Guitar Icon Earl Klugh Celebrates New Album with Rockwell Hall Concert
Guitar icon Earl Klugh celebrates the release of his 34th recording with a concert at Rockwell Hall on Saturday, November 8 at 8:00 p.m. This concert is part of the Performing Arts Center's 2008-2009 Great Performers Series, presented by M&T Bank.
Tickets for Earl Klugh are $35-$30 each, with a discount for seniors and rush tickets for students. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the Rockwell Hall Box Office, 1300 Elmwood Ave., by calling 716-878-3005 or online at www.buffalostate.edu/pac. Box Office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
In a recording career of over three decades, master guitarist Earl Klugh has been lauded first as a prodigy and groundbreaker, then a defining figure, and ultimately, as one of the true statesmen of contemporary jazz. With The Spice of Life, his first studio album in nine years, Klugh follows his Grammy(r)-nominated solo recording Naked Guitar with a statement every bit as compelling.
Earl Klugh has recorded over 30 albums in a multi-million-selling career including 22 Top Ten charting records - four of them No. 1 - on Billboard's Jazz Album chart. He has been nominated eleven times for the Grammy, in jazz fusion, best arrangement and pop instrumental categories, winning the 1980 Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for the million-selling album One on One with Bob James. He won the 1987 Edison Award for Life Stories (Europe's Grammy Equivalent). Klugh's 2005 solo recording, Naked Guitar, was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Album. Collaboration, his 1987 album with George Benson, was certified Gold by the RIAA.
After breaking a six-year recording hiatus with the universally-hailed solo album of 2005, Klugh steps back from Naked Guitar's intimate focus on the unaccompanied guitar to capture the biggest picture possible, and an equally personal one: The Spice of Life is a far-reaching account of all his music, marking Klugh's return to full-scale album production after a nine-year break. It effortlessly segues from jazz to Latin to pop modes through a compositional approach that recalls his Grammy(r) Award-winning work with Bob James (One on One), spiced with all the lyric flourishes that established Klugh's distinctive signature all those years ago.
The Spice of Life is the reflection of a lifetime's discovery, growth and collaboration in music. First studying piano at age 3, and then guitar at 10, Earl was barely a teen when he was thunderstruck by watching Chet Atkins play guitar on Perry Como's television variety show. "Chet's playing cast a long shadow on my whole life," he says, with obvious respect and fondness. "He was the first person I saw playing the melody on guitar, without singing. I had never heard the guitar being played like that." Immediately, the then 13-year old Klugh immersed himself in Atkins' innovative fingering style, studying Atkins' playing on dozens of albums. In honing his technique, a complex, beautiful and melodic style emerged, and a talent that was uniquely Klugh's.
Years after inspiring Earl so crucially -- and by then a longtime friend and collaborator -- Chet Atkins zeroed right in on Klugh's forte in Guitar Player magazine, noting Klugh's use of a profound talent and artistic daring to create a mainstream music. "Earl can wail with the best," said Atkins, "but he prefers to touch people emotionally. He reaches your heart with that romantic special something." Klugh's closeness to his listeners has been a constant of his career and his life: "I'm always amazed that fans are so loyal. So many have shared stories and memories of what my music has meant to them. It's the most wonderful compliment I could ever receive."
Even with the many accomplishments of a long career, Earl Klugh doesn't necessarily believe there is a peak level to playing guitar. In a 2005 interview with Modern Guitars, Klugh reflected, "My enjoyment is searching out new things to play every day, and ways to play them. There's so much more I want to do. If there were nothing else to learn and do there'd be no reason to play."
The Great Performers Series is sponsored by M&T Bank and WBFO.
Tickets for Earl Klugh are $35-$30 each, with a discount for seniors and rush tickets for students. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the Rockwell Hall Box Office, 1300 Elmwood Ave., by calling 716-878-3005 or online at www.buffalostate.edu/pac. Box Office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
In a recording career of over three decades, master guitarist Earl Klugh has been lauded first as a prodigy and groundbreaker, then a defining figure, and ultimately, as one of the true statesmen of contemporary jazz. With The Spice of Life, his first studio album in nine years, Klugh follows his Grammy(r)-nominated solo recording Naked Guitar with a statement every bit as compelling.
Earl Klugh has recorded over 30 albums in a multi-million-selling career including 22 Top Ten charting records - four of them No. 1 - on Billboard's Jazz Album chart. He has been nominated eleven times for the Grammy, in jazz fusion, best arrangement and pop instrumental categories, winning the 1980 Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for the million-selling album One on One with Bob James. He won the 1987 Edison Award for Life Stories (Europe's Grammy Equivalent). Klugh's 2005 solo recording, Naked Guitar, was nominated for Best Pop Instrumental Album. Collaboration, his 1987 album with George Benson, was certified Gold by the RIAA.
After breaking a six-year recording hiatus with the universally-hailed solo album of 2005, Klugh steps back from Naked Guitar's intimate focus on the unaccompanied guitar to capture the biggest picture possible, and an equally personal one: The Spice of Life is a far-reaching account of all his music, marking Klugh's return to full-scale album production after a nine-year break. It effortlessly segues from jazz to Latin to pop modes through a compositional approach that recalls his Grammy(r) Award-winning work with Bob James (One on One), spiced with all the lyric flourishes that established Klugh's distinctive signature all those years ago.
The Spice of Life is the reflection of a lifetime's discovery, growth and collaboration in music. First studying piano at age 3, and then guitar at 10, Earl was barely a teen when he was thunderstruck by watching Chet Atkins play guitar on Perry Como's television variety show. "Chet's playing cast a long shadow on my whole life," he says, with obvious respect and fondness. "He was the first person I saw playing the melody on guitar, without singing. I had never heard the guitar being played like that." Immediately, the then 13-year old Klugh immersed himself in Atkins' innovative fingering style, studying Atkins' playing on dozens of albums. In honing his technique, a complex, beautiful and melodic style emerged, and a talent that was uniquely Klugh's.
Years after inspiring Earl so crucially -- and by then a longtime friend and collaborator -- Chet Atkins zeroed right in on Klugh's forte in Guitar Player magazine, noting Klugh's use of a profound talent and artistic daring to create a mainstream music. "Earl can wail with the best," said Atkins, "but he prefers to touch people emotionally. He reaches your heart with that romantic special something." Klugh's closeness to his listeners has been a constant of his career and his life: "I'm always amazed that fans are so loyal. So many have shared stories and memories of what my music has meant to them. It's the most wonderful compliment I could ever receive."
Even with the many accomplishments of a long career, Earl Klugh doesn't necessarily believe there is a peak level to playing guitar. In a 2005 interview with Modern Guitars, Klugh reflected, "My enjoyment is searching out new things to play every day, and ways to play them. There's so much more I want to do. If there were nothing else to learn and do there'd be no reason to play."
The Great Performers Series is sponsored by M&T Bank and WBFO.
Media Contact:
Jeff Marsha, Director of Operations, Performing Arts Center | 7168784325 | marshajl@buffalostate.edu