In Search of the Most Valuable Guitar in the World.
UK author Tony Bacon's incisive view into what makes am originally moderately priced guitar so precious, that it's value is now equivalent to an expensive house. As always Tony Bacon's views are well informed and far-reaching in the scale of his research. RG
Guitar
great Eric Clapton famously featured his Les Paul Standard, which
originally sold for $280, on the seminal 1966 "Blues Breakers" album.
But Clapton was only one of many legendary players who made this solid
body electric with mahogany body and a three-color sunburst maple top
their guitar of choice. In this exciting history, Tony Bacon examines
the "burst" phenomenon from every angle. He begins with the "Les Paul
Primer," documenting the guitar's brief production period from 1958 to
1960. He then profiles and interviews everyone from the man who inspired
it, Les Paul, to dealers, collectors, forgers, roadies, and, of course,
major players like Stephen Stills, Duane Allman, and Jimmy Page.
"Million Dollar Les Paul" also looks at the science, investment history
(and increasingly astronomical pricing), and almost mystical appeal of
the instrument whose small production numbers -- only 1,500 were made --
belie its stature as the single most sought-after guitar in the world.
The Return of Angham
I came across the work of Angham in the search for a voice that captured the Egyptian spirit for a project in 2002. This was undertaken for the the Grand Egyptian Musem project, then supported by funding from the United Nations. Her personal history is fraught with many musical struggles but her voice speaks richly about the contemporary soul of Egyptian music. It's still a delight to listen to even if I don't know the words... RG
Angham (born January 19, 1970) is an Egyptian singer, record producer
and actress. Her debut was in 1987 under the guidance of her father,
Mohammad Suleiman. She is the most successful vocal female artist in
Egypt starting from the 1980s till nowadays. Following her divorce from
Magdy Aref in 2000, Angham took much more control over her image and
musical style after that Leih Sebtaha (Why Did You Leave Her) record
established her into a strong position amid the constant emerge of new
voices in the Middle East music scene. After a highly publicized feud
between Alam elPhan Music Records president Mohsen Gaber and the artist
[1], Angham moved to another record company, Rotana. In 2005, she
released "Bahibbik Wahashteeny" (I Love You, I Miss You) record . The
record was critically acclaimed, but commercially was not as expected.
After a three years, Angham return to the forefront of Arabic pop music
in 2007 with her hit record Kolma Narrab (Whenever We Come Closer) which
sold more than half a million CD across the Middle East in less than
three months and was awarded a platinum certification.
From Wikipedia: Angham Mohamed Ali Suleiman (Arabic: أنغام محمد علي سليمان) (born January 19, 1972) is an Egyptiansinger, record producer and actress. Her debut was in 1987 under the guidance of her father, Mohammad Suleiman. She is the most successful vocal female artist in Egypt
starting from the 1980s till nowadays. Following her divorce from Magdy
Aref in 2000, Angham took much more control over her image and musical
style after that Leih Sebtaha (Why Did You Leave Her) record established her into a strong position amid the constant emerge of new voices in the Middle East music scene. After a highly publicized feud between Alam El Phan Music Records' president Mohsen Gaber and the artist [1], Angham moved to another record company, Rotana. In 2005, she released "Bahibbik Wahashteeny" (I Love You, I Miss You) record [2].
The record was critically acclaimed, but commercially was not as
expected. After a three years, Angham return to the forefront of Arabic pop music in 2007 with her album Kolma N'arrab (Whenever We Come Closer)
which sold more than half a million CDs across the Middle East in less
than three months and was awarded a platinum certification. [3]
Angham was named the best selling female pop artist in Middle East for the years 2000, 2001 [4], 2003, and 2007 [5]. She is well known for her vocal range, simplicity, melismatic style, and use of the whistle register.
However, some critics have said Angham's efforts to showcase her vocal
talents have been at the expense of communicating true emotion through
song rather than showing her full vocal capacities.[citation needed]
baudoless
Why 'baudoless'?...It's a pun on 'borderless' or resonance, without borders.
It's also a printing term - "Definition: A print that covers the entire sheet of paper.
In the past, many printers would only print with a small unprinted
border around the edge. Now, many printer models come with borderless
printing as a feature. When the image does not have the right ratio to
cover the entire page, users can frequently allow the printer to
automatically crop the image so a full-page print is possible."
So with reference to randomly selected specific musical items of interest, we'll endeavor to cover some very broad areas of allied connections.
This blog will cover items that deal with resonance, music, movement, digital arts and the freedom of constraints!
Albeit a term in financial management, it's a little play on the term 'fretless' and similarly '...moving around freely' on an unfretted fingerboard. It has do with many aspects of my personal journey with music and associated creative arts. With thanks to Umberto Eco.
