& Tails

This album was recorded, produced and mastered in my studio.

& Tails is an instrumental album featuring the guitar with other instruments. 

You will hear my guitar concerto for guitar and strings, guitar with handbells, organ, and drums, bass, sax etc. 

This album started in 1993 with the thought of doing a trilogy of albums to showcase my work and musical interests. 

Top Hat: is solo classical guitar.

Black Tie: is electric guitar instrumental with a soft rock band. 

& Tails: is guitar with other instruments. 

The  album starts out with my Concerto #1 for guitar & strings 

1. Allegro: is based on the 1st piece I wrote, “Sunshine”, a very happy movement and the strings really make it come alive. You can listen to the original version on my Top Hat album.  
2. Andante: Is based on my piece “Walkin’ Thro’ The Heather”. You can hear the original version on my Black Tie album. 
3. Allegretto: This is a new piece that was started by just a few bars of a thought, at the time I thought that it would make a great fiddle tune. 
4. Please Bell With Me: I was listening to the hand bells in our church and thought how nice it would be with the classical guitar. This is a combination that you do not find very often. The guitar and the hand bells share the melody and accompany each other when not playing the melody. A very cheery piece. 
5. Eastern Magic: This was originally written for french horn, guitar and piano so that I could pay it with my brother and his wife. On this version I use the oboe instead of the french horn. 
6. Caravan: This piece was originally commissioned by one of my mentors as a gift for his son who plays jazz guitar. I find it a challenging piece with a laid back feel. 
7. Old & New: This is played with a combo of electric instruments, like synth,  bass, drums & guitar. Originally written as a classical guitar solo. 
8. Workshop: This piece was originally written for four guitars. It served as a culmination piece at a guitar workshop where I taught. This version is for guitar & strings and gives it a nice bouncy feel. 
9. Divertimento #1: A divertimento is a musical idea. This is played with classical guitar and strings. The musical idea or motif is explored thoughout the piece. 
10. Celebration: This piece is guitar and organ. It was written for my daughters wedding and premiered at it. It is another combination that you do not find very often. 
11. Musings on Covid: The Covid time was a very active time for my composing and I wrote this piece and released it as a single. This version includes a saxophone solo. I play the guitar and sax on this piece. 

You can listen to the references above by visiting my YouTube channel.

My YouTube channel is: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtA5abGkg5593pd18oAEKNA

What people are saying….. THE BUZZ…. 

Just listened to the first three (Concerto #1) and love them all: they are so playful and fun. The first tune is lovely: sprightly and uplifting, the second reminds me of a Chinese man and boy walking across a green field, the third reminds me of old-fashioned kids games. Where do you find all the beautiful instruments and time to produce this? Good work!

Sandy

I (finally) got around to listening to this wonderful album.  I have to say that I enjoyed ALL of them; there wasn’t one “stinker” in the bunch…  However, I do have some favourites, like: #1(Chamber Concerto #1 Allegro) ; I loved the upbeat tempo and #3 (Chamber Concerto #1 Allegretto); this lovely soft concerto, beautiful and #8 (Workshop); gave me goosebumps, as I absolutely loved the Japanese influence of it.  ALL were super well done – you did an amazing job.

Linda