FOLIO
by Rick Grant
A former member of the Grammy Award-winning ensemble, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, Andrew York has had a stellar career as an eclectic solo artist. Indeed, York is a full-fledged major dude in classical and jazz artistry. Moreover, Andrew is a tireless road dog who is always exploring and creating new guitar techniques.
As a serious classical composer, Andrew’s compositions have been recorded by guitar legends including John Williams and Christopher Parkening and by pianist Mitsouko Kado. Yet Andrew is not an elitist. He was funny and engaging in our telephone chat.
During our conversation, we spoke about the young prodigies who reach a high level of artistry and can play anything they hear instantly, with interpretation. I asked him if that is that the holy grail of being a musician
“Yes, but the person [who has this gift] has to communicate their passion and soul for the music. A youthful prodigy, like that girl who sounds like a woman, may have captured attention as a commodity, and she may achieve a level of success commercially. However, to be enduring she needs to communicate her feelings and passion for the music.”
“Since I’ve been a serious musical artist most of my life, I have a spiritual calling as expressed through my guitar playing. It’s a deep connection to my music which comes out in my performing and composing. I also enjoy jazz improvisation and have played in that genre on and off for years. My spiritual connection extends to any genre I play,” Andrew says.
Andrew played the Great Guitar Gathering once before, about four years ago. I remember his act was definitely eclectic. He played a variety of songs, classical compositions, and even folk ditties. His performance was witty, joyous and exciting.
The GGG will be held at the Florida Theatre on February 24. This shindig will feature Don Casper’s Guitar Orchestra, made up of his students at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts (DASOTA), along with New York fingerstyle guitarist Adam Rafferty and Andrew York performing solo. Tickets are available at DASOTA or the Florida Theatre box offices.
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