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Twenty years ago I produced my first album "Dialogs" during an unforgettable North American coast to coast trip where I visited and recorded with twelve masters of the acoustic guitar scene. The obstacles were enormous: I had no record label and no budget, I didn't really speak English, I didn\'t know many of the musicians personally and the only way to carry all the equipment on airplanes was to stuff part of my clothes inside the guitar. I still have great vivid memories of the incredible excitement for the many "first time" meetings with some of my guitar heroes, how graciously and generously they treated me and the intense musical dialogs that we were able to create.
After twenty years of life on the road, I want to celebrate the uniqueness of the Dialogs adventure with a completely new duo project that reflects the changes in time, in my musical approach and the evolution of my style. The duet, a magical, artistic dialog between two artists, has proven to be one of the most creative synergies in the musical field, a motor that can generate unforgettable musical moments. The Rendez-vous between me and some of the greatest artists I met over those twenty years are the creative base of all the tunes, but in many cases the arrangements have been completed with some overdubbing and with percussions and upright bass.
With Rendez-vous I\'m trying to break the borders of the flatpicking technique in a creative way, experimenting new "full sounding" solutions to obtain a sort of a "plectrum-fingerstyle" sound in an unusual synthesis. I have the pleasure to present to the listeners artists that come from completely different artistic worlds in a really stimulating combination: from the singer songwriting avant-garde of Patty Larkin and Darrell Scott to the Italian wave of the Sixties of Francesco Guccini, from the newgrass mastery of Missy Raines and Jim Hurst to the early-music tenor voice of Marco Beasley; from the button accordion of my son Filippo Gambetta to the guitar of the Brasilian maestro Marco Pereira, from the progressive European style of French mandolinist Patrick Vaillant to the ethno-urban percussions of Marco Fadda and the jazzy bass of Riccardo Barbera.
Arrangers: Darrell Scott; Patty Larkin; Beppe Gambetta.
Personnel: Beppe Gambetta (vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion); Patty Larkin (vocals, guitar, acoustic guitar); Darrell Scott (vocals, electric guitar); Patrick Vaillant (vocals, mandolin); Bruce Molsky (vocals, fiddle); Marco Beasley, Francesco Guccini (vocals); Jim Hurst (acoustic guitar); Marco Pereira (nylon-string guitar); Filippo Gambetta (accordion); Riccardo Barbera, Missy Raines (acoustic bass); Marco Fada, Marco Fadda (percussion).
Dirty Linen (p.57) - "RENDEZ-VOUS is distinguished by the breadth of material covered and by the eclectic selection of performers he chose to work with."
Songs:
1. Battle of Waterloo
2. Hobo's Crossing
3. Madame Guitar
4. Light in Torraca
5. Pane, Olio E Sale
6. Sinan Capudan Pascia
7. Leonidi
8. Fruit Tree
9. Procession
10. Dio E Morto
11. Ninna Nonna
Review from Flatpicking Guitar Magazine, by Dan Miller:
Twenty years ago Beppe Gambetta introduced himself to American flatpicking enthusiasts by recording his widely acclaimed CD Dialogs. To record this project Beppe traveled around the United States, flying from place-to-place on standby tickets to save money, and recorded with many of his guitar heroes. Dialogs immediately became a �must have� CD for all flatpicking enthusiasts. Beppe recalls, �Twenty years ago I produced my first album Dialogs during an unforgettable North American coast to coast trip where I visited and recorded with twelve masters of the acoustic guitar scene.� �The obstacles were enormous: I had no record label and no budget, I didn�t really speak English, I didn�t know many of the musicians personally and the only way to carry all the equipment on airplanes was to stuff part of my clothes inside the guitar.� �I still have great vivid memories of the incredible excitement for the many �firsttime� meetings with some of my guitar heroes, how graciously and generously they treated me and the intense musical dialogs that we were able to create.� �After twenty years of life on the road, I want to celebrate the uniqueness of the Dialogs adventure with a completely new duo project that reflects the changes in time, in my musical approach and the evolution of my style.�
This new collection of recorded performances is called Rendez-vous and has just been released on Gadfly Records. I received a copy from Beppe at this year�s Walnut Valley Festival and spent the long drive home enjoying this new project. Regarding the music that he presents on this new CD, Beppe said, �I have the pleasure to present to the listeners artists that come from completely different artistic worlds in a really stimulating combination: from the singer songwriting avant-garde of Patty Larkin and Darrell Scott to the Italian wave of the Sixties of Francesco Guccini, from the newgrass mastery of Missy Raines and Jim Hurst to the early-music tenor voice of Marco Beasley; from the button accordion of my son Filippo Gambetta to the guitar of the Brasilian maestro Marco Pereira, from the progressive European style of French mandolinist Patrick Vaillant to the ethno-urban percussions of Marco Fadda and the jazzy bass of Riccardo Barbera.� The biggest difference between Dialogs and Rendez-vous is the musical diversity. Although he has always been one to explore new boundaries, with Dialogs, Beppe was honoring the masters by keeping the song selection and arrangements close to the tradition. Over the past twenty years Beppe has continually pushed the boundaries of flatpicking in both the technical aspects of the style and the musical presentation of the style. Beppe said, �With Rendez-vous I�m trying to break the borders of the flatpicking technique in a creative way, experimenting new �full sounding� solutions to obtain a sort of a �plectrum-fingerstyle� sound in an unusual synthesis.�
Beppe has always been known for his musical creativity and technical ingenuity and on this CD he displays both of these talents. For me this CD was like moving through an art gallery. Each track felt like I was walking up to a new painting, enjoying the unique qualities that gave it life and absorbing the artist�s technique and interpretation. This CD was exciting to listen to because you never knew what you were going to get with each new track (kind of like a box of chocolates!). The main reason I love this CD, and Beppe�s playing in general, is that in listening I always discover new possibilities for the flatpicked acoustic guitar. Beppe spent years diligently studying and absorbing the techniques of his heroes�like Doc Watson, Norman Blake, and Clarence White, to name a few. However, once he absorbed what those masters had to teach, Beppe did not rest. He continually explores new possibilities and pushes beyond conventional borders, and those explorations are represented on Rendez-vous. If you are a flatpicking traditionalist, then this new CD may not be for you. However, if you enjoy musical diversity and love exploring new musical forms and guitar technique, then I highly recommend that you pick up a copy of this CD. It is a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience. As those who are familiar with Beppe would expect, this CD is full of the passion and emotion that Beppe puts into everything he does.
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