20th anniversary Int’l Guitar Night features patchwork of esteemed pickers
The awe-inspiring acoustic strings of International Guitar Night return to Southwest Montana this month as part of the anticipated event’s 20th Anniversary Tour.
Downtown Bozeman’s Ellen Theatre will first host on Monday, February 10th. The Arts Council of Big Sky then welcomes the tour to the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center on Sunday, February 16th. Both engagements begin at 7:30pm.
Each year, International Guitar Night founder Brian Gore invites a new cast of guitar luminaries from around the world for special concert tours of North America highlighting the diversity of the acoustic guitar.
For the 2020 outing, Gore has put together his most eclectic lineup yet: Guest host Mike Dawes of England and his incredible two-hand contemporary style is joined by fretless Turkish guitarist Cenk Erdogan, electrifying jazz virtuoso Olli Soikkeli from Finland, and Hawaiian Slack Key master Jim “Kimo” West.
“For 20 years we have slowly built a loyal and ever growing audience for IGN. Each tour offers an enthralling view of the burgeoning acoustic guitar renaissance,” says Gore. “Sell-outs and encore requests are the norm for IGN, and each tour is its own unique musical experience. Every year is the best year yet, and this year is even better! The mélange of mind-bending British finger style, Turkish fretless improvisation, virtuosic gypsy jazz and laid back Hawaiian slack key is sure to be a show stopper.”
Mike Dawes is an English guitar player known for composing, arranging and performing multiple parts simultaneously on one instrument using unique extended and micro-techniques. He is hailed as one of the world’s finest and most creative modern fingerstyle guitar performers with numerous television and chart appearances, as well as millions of video streams. He was voted the ‘Best Acoustic Guitarist in the World’ by MusicRadar and a recent readers’ poll in Total Guitar Magazine.
Cenk Erdogan has performed around the globe and has also been a leading fretless guitar educator, setting up classes, workshops, and a website dedicated to the subject. Following the release of his debut album in the late aughts, he focused his talents on film composition and arrangements for other artists, including Turkish pop star Sezen Aksu. His latest album, Lahza, is a guitar and drum duo project consisting of original music and live improvisations. He performs regularly with his solo, duo and trio projects and composes in a wide range of musical styles.
After being introduced to the music of Django Reinhardt, Gypsy Jazz has been Olli Soikkeli’s focus. He’s played in jazz clubs and festivals all around Finland, and toured Europe with musicians like Paulus Schäfer and Arnoud Van Den Berg. He’s since played legendary New York City venues Birdland Jazz Club, Blue Note and the Lincoln Center. And despite his young age of 29, he’s shared the stage with stars such as Bucky Pizzarelli, Stochelo Rosenberg, Tommy Emmanuel, Andreas Öberg, Cyrille Aimee, Anat Cohen, Antti Sarpila and Marian Petrescu.
Best known as long-time guitarist for the world’s most successful musical comedy artist, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Jim “Kimo” West is regarded as one of the world’s foremost “ki ho’alu” or Hawaiian “slack key” guitar artists. This warm and engaging fingerpicking guitar style has its roots in 1840s Hawaii, when Mexican vaqueros first brought guitars to the Big Island. His work was prominently featured in the Oscar-winning film The Descendants. Kimo has won a number of awards for his solo arrangements, garnered millions of streams, and also helped Weird Al take home his fourth career Grammy for 2015’s chart-topping Mandatory Fun.
All seats for International Guitar Night at The Ellen are $29.50 at www.theellentheatre.org. Tickets for the Warren Miller tour stop range $18–$38 through www.bigskyarts.org. Learn more about IGN and the 20th Anniversary Tour by visiting www.internationalguitarnight.com. •