Beppe Gambetta
Encyclopedia
Beppe Gambetta is an Italian
musician born in Genoa
in 1955. An acoustic guitar
flatpicker
and singer, Beppe has been called a "virtual United Nations of influences: Italian, Ukrainian, Appalachian, Sardinisn, Celtic". He is a composer, teacher, and researcher of traditional music and instruments.
, he travels to North America
at least four times a year. He has performed in prestigious festivals in the U.S. and Canada such as Walnut Valley Festival
in Winfield, Kansas
, Merlefest
in North Carolina
, the Kerrville Folk Festival
in Texas
and those in Winnipeg
and Edmonton. He's appeared on such radio shows as All Things Considered
and E-Town.
resulted in his 1991 live album Alone and Together.
, he naturally and seamlessly bridges the shores of the two continents, creating in spite of the interposed ocean a musical "koiné" (fusion) where country music and Ligurian
tradition, emigration songs and folk ballads, mandolin
s and harp guitar
s not only co-exist but interact, weaving a deep dialog unaware of any rigid classification.
Gambetta's playing and singing stand out for their intimate emotions, communication, research in tone, sobriety and humor. An inspired music that modestly avoids relying solely on his high level of technical excellence, but also reveals the innermost feelings of a brilliant, playful mind that is always firmly exploring and innovating while staying firmly routed in tradition.
Gambetta's technique, which echoes both Doc Watson
and the Moravian
folk music he loves, is characterized by flashy licks, intricate cross-picking patterns, open tunings, and fluid slides up and down the neck of the guitar.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
musician born in Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
in 1955. An acoustic guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
flatpicker
Flatpicking
Flatpicking is a technique for playing a guitar using a guitar pick held between two or three fingers to strike the strings...
and singer, Beppe has been called a "virtual United Nations of influences: Italian, Ukrainian, Appalachian, Sardinisn, Celtic". He is a composer, teacher, and researcher of traditional music and instruments.
Roots
With the horizon's line as a challenge and attraction, Beppe is continually composing his personal mosaic of sounds and flavours. From his unique background as an Italian musician in love with both American roots music as well as the music of his native country, Beppe has travelled the world and even crossed the “Iron Curtain” to dazzle and charm music enthusiasts everywhere. After eleven CDs, DVDs, teaching books and collaborations with many other top-flight musicians, Gambetta is increasingly known as one of the true live master innovators of the acoustic guitar.North America
While Beppe still lives in his native GenovaGénova
Génova may refer to:* Spanish spelling of the city of Genoa, Italy* Génova, Quindío, a municipality in the department of Quindío, Colombia* Génova, Quetzaltenango, a municipality in the department of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala...
, he travels to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
at least four times a year. He has performed in prestigious festivals in the U.S. and Canada such as Walnut Valley Festival
Walnut Valley Festival
The Walnut Valley Festival is a well-known acoustic music festival, held annually in Winfield, Kansas. The main genre of music is bluegrass, but other acoustic styles are represented...
in Winfield, Kansas
Winfield, Kansas
Winfield is a city situated along the Walnut River in the west-central part of Cowley County, located in South Central Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,301...
, Merlefest
MerleFest
MerleFest is an annual "traditional plus" music festival held in Wilkesboro, North Carolina on the campus of Wilkes Community College . The festival, which is held the last weekend in April, is hosted by Grammy Award winner Doc Watson and is named in memory and honor of his son, Eddy Merle Watson,...
in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, the Kerrville Folk Festival
Kerrville Folk Festival
The Kerrville Folk Festival is a music festival held for 18 consecutive days in the late spring/early summer at Quiet Valley Ranch near Kerrville, Texas. The event has run on a yearly basis since 1972. In November 2008, the Kerrville Folk Festival and Kerrville Wine & Music Festival were acquired...
in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and those in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
and Edmonton. He's appeared on such radio shows as All Things Considered
All Things Considered
All Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
and E-Town.
