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Gilbert Isbin
‘Belgian guitarist Gilbert Isbin is one of the most interesting, dynamic and poetic composers writing for the guitar today.’ (Mel Bay)
Gilbert Isbin’s (Gilbert Dewaele) compositional and performing style defies genre, blending elements of contemporary classical, jazz, early music, world music and improvisation. In favorable comparisons with the likes of Ralph Towner and Egberto Gismonti, his music has been described as “oblique, subtle, and hauntingly beautiful.”
His compositions – more than 400 – for guitar(s), lute(s), ukulele, theorbo, renaissance guitar, baroque guitar, bass and ensemble, songs, are published by Mel Bay, Edizioni Curci (Berben) , The UK Lute Society, Hal Leonard- Beratio Music, GuitarbyMasters, Lantro Music, Golden River Music, Kameleon Editions Auurk Ed, VRT Publishing. They have been performed and recorded by a.o. guitarplayers Rob MacKillop (Uk), Sandro Di Stefano (It), Frabrice Desmets (Fr), Christian Vasseur (F), the Guitarquartet Four Times A Lady (B), Quartetto Chitarristico Italiano (It), the guitar Duo D’Atenas (Gr), Ukulele players, Donald Bousted (UK), Elisabeth Pfeiffer and Lee Ferguson (DE), the Spectra Ensemble (B), Peter Verhelst, De Camer van Musiecke (B), lutenists David Van Ooijen, (NL), Alberto Crugnola (IT), Stuart Walsh,(Uk), Thomas Schall (Sw), Andrés Bonilla (Argentina), Thomas Langlois (B), Stathis Skandalidis (Greece), Lieven Misschaert (B), Peter Sinneave (B), reedplayer Kurt Bertels (B), digital horn player Iain Cameron, (UK), flugelhorn player Stephen Altoft, UK, Renaissance guitarplayers, Davide Donelli (It), Dmitry Cherovko (RU), marimbaplayer Jonathan Bonny (B), singers Marie Schoenbock (F), Muriel Batbie Castell (F), Anna Nuytten (B), bassplayers Cameron Brown, Joe Fonda, Scott Walton, Hugh Hopper (Soft Machine), percussionplayers Vasilis Stefanopoulos, Chris Joris, pipa player Jie Ma.
Thus far 5 books have been published by Mel Bay: ‘ 24 Guitar Pieces‘ , ‘Classical and Contemporary Studies for Bass Guitar‘ featuring studies by Giovanni Bottesini and Gilbert Isbin, (Edited and Recorded by Rob Mackillop) ‘The Improvising Fingerstyle guitarist‘ and ’50 Easy Contemporary Pieces For Fingerstyle Guitar’ and The Improvising Lute Player
He has performed on festivals and major venus throughout Europe and the US with a.o Cameron Brown, Joe Fonda, Scott Walton, Hugh Hopper, Jeff Gauthier, Vinny Golia, John Ruocco, Andre Goudbeek, Pierre Vaiana, Ernst Reijseger, Jaap Blonk, Hanka Rybka, Iep Fourier, Paul Rutherford, Michel Godard, Sandro Di Stefano, Christian Vasseur, Bruce Arnold, Sandor Szabo, Albert Giminez, Philippe Deschepper, Rudy De Sutter, Jie Ma, Chris Joris, Alex Cline, Wolfgang Reisinger, Ivo Vanderborght, Jatinder Thakur, Jaap Blonk, Balazs Major, Dirk Wachtelaer.
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Gilbert Isbin Group: Water With A Smile

by Mark Sabbatini
Belgian guitarist Gilbert Isban is a formidable nylon finger-picking veteran on everything from classical to avant-garde. He makes his debut as a composer and arranger on his 13th album--and in this case, that proves to be a lucky number.
Water With A Smile is another of those albums purporting the equation Latin + world + acoustic folk/rock = innovative jazz but listening to these dozen songs, it's clear that's exactly what this is. Vocalist Lea Van Loo and ...
Continue ReadingGilbert Isbin: Plays Nick Drake - A Tribute To His Music

by Glenn Astarita
In somewhat of a loosely based connotation, Belgian based guitarist Gilbert Isbin could be the European counterpart to America’s legendary acoustic guitarist John Fahey. Mr. Isbin’s CDs have been reviewed here on All About Jazz in the recent past yet each offering from this master guitarist represents something distinct or thematic. Here, Isbin decides to revive the music of the late and often misunderstood composer/vocalist Nick Drake who died at the tender age of 26 in 1974 from a drug ...
Continue ReadingGilbert Isbin & Geert Verbeke: Twins

by Robert Spencer
A most unusual and inviting disc: Gilbert Isbin plays guitar (classical and prepared), and Geert Verbeke plays a variety of percussion instruments. Together they make meditative, refreshing, and inviting music that often tends toward East Asian models both in sound quality and in sonic depth.
There's a great variety to the sound. On Secrets," for example, they seem to be able to achieve the shimmering sound of a synthesizer with acoustic effects alone: the beautiful natural resonance of bells, underlined ...
Continue ReadingGuitarist Gilbert Isbin's new CD release

Source:
All About Jazz
A new Cd of Belgian guitarist Gilbert Isbin was released on the German label Traurige Tropen with ten arrangements of Nick Drake songs.
Glenn Astarita from ALLABOUTJAZZ wrote :
In somewhat of a loosely based connotation, Belgian based guitarist Gilbert Isbin could be the European counterpart to America's legendary acoustic guitarist John Fahey. Mr. Isbin's Cds have been reviewed on All About Jazz in the recent past yet each offering from this master guitarist represents something distinct or thematic. Here, ...
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