Theatre context for PSG

[john widgren]

Dear All

Please go to www,weimarband.com (Weimarband/Blue flower homepage). There is a new 5 minute video nutshell of the recent live performance at this years New York Musical Theatre Festival. Its gives one a taste of what the show was about, with some snippets of the way pedal steel is being used in a very interesting context. Thanks, John

[john widgren]

click the "Blue Flower" icon, and when you get to that page see the menu items on the left, and click photos/video.

[Jeff Lampert]

Incredible. This is about as convincing proof as their is that the PSG has got to be used everywhere and anywhere. Thanks John and your whole group for this fantastic piece of work.

------------------
Jeff's Jazz

[John Lacey]

Incredibley nice, John. Very evocative with a lovely European touch. You must have had a ball doing it.
John.

[Dan Tyack]

John, that was really great!

Tell us the story about the composer, how did he come to understand that the steel guitar is not just a glorified musical saw?

I loved it.

Here's the link, btw: http://www.weimarband.com/

------------------
www.tyack.com

[Joey Ace]

Loved It! Thanks for the link.

[Chris Bauer]

Way too cool! Like Dan, I'd like to know more about the composer as well.

Great stuff!

[CrowBear Schmitt]

Excellent !
looks & sounds like some great talents
New York still remains Avant Garde
Tip of the brim to y'all John
Vive la difference

[Dave Van Allen]

John... way cool; Have you played with Jim Baur for long? How did this come about?

SOunds like much of it was written FOR you to play... and I mean that in that your playing made it sound as if it was written for steel, even if it wasn't...

Bravo!!!

[john widgren]

Dear fellow forumites,

Thank you for your kind words of support. The project is one that is very dear to my heart, and I very much appreciate your feedback.

Jim Bauer the composer, is truely a creative genius in my humble opinion. I have never seen a human being with deeper commitment to an artistic endeavor. Jim's approach to the steel guitar parts is very exacting...he knows exactly what he wants. He usually comes to me with very specific parts or themes, which speak to me, almost immediately. These themes or parts must be as consistant as I can make them. Often we get together and go over ways of playing the parts that will fit within the larger context of orchestration, but at the same time will "lay" in a way that fits with my natural way of playing; Jim is most receptive to this. We look for ways to play the parts so that they could hold up as solo voices. We look for "resonance" in the playing, as much as getting the right notes. Some of the parts had been worked out by Jim and the previous steeler. Mr. Tom Camp, and my mission is to adhere to those parts. I have some limited leeway, but I have to be very sensitive to keeping within the book. I find that this way of playing has rewards that are differnt from the joys of improvisational playing. Ensemble playing with people of the calibre of these folks is an incredible rush. I very much believe in the "art" of this project.

Please review the web sites, as many of the background questions can be answered much better than by me, and also the site has many hidden treasures, if you take the time to poke around.

Again, kind friends, thanks for your support. John

[Lee Baucum]

Beautiful.

------------------
"Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back into the same box."

Lee, from South Texas
Down On The Rio Grande

[Travis Bernhardt]

Awesome.

-Travis

[Jim Cohen]

Very nice, indeed, John. And it was great to see you in so many of the shots in the trailer too! Great job.
jc

[Herman Visser]

Great CD Got mine on order. CD baby is a great company to work with check them out.John great steel playing,LOVE IT