Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
Celebrating their twenty-seventh year on the concert stage, the members of the GRAMMY®-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet continue to set the standard for expression and virtuosity among guitar ensembles, while perennially redefining themselves in their musical explorations. With over a dozen recordings over the past two decades, they have
established themselves as masters of the classics, as well as the creators of the unique syntheses of world-music and contemporary styles that have made the "LAGQ-sound" a favorite around the world. Their first recording for Telarc International, LAGQ: Latin, was nominated for a GRAMMY® for Best Classical Crossover Recording in 2003, while the second, LAGQ's Guitar Heroes, won a GRAMMY® in this category in 2005. Their subsequent Telarc release, Spin, gained wide critical acclaim, as did their recent live concert DVD for Mel Bay Records, LAGQ Live at the Sheldon.
With the release of their newest Telarc recording, LAGQ Brazil in September 2007, the group finds itself writing a new chapter in its history. The three founding members John Dearman, William Kanengiser and Scott Tennant welcome long-time friend Matthew Greif into the group, and this recording showcases his agile musicianship, cultured sound, and mature jazz skills. In its new incarnation, the tradition of refined chamber-music making and category-defying innovation that made LAGQ famous is sure to continue to thrive for years to come. The genesis of the Brazilian-flavored CD began with a touring collaboration of LAGQ with the brilliant Brazilian singer Luciana Souza in 2006; with over a dozen concerts, including one at Zankel Hall (Carnegie) in New York, this joint project yielded a number of newly composed and specially arranged pieces exploring the music of Brazil. In discovering common musical ground with Ms. Souza, LAGQ was inspired to fully explore the rich traditions of Brazilian music, and to find connections with American forms such as jazz, blues and funk.
LAGQ is already actively planning its next recording project, a Bach celebration, and is working to expand its repertoire with new concerto commissions by Sergio Assad and Carlos Rafael Rivera. Their active touring schedule takes them throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, and their restless curiosity will continue to inspire them to explore new musical directions for the guitar quartet.
established themselves as masters of the classics, as well as the creators of the unique syntheses of world-music and contemporary styles that have made the "LAGQ-sound" a favorite around the world. Their first recording for Telarc International, LAGQ: Latin, was nominated for a GRAMMY® for Best Classical Crossover Recording in 2003, while the second, LAGQ's Guitar Heroes, won a GRAMMY® in this category in 2005. Their subsequent Telarc release, Spin, gained wide critical acclaim, as did their recent live concert DVD for Mel Bay Records, LAGQ Live at the Sheldon.
With the release of their newest Telarc recording, LAGQ Brazil in September 2007, the group finds itself writing a new chapter in its history. The three founding members John Dearman, William Kanengiser and Scott Tennant welcome long-time friend Matthew Greif into the group, and this recording showcases his agile musicianship, cultured sound, and mature jazz skills. In its new incarnation, the tradition of refined chamber-music making and category-defying innovation that made LAGQ famous is sure to continue to thrive for years to come. The genesis of the Brazilian-flavored CD began with a touring collaboration of LAGQ with the brilliant Brazilian singer Luciana Souza in 2006; with over a dozen concerts, including one at Zankel Hall (Carnegie) in New York, this joint project yielded a number of newly composed and specially arranged pieces exploring the music of Brazil. In discovering common musical ground with Ms. Souza, LAGQ was inspired to fully explore the rich traditions of Brazilian music, and to find connections with American forms such as jazz, blues and funk.
LAGQ is already actively planning its next recording project, a Bach celebration, and is working to expand its repertoire with new concerto commissions by Sergio Assad and Carlos Rafael Rivera. Their active touring schedule takes them throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, and their restless curiosity will continue to inspire them to explore new musical directions for the guitar quartet.