There is a Haiku to packing for a road trip. Lately, it seems I don't have time to unpack, before I am repacking for the next journey. But the idea is to have items to layer, and at least one of every length sleeve. What a pain to drag too much with you. Though, I must say, I really like the elegance of living from a suitcase. It is ever amazing that we of the pack rat generation can live simply, with all our needs met from a 21" rectangular structure. The road trip this time is taking me to the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco, which starts today. I am really looking forward to it, as most times, Music Fog is holed up behind closed doors at these events. (Hey, we're WORKING here!) But this trip, I just get to float from stage to stage, and experience a whole bunch of acts. Music discovery and immersion...manna from heaven. Priceless!
Knowing it is a short trip provides for an easier time of packing. Less so, when you are traveling from Down Under, as does Australian guitar wizard, Tommy Emmanuel. The man does things that don't seem possible. As he uses all ten fingers, there are lots of nuances, and the sonics of an entire band can be replicated with his strumming and finger picking. He has been everywhere, with everyone. He was a child prodigy born into a musical family, starting to play at age four. The band with his brothers and sister supported the Emmanuel family from the time he was six years old. In 1962, Tommy heard the music of Chet Atkins, who was to become a mentor and fan of Tommy's music, though it was 15 years before they met! There were contributions to Air Supply, Men At Work, and others, as he was becoming known as one of the best modern guitar players in Australia. He launched his solo career with the issue of the album Up From Down Under in 1988. He toured extensively in the Pacific Rim and Europe, then finally broke through in the US in 1997, when an album, Midnight Drive, hit the Jazz chart.
Tommy's mentor, Chet Atkins, bestowed the title of "Certified Guitar Player" on Tommy in 1999 when he added the initials CGP to his name. There are only three others remaining worldwide, as the original five were John Knowles, Tommy Emmanuel, Steve Wariner, Jerry Reed and of course Chet himself. Tommy is a must see, and there are more Stateside dates before he heads for Shanghai. We were so happy to have him in the Music Fog house. I loved watching the jaws drop on Denise and Beans when he started to play! Here's "Jolly Swagman," which you can also find on the CD Center Stage.
- Jessie Scott
