Tommy E in Breckenridge
 

I had only seen Tommy Emmanuel on video prior to Thursday night and decided to make the drive to a Breckenridge to see him in person. We bought tickets back in April and were fortunate enough to get 6th row seats about 50’ from the stage. I thought I had an idea what to expect but was astounded by his performance. The man is a fantastic entertainer. One of the things I found most enjoyable is he really seems to enjoy what he does. He is completely at ease on stage with a myriad of genres and tunes ranging from Somewhere Over the Rainbow to a Beatles medley that was unbelievable. I didn’t realize he sang as he did a Chet Adtkins tune as well in celebration of his birthday as well as a number he collaborated with Mark Knopfler on. The altitude (about 9600’ ASL) seemed to affect him a bit as he reached for an oxygen bottle frequently through the performance but he powered through it and delivered like a champ. A word of caution if you’re a wannabe guitar hack looking for inspiration like myself. Go see him strictly for entertainment value. Seeing a player of that caliber will make you (me) realize there is an unattainable level of skill that exists. I will go see him next time he’s nearby and highly recommend seeing him live. Videos just don’t do him justice.

But wait, there's more...
 

Tommy has a new guitar, and he was happy to tell us about it last night in Ft. Collins. It's made by Pre War, on a challenge to replicate and "beat" David Grisman's 1934 Martin 00-28, if I remember correctly. He played it purely acoustic, sitting down at a mike, so there was one of that piezo quack that others have noted from his Matons.

That was part of what made the night special, but the real magic happened between these two virtuosos. There must be a hundred years of daily practice invested on their combined 20 fingers, and it added up to a masterful performance. The material was largely "Dawg's greatest hits," following "Pickin'," their recent duet album. Emmanuel's boundless energy stoked Grisman to greater heights than I've witnessed in a long while. But David still stayed in his pocket, playing slow, and bluesy with a rich, dark tone that sets him apart from Thiele, Bush and other speedsters.

If this duet set comes anywhere near you, check it out- you won't be sorry!

Pre-War . . . aha!

I was there too and thought perhaps it was a D28.

A master and his tool(s) . . .

I wasn't taking notes, but I thought I heard "00-28." It certainly didn't look like a dreadnaught- it was a smaller body, with a waist and hips.

In my view, this is SO true!! I've talked with folks who have seen and admired his work on UTube and other video outlets.......and feel they know the man and his music. It doesn't come close to what you hear and witness when you see him live!! I've described it as "otherworldly"..........it's hard to believe what you're witnessing, especially if you do play guitar and have a sense of what it takes to do the things he does.
I'm seeing him again next month in New London Ct. there are still seats available at the Garde Theater for anyone who may not realize he's in this area for a show.

I'd love to see Tommy E live. I used to live in Santa Cruz, back in the late 80' into the 90's. There is a jazz club there that had headliners on Thursday nights drop in for a show, usually in transit between LA & SF. It was a small and intimate club called Khumbawa (sp?), which I presume is still there if anybody is ever in the area. Anyway, I saw some truly amazing performances there, usually with a total audience of maybe 50-75 people. Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Pharaoh Sanders, McCoy Tyner, Elvin Jones... the A list of jazz, it was something I probably didn't appreciate at the time as much as I should have. But the take away was, yes, there is a level of musicianship out there that is truly unattainable for the 99.999% of us. I'm not surprised to hear Tommy lives in that realm.