighting the dexterity and diversity of acoustic guitar by the world’s finest guitarists/composers who play their latest original songs and share musical ideas and talent with their peers.
Lulo Reinhardt
Lulo Reinhardt is the grandnephew of Gypsy jazz legend Django Reinhardt whose passionate style of Gypsy jazz guitar was astonishing in the 1930s and is still revered and emulated today. Born to a Gypsy family in Belgium, Django’s playing inspired his extended family in Germany and France, and successive generations of Reinhardts have reinforced his powerful musical vision and added their own ideas.
A spontaneous and spirited musician, Lulo has retained the incredible Reinhardt soul, speed and dexterity and updated the repertoire. First taught by his father at age five, by 12, he played in the Mike Reinhardt Sextett and later co-founded Django Reinhardt and the Heartbreakers, followed by I Gitano with his father Bawo and cousin Dege, touring throughout Europe.
Musical curiosity took him to southern Spain in search of flamenco roots and to South America, exploring Latin jazz. By 2002, he founded the Lulo Reinhardt Project, which evolved to the Lulo Reinhardt Latin Swing Project in 2007.
Debashish Bhattacharya
Perhaps the greatest slide guitarist in India, Bhattacharya began learning Indian music from his parents before he learned the alphabet. As a child he mastered many Indian classical instrumental styles and vocal music from different teachers in Calcutta. As a performer, he gave his first guitar recital at age four on the All India Radio and in a public concert. In his 20s, he evolved a unique style of playing guitar, synthesizing select features of various other instruments such as the Veena, Sitar, Sarod and Kannur.
To develop his playing, he has undergone decades of disciplined study of Indian vocal technique combined with his instrumental work and can sing perfectly in parallel with every blindingly fast melody he plays.
Luca Stricagnoli
Stricagnoli was born in 1991 in Varese, Italy, and as a young boy showed a great natural talent with the guitar. He began playing classical guitar at age 10 but soon quit for three years. His passion rekindled, he taught himself new and original playing styles, which included performances with different instruments.
Now at 23, Luca is requested to perform all over the world. He makes his North American debut with International Guitar Night.
Chrystian Dozza
Dozza is a leading light of the new generation of Brazilian instrumental musicians, a brilliant young guitarist/composer whose talents have been widely displayed and rewarded. He has three recorded CDs, Songs from the Land, Fantasia Mineira and Despertar, made up of his original compositions and creative arrangements of Brazilian classics.
Also making his North American debut, Dozza complements his solo work by playing with chamber music group the Quaternaglia Guitar Quartet and the guitar trio, Trio Opus 12.
When & where
• International Guitar Night is at UVic’s Farquhar Auditorium Sunday, Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m.
• Tickets are $25 (student/alumni), $35 (general); four tickets are $100. Please contact the UVic Ticket Centre at 250-721-8480, online at www.tickets.uvic.ca or in person at University Centre.