GUITAR

The guitar is a very special instrument for me because I am more intimate with it than any other and I love to fully explore the techniques and range of the instrument. I have had the pleasure of working with many excellent guitarists including: Matt Borgmann, Graham Sims, Kevin Byrne, The Flamenco Thief, James Douglas and Gary Ryan across a range of styles and was a founder member of The Guitar Circle, a community dedicated to promoting guitar music.

My guitar music derives from a classical training distilled with other musical influences from my past including: folk, progressive rock, punk, new wave and jazz . I aim to create strong melodic and rhythmic frameworks in tension with complex harmonic explorations and experimental approaches. A strong narrative often defines my works. Distinctive right hand patters derive from influences like Davy Graham, Bert Jansch, John Martyn and Stephan Grossman gained while I was playing on the London pub folk scene in the mid seventies. Around that time I also began three years studying classical guitar and music theory at The Watford School of Music under Tom Hartman and Carl Shavitz.

All my early composing energies were put into writing for various guitar based bands until, frustrated by the direction of popular music I rediscovered solo guitar. The influence of this period remains and is evidenced by clear melodic phrases and rhythms.

In 2001 I started an important collaboration with Graham Sims. This culminated in the world premiere in November 2001 at The Michael Tippet Centre of two major works: Soundtrack 1 and The Fairground. The works were well received: "Substantial pieces... with many effective ideas" (Bath Chronicle). Graham went on to record both pieces on "The Fairground".

A few years back I began a major collaboration with Graham Sims and Kevin Byrne… both hugely talented guitarists with contrasting styles. This involved the composition of the Fanfarria suite. Fanfarria II was premiered by Graham to great reviews at the Assembly Rooms in Bath. The more expansive duets Fanfarria I and Prelude were premiered by Graham and Kevin on their 2008 UK tour including the Tippet Centre and the Bolivar Hall, London. With one and a half years in the writing, help and motivation came from Hayley Savage. You can hear the results and view the scores below.

The guitar continues to fascinate and has become the centre of two current duet project. The first with The Flamenco Thief resulted in Andalusian Sketches. The second is with James Douglas… Fight and Flight. These delicate acoustic guitar duets have been recorded onto two albums and we continue to perform in the UK.