Audio CD review:
Guy Van Duser - American Finger Style Guitar

Guy Van Duser - American Finger Style Guitar

Band: Guy Van Duser Title: American Finger Style Guitar Rating: Release Date: 1992-02-14 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Chattanooga Choo Choo - Guy Van Duser, Gordon, Mack 2: As Time Goes By - Guy Van Duser, Hupfield, Herman 3: Sweet Georgia Brown - Guy Van Duser, Bernie, Ben 4: Great Western TV Medley - Guy Van Duser, 5: That Certain Feeling - Guy Van Duser, Gershwin, George 6: Black Beauty - Guy Van Duser, Ellington, Duke 7: Alligator Crawl - Guy Van Duser, Davis, Joe [Jazz] 8: Viper's Drag - Guy Van Duser, Waller, Fats 9: Stars Fell on Alabama - Guy Van Duser, Perkins, Frank 10: Miss Brown to You - Guy Van Duser, Rainger, Ralph 11: I Can't Give You Anything But Love/Goody-Goody - Guy Van Duser, Fields, Dorothy 12: Never Gonna Dance - Guy Van Duser, Kern, Jerome 13: The Syncopated Clock - Guy Van Duser, Anderson, Leroy 14: On Treasure Island - Guy Van Duser, Burke, Joe [2] 15: Little Girl Blue - Guy Van Duser, Rodgers, Richard 16: Avalon - Guy Van Duser, DeSylva, Buddy 17: Elmira - Guy Van Duser, Van Duser, Guy 18: Duke Ellington Medley: I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart/I Got It Bad - Guy Van Duser, Ellington, Duke 19: The Starts and Stripes Forever - Guy Van Duser, Sousa, John Philip

The Miracle Guitarist with a "Whole Band" in his hands... Guy Van Duser is a musical marvel. . . an "eighth wonder" on six strings. A musician can be competent as a "technician" and lack feeling and expression, and, alternatively they can play with limited skill and boundless enthusiasm. Guy combines unmatched technical guitar skill with an equally unmatched artistic flair. I am reminded of the scene in the film "Amadeus" where another musical genius, Mozart, is told by the Emperor Joseph that his latest composition has "too many notes" and some should be removed. Mozart asks "which notes" the Emperor has in mind. Listening to Guy Van Duser would probably fluster a musical midget like the former Emperor - Guy plays notes with bell-like clarity and blistering speed in fabulous and meticulous arrangements that nearly overwhelm the ear. This CD is crammed with examples, but if you want to hook someone on GVD with a single tune - play them the live recording of Guy's arrangement of "Stars and Stripes Forever" - initially you think "cool. . . listen to that - I never really thought of a Sousa march as a solo guitar piece". Then, you listen a bit longer and you think "wow. . . listen to that - he got the trombones too". . . . then a bit longer your jaw drops as you realize he's playing, at the same time, the trombones. . . . the whole damn orchestra. . . AND that bouncy piccolo part - all at the same time. Did he suddenly sprout extra hands?! How the devil does he DO that? Do yourself a favor and listen to this album. You and Guy Van Duser's will never be separated for long after that. Six Swinging Strings Anyway, there are many ways to praise this album, but I will choose just one - "That Certain Feeling". I got this album for "Never Gonna Dance", and because I had once tried to learn a Guy Van Duser arrangement, which put me in my place, guitar-wise. He takes this from George Gershwin's relentlessly rhythmical rendition of his own tune and manages to transfer it to guitar, keeping the drive and the riffs intact. A great tribute, and a remarkable performance. There aren't many who could play it on piano, much less guitar. The album was released in 1987, but is really a compendium of material from 3 earlier releases, now apparently unavailable, so this is welcome. There is over an hour of fine guitar, occasional clarinet (also fine), and a lovely session of whistling which makes one wonder why nobody does that kind of thing any more. One listen, you'll kick yourself for quitting guitar lessons (That was so far back, it was only available on vinyl. I first heard this album years ago on WBAI (Commie, Pinko public radio station in NYC) and it was so exciting that I immediately had to have it. ) The Western Medley and Stars and Stripes Forever are the top cuts but As Time Goes By is a classic too. If you like solo guitar, this is one album you can put on and listen completely through without having to skip the "bad cuts" - there aren't any here. This is one of my favorite albums and now that I've found it on CD, it can travel with me in the car and make me happy, even in bumper to bumper traffic. Amazing! Will I be able to find tabulature for the whole CDs?. Guy successfully transcribed old and familiar music into guitar piece. You can see a complete list of all Guy Van Duser discography, or go back to the Guy Van Duser tabs