John Etheridge

Concert dates, all starting at 19.30

• Friday 22 October, Aith Hall – £10/8 – John Etheridge & Ben Ferguson
• Saturday 23 October, St Columba’s Church, Lerwick (da Big Kirk) – £12/10 – John Etheridge & Harris Playfair Big Band Project
• Sunday 24 October Busta House, Brae  – £10/8 – John Etheridge & Ben Ferguson

In a collaboration between Shetland Arts and Shetland Jazz Club as part of the Peerie Willie Guitar Season, Etheridge will perform a series of concerts in Aith, Lerwick and Brae. The concert season comprises a monthly visit by a world-class guitarist to celebrate the life and legacy of late local guitarist Peerie Willie Johnson. Last month saw performances by Ian Bairnson and Jim Mullen. Upcoming concerts include Lulo Reinhardt Quintet on Wednesday 24^th November and the Michael Janisch Quintet on 17^th December.

Next Saturday’s concert at St Columba’s Church in Lerwick will feature a special collaboration between the guitar legend Etheridge and The Harris Playfair Youth Big Band. The group comprise some of Shetland’s finest young musicians who fuse traditional Shetland, jazz and a range of eclectic influences under the guidance of Playfair to produce a unique and full sound. The group first played at this year’s Fiddle Frenzy with a line-up 23 musicians. This time, the group will be in a smaller format of around 12 performers including saxophone, piano, trumpet, fiddles, flute and drums. These events are part funded by the Scottish Arts Council/Creative Scotland Jazz Development Fund.

Friday’s concert at the Aith Hall and Sunday’s at Busta House, Brae, will feature a support slot by young guitarist Ben Ferguson from Walls.

It is fitting that Etheridge performs during the Peerie Willie Guitar Season since the two appeared together on the BBC1 documentary series “The Shetland Sessions” recorded during the 1991 Shetland Folk Festival. The pair played a rendition of “Honeysuckle Rose” when Willie performed alongside “Danny Thompson’s Whatever”, a group of whom Etheridge was a member.

Etheridge’s Shetland ties continued when his acclaimed 2004 solo album “I Didn’t Know” was produced by Shetland recording engineer and Filska guitarist Andrew Tulloch.

Guitar season poster

John Etheridge has been at the top of the jazz and contemporary guitar world for 25 years.  He was first touted by the music press in the early 70s while playing with a number of progressive rock and early fusion units (most notably Darryl Way’s Wolf – producing three albums for Decca). In 1975 he was offered the chance to replace Allan Holdsworth in the legendary jazz-fusion group Soft Machine. International touring and recording followed until the band’s demise at the end of the 70s. More or less simultaneously (starting in 1976) Etheridge joined the touring group of the celebrated jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli. For a number of years these two commitments ran parallel – revealing the broad range of his abilities. Etheridge left Grappelli’s quartet in 1981. For the last twenty years he has pursued a career involving associations with many of the great players of the jazz world. Either in single concerts, touring or recording he has appeared with – Barney Kessel, Didier Lockwood, Nils Pedersen, Gordon Beck, Herb Ellis, Mundell Lowe, Vic Juris, Miroslav Vitous, Birelli Lagrene, Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Williams, Yehudi Menuhin, Pat Metheny, Andy Summers, Nigel Kennedy (an association now in its seventh year), and is currently rehearsing a new group formed by the great classical guitarist, John Williams. In the late 80s, Etheridge started to lead his own bands and is currently fronting a quartet dedicated to Stephane Grappelli, as well as an eight-piece group, Zappatistas (performing the music of Frank Zappa) and also leads a trio with the legendary drummer John Marshall.

Peerie Willie Guitar Season is sponsored by Research Fishing Co and High Level Music.

Tickets for all concerts are available from Shetland Box Office, Islesburgh, Lerwick – 01595 745 555. Tickets can be reserved on the phone for collection at the venue on the night.

The 2009 Shetland Guitar Festival will take place between Friday 18th and Sunday 20th September with concerts in Unst, Lerwick, Brae and Bigton, educational events in schools throughout Shetland and the Classic Guitar Show and Trade Fair on Sunday 20th in Islesburgh Centre.

Known locally as the “Peerie Willie” Guitar Festival, the Shetland Arts event is dedicated to the memory of the late Peerie Willie Johnson, the highly regarded Shetland guitarist who pioneered the jazz influenced accompaniment style now prevalent in traditional Shetland music. Willie was influenced by the jazz musicians he heard on the radio as a young man, particularly guitarist Django Reinhardt, and this years festival has a “Gypsy Jazz” theme as tribute.

The festival gives audiences a chance to experience world-class performers playing a variety of styles on one of the world’s most popular and versatile instruments. As well as the visiting artists, the festival line up boasts some exceptional local players and young up and coming musicians.