Performance
Beppe has performed in prestigious rooms like the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In his career he has performed with some great heroes of the folk scene, such as David Grisman, Gene Parsons, Doc Watson, Norman Blake and with the band Men Of Steel: an international guitar summit (Dan Crary, Tony McManus and Don Ross) of different guitar schools with complex musical interactions. A tour with banjo player Tony TrischkaTony Trischka
Tony Trischka is an American five-string banjo player.-Biography:Tony Trischka was born in Syracuse, New York, and graduated from Syracuse University with a B.A in Fine Arts, and was inspired to play the banjo in 1963, listening to the Kingston Trio's "Charlie and The MTA". Trischka was a...
resulted in his 1991 live album Alone and Together.
Style and sound
With America in his heart and his roots in the sun and the olive trees of the Mediterranean seaMediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, he naturally and seamlessly bridges the shores of the two continents, creating in spite of the interposed ocean a musical "koiné" (fusion) where country music and Ligurian
Ligurian
Ligurian may mean:* Ligurian, pertaining to modern Liguria* Ligurian, pertaining to the ancient Ligures* Ligurian , a modern language spoken in parts of Italy, France, Monaco and Argentina...
tradition, emigration songs and folk ballads, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
s and harp guitar
Harp guitar
]The harp guitar is a stringed instrument with a history of well over two centuries. While there are several unrelated historical stringed instruments that have appropriated the name “harp-guitar” over the centuries, the term today is understood as the accepted vernacular to refer to a particular...
s not only co-exist but interact, weaving a deep dialog unaware of any rigid classification.
Gambetta's playing and singing stand out for their intimate emotions, communication, research in tone, sobriety and humor. An inspired music that modestly avoids relying solely on his high level of technical excellence, but also reveals the innermost feelings of a brilliant, playful mind that is always firmly exploring and innovating while staying firmly routed in tradition.
Gambetta's technique, which echoes both Doc Watson
Doc Watson
Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson is an American guitar player, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. He has won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded...
and the Moravian
Moravian
Moravian refers to:* a person or thing from Moravia * Moravians * Moravian language, disputed language or dialect of the Czech language* a member or adherent of the Moravian Church...
folk music he loves, is characterized by flashy licks, intricate cross-picking patterns, open tunings, and fluid slides up and down the neck of the guitar.
Discography
- Dialogs (Brambus Records, 1989)
- Alone & Together (with Tony TrischkaTony TrischkaTony Trischka is an American five-string banjo player.-Biography:Tony Trischka was born in Syracuse, New York, and graduated from Syracuse University with a B.A in Fine Arts, and was inspired to play the banjo in 1963, listening to the Kingston Trio's "Charlie and The MTA". Trischka was a...
) (Brambus Records, 1992) - Good News from Home (Green Linnet, 1995)
- Serenata (Acoustic Music Records, 1997)
- Synergia (Thunderation Music, 2000)
- TraversataTraversataTraversata is a collaborative album by American mandolinist David Grisman, Italian classical mandolinist Carlo Aonzo and Italian guitarist Beppe Gambetta,playing guitar and the traditional, 14-string harp guitar...
(Acoustic Disc, 2001) - Blu di Genova (Gadfly Records, 2003)
- Live - Men Of Steel (CandyRat Records, 2003)
- Slade Stomp (Gadfly Records, 2006)
- Four Way Mirror - Men of Steel (CandyRat Records, 2006)
- Rendez-vous (Gadfly Records, 2008)
External links
- Official site
- MySpace
- Men of Steel: Beppe Gambetta, Dan CraryDan CraryDan Crary is an American bluegrass guitarist.He helped re-establish flatpicked guitar as a prominent soloing bluegrass instrument. Crary is an innovator of the flatpicking style of guitar playing. He is also a Speech communications Professor at California State University, Fullerton...
, Tony McManusTony McManusTony McManus is a Scottish Steel-string guitarist of Irish descent born in Paisley, Scotland. English guitarist John Renbourn described him as "the best Celtic guitarist in the world". His first self-titled album was released in 1996 on Greentrax Recordings...
, Don RossDon Ross (guitarist)Donald James Ross , commonly known as Don Ross, is a Canadian fingerstyle guitarist noted for the emotion and intensity of his playing as well as his use of extended technique....