Home » Jazz Articles » Film Review » New Guitar Summit: Live at the Stoneham Theatre

239

New Guitar Summit: Live at the Stoneham Theatre

By

View read count
New Guitar Summit
Live at the Stoneham Theatre
Stony Plain Records
2004

Swing is the thing with this concert featuring Jay Geils, Duke Robillard and Gerry Beaudoin on stage, seated in a row, interacting and soloing on their hollow body amplified guitars. With acoustic bass and drums providing a rhythmic foundation and contributing additional solo work, the performance offers plenty of variety.

All three guitarists contribute eloquent solo work. Geils prefers a hard, driving edge in his interpretations, while Robillard enjoys the cool swing spirit, and Beaudoin employs a conversational style that emphasizes harmony.

As the three guitarists trade fours, you can feel their musical conversation taking hold. They're loose, relaxed, and completely at ease. Songs from the Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton Swing Era give them plenty of comfort. The also delve into the blues, reaching out with the kind of feeling that the music dictates.

The camera work for this concert concentrates on close-ups and group shots from straight ahead angles. There are exceptions for variety, of course, and all of the camera work provides crystal clear imagery.

The high point of the concert comes on a traditional blues. Robillard plays and sings "Lonely Boy Blues while the others contribute warm accompaniment all around him in a circle. The feelings are genuine, the music is fresh, and tradition is served.

Tracks: Broadway; Swingin' with Dr. Jake; Tain't Nobody's Business; Glide On; Seven Come Eleven; Lonely Boy Blues; Flying Home.

Personnel: Jay Geils: guitar; Duke Robillard, Gerry Beaudoin: guitar, vocals; John Turner: bass; Gordon Grottenthaler: drums.

Program Notes: Directed by Alan Chebot; Approximate running time one hour. Special features include: interviews with Jay Geils, Duke Robillard & Gerry Beaudoin, historical photo gallery, interactive bios.

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Jazz article: Sunday Best: A Netflix Documentary
Jazz article: The Session Man: Nicky Hopkins
Jazz article: Marley: Collector's Edition (2DVD)
Jazz article: Bob Dylan: A Complete Unknown

Popular

Read Take Five with Pianist Irving Flores
Read Jazz em Agosto 2025
Read Bob Schlesinger at Dazzle
Read SFJAZZ Spring Concerts
Read Sunday Best: A Netflix Documentary
Read Vivian Buczek at Ladies' Jazz Festival

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.