Guitar maker Amsterdam
Wanting to add directing to his skills, offline editor Teun Rietveld asked if he could shoot some material of a guitar maker at work. in the old fashion way. Not on video, but analoge, on celluloid. Together with Gábor Deák on camera and Paul Damen as his camera assistent, he spent two pleasant days in my workshop. After the shooting it took a while before I heard from him. Last month he sent me a message. It had taken a little longer than planned. Below the nice result.
These are guitarist/composer Niels Brouwer and vocalist Monica Akihary, the core of ensemble BOI AKIH.
BOI AKIH has a unique, striking sound based on musical traditions from the Moluccas (Melanesia/Oceania), Sunda and Bali, Dutch (European) jazz and improvised music, classical Indian music and traditional African music.
Singer Monica writes and sings in her father’s native language, regarded as moribund by the scientific world. Since 1998 Brouwer and Akihary have been working with Dutch and Australian linguists who study Haruku. With their help and support, Boi Akih not only keeps the tradition alive, but also employs the language in its most authentic form: poetic self-expression.
This video was recorded at the Concertgemaal, a former pumping station which was turned in to a cultural spot and concert venue. During the lock down it offered live streams for their audience.
Niels Brouwer plays a seven string, cutaway, Model 2A.
This is Leyenda, a CD by Lazaro Tejedor. He sent it to me a while ago since he recorded it with a spruce top cutaway concert model , built by me.
Lazaro Tejedor works as a guitar teacher, guitarist and composer. He also organizes guitar workshops in the Netherlands, Spain and Morocco.
Lazaro Tejedor was born on Tenerife, the largest and most populated island of the Canary Islands (Spain). He’s fluent in Spanish, English and Dutch. Occasionally he performes as a singer-songwriter, usually in Spanish.
Last week Spotify celebrated it’s ten year anniversary so I updated my playlist on Spotify with albums or tracks, played on guitars built by me. It’s named Played on guitars made by Otto Vowinkel. The playlist is far from complete. If you know an album or track which should be added, please tell me. For now, I hope you enjoy Lazaro’s interpretation of the title track of his CD, which obviously, I included on my list.
Sanel Redzic, the young, successfull guitarist I have written about earlier, invested a lot of time and effort in making high quality recordings. It pays off as one can see on his YouTube channel where he releases new videos on a regular basis.
Recently he released an original quarantine video: Lau Euskal Abesti, four Basque songs by composer Jesus Guridi. It was written for guitar trio and Sanel Redzic takes care of all three parts.
Last year Sanel also released a new cd called Journey with music by Aguado, Tarrega, de Falla and Bach.
In the video and on the cd Sanel playes two different concert guitars. The one on the cd was built in 2004. The one in the video in 2019. For more info about Sanel and his cds, please check out his website.
I wrote an email to New Yorker Benjamin Verdery. To check out how he is doing in these horrible Corona Times.
” Aloha Ester and Otto!!!!
… These are simply unprecedented times. I have not been out for 5 days and will finally today. We are being very vigilant and wearing masks and gloves and wiping everything!! We both have been doing on line teaching and I have been chatting and writing to friends around the world like you guys.”
It can’t be underestimated that this is a kind of war. Amsterdam ave is the main street to a hospital so we hear sirens frequently which is a reminder of all those in pain.
Every evening at 7:00 we go out on our little balcony ( we are so lucky to have that) and cheer the health care workers, doctors, nurses and delivery people and all on the front line. It’s very moving.
Benjamin also told me about his latest CD, Scenes from Ellis Island which was released with New Focus Recordings on February 14. The pictures below show the front and back. The latter taken in the great hall on Ellis Island.
“I can guarantee that very few guitars have been played in that hall. It’s not of course a concert hall but the hall where so many were examined before being allowed to go to land. It’s maybe appropriate that it be Dutch guitar there as you were the first Europeans to come to this Island and come on, I live on Amsterdam ave!!!! So it was meant to be.”
“It will be some time before we are allowed to send things from the post so please find the booklet . At the back of it is the photo of me and your insanely great baritone! “
Scenes from Ellis Island can be found on
Spotify | Amazon | YouTube | Website Benjamin Verdery
This is Nina Fourie Gouws, AKA Nina_Guitar. I wrote about her earlier.
Nina is a South-African guitarist. Active as a concert player as well as a guitar lecturer at Stellenbosch Konservatorium where she teaches pre-undergraduate and undergraduate practical music studies, accompaniment, repertoire studies and teaching methodology.
Nina plays a cedar top concert guitar with, as you can see in the picture above, a beautiful back.
Nina is very active on Instagram where I found all photos in this post – taken by Marnhe Grové. Among other things, she uses Instagram to keep herself motivated and to share her ideas about practising .
Last year she challenged herself with a so-called # 100daysofpractice in which she posted a video of her progress every day. This year she is doing something similar but reduced the challenge to # 40daysofpractice. Below you can watch day 32: a short video from Asturias, recorded by candlelight due to a power outage.
Keep it up Nina, only 8 more days to go!