Visiting artists

Visiting artists include: Lulo Reinhardt, great grandnephew of the late great Django; Itamar Erez, an Israeli guitarist, pianist and composer; Brian Gore, an American steel strung acoustic player; and Havana Swing, a Scottish ‘Hot Jazz’ quintet featuring three guitars, double bass and clarinet. Visit the Shetland Guitar Festival page for more information.

Concerts

On Friday 18th in the Garrison Theatre, Lerwick, Lulo Reinhardt, Itamar Erez and Brian Gore will play a range of solo, duet and trio pieces. The three guitarists are currently on tour together under the International Guitar Night moniker, a project that aims to bring together interesting and innovative guitarists to exchange musical ideas, highlighting the virtuosity and diversity within the world of acoustic guitar. Young local guitarists Adam Johnson from Brae and Jonny Polson from Lerwick will support them.

The festival will also be heading north to Baltasound Hall on Friday 18th where Havana Swing will perform their trademark brand of ‘Hot Club de Paris’ inspired jazz. They will be supported by last year’s Young Fiddler of the Year Maggie Adamson accompanied by well-known local guitarist Brian Nicholson, and young Unst guitarist Megan Burns who recently won over the crowds with her performance at UnstFest. The concert will be hosted by Unst based comedian and guitarist Sandy Nelson.

Then it’s south on Saturday 19th to the Bigton Hall where Lulo Reinhardt and Itamar Erez will headline, with support from Norman Goudie and Friends, a band rumoured to include prominent local musicians and jazz stalwarts Jack Robertson and Drew Robertson.

In Lerwick on Saturday 19th, in the opulent surroundings of Lerwick Town Hall, audiences will have another chance to see Havana Swing perform, supported by Maggie Adamson and Brian Nicholson.

Also on Saturday 19th, in the Long Room of Busta House Hotel, there will be a special acoustic performance by Brian Gore and Shetland Young Musician of the Year, singer Erin Sandison. The two musicians have been collaborating on songs by exchanging musical ideas across the Atlantic via the Internet and the Busta concert will be the first time they have played together. They will be supported by Adam Johnson and Jonny Polson.

All concerts except the Garrison Theatre will have bar facilities and under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

Tickets

Tickets costing £12 (£10 concessions) for all concerts are available from festival sponsors High Level Music, 1 Gardie Court, Lerwick, 01595 692 618 and Shetland Box Office, Islesburgh Community Centre, Lerwick – 01595 745 555. Box Office customers can buy tickets by credit card over the phone and collect them at the venue.

Classic Guitar Show and Trade Fair

As part of this year’s festival, the first Shetland Classic Guitar Show and Trade Fair will be held on Sunday 20th September. The show will feature a range of guitars including vintage, historically significant, hand made and unusual instruments. The trade fair will give visitors a chance to try out guitars, amps and effects pedals from manufacturers including Skyinbow, Moon Guitars, Ibanez and Fender. There will also be workshops hosted by artists performing at this year’s festival and an open stage concert to allow Shetland’s aspiring young guitarists to take to the stage and show off their skills. To exhibit guitars or perform on the open stage contact Bryan Peterson at Shetland Arts on 01595 743 843 or Brian Nicholson at High Level Music on 01595 692 618

There will be a £2 entry charge payable at the door.

High Level Music and the Research Fishing Company sponsor the Shetland Guitar Festival

The event will take place at Islesburgh Community Centre on Sunday 20th September at 12.00 and will feature displays of rare, historical, unusual and valuable guitars from all over Shetland.

Sunday’s event will also feature guitar master classes from performers at this year’s festival, an open stage concert allowing young and emerging guitarists a chance to show off their skills and a trade fair to give visitors a chance to try out guitars, amplifiers and effects pedals.

Anyone who’d like to exhibit guitars at Sunday’s Classic Guitar Show or perform on the open stage are invited to contact me (Bryan Peterson) at Shetland Arts on 01595 743843 or Brian Nicholson at High Level Music on 01595 692618.

The Guitar Festival has a Gypsy Jazz theme this year, in keeping with Willie Johnson’s influences. Headline performers include Lulo Reinhart, grandnephew of the late great Django Reinhart who will be performing at the Garrison Theatre on Friday 19^th September and Bigton Hall on Saturday 19^th September, and Havana Swing, a ‘Hot Jazz’ quintet who will be performing in the Baltasound Hall on the Friday and the Town Hall on the Saturday. There will also be workshops and performances in schools throughout Shetland. See the Guitar Festival page for more info.

Tickets are available for all concerts priced £12 (£10 concessions) from

• High Level Music, 1 Gardie Court, Lerwick – 01595 692618
• Shetland Box Office, Islesburgh Community Centre, Lerwick – 01595 745 555 (tickets can be purchased by credit card over the phone and collected at the venue before the performance)