Tim Sparks workshop+performance, Lexington, MA, Feb 28, 2008
Tim Sparks
Feb 28, 2008
Workshop: 6:00-7:30pm
Cost: $30 and includes admission to the following concert. Space is limited so signing up in advance is encouraged.
Concert: 8:00pm
The Music Emporium
165 Mass Avenue
Lexington, Massachusetts
www.themusicemporium.com
The Music Emporium & Collings guitars are thrilled to offer a workshop and concert by the extraordinary guitarist Tim Sparks on Thursday February the 28th. Tim Sparks won the National Fingerstyle Guitar Championships in 1993 and has since gone on to tour the globe and record an amazing body of work. He has shared cd space with some of the most respected guitarists working today, such as Marc Ribot and Bill Frisell. Most notably, Tim has carved out a unique niche for himself by reinterpreting Jewish music for solo guitar and chamber ensembles on John Zorn’s Tzadik label. Tim’s compositions are unlike anything else in the guitar repertoire and are fascinating examples of the limitless possibilities of the instrument. Darkly romantic and technically brilliant, his songs are models of gifted arrangement and inspired improvisation.
Both the workshop and the concert will be an opportunity to revel in Tim’s vast musical vocabulary. During the workshop, he will explore and teach two compositions, one focusing on the Jewish and Balkan influences in his music, and one drawing on roots music. This is also a time to get Tim’s advice on any musical questions you may have regarding arranging, improvising, or performing.
For more than a few years now Tim's main guitar has been a Collings OM1 with a cedar top and mahogany back and sides. The concert is a chance to hear an exceptional musician take full advantage of the range of his Collings, as Tim performs music in the aforementioned genres and treats us to new unrecorded pieces. This is a once in a blue moon event and a fantastic opportunity for local guitarists. Don’t just take our word for it. Leo Kottke had the following to say about Tim Sparks, “I'm Tim Sparks' biggest fan. His stuff is very difficult to play but it doesn't sound difficult. I think that's real musicianship. He's really one of the best musicians I know.” Bill Frisell said of Spark’s album Neshamah, “Tim Sparks is incredible, a complete original. Every guitarist on the planet has got to hear this.”