Modern Guitars Magazine
News and information about electric and acoustic guitars
News Archive  List of RSS feeds
Shop for Music Gear »

September 23, 2008

DVD Review: Tommy Emmanuel - Center Stage

by Rick Landers.

Center Stage

Center Stage - a performance DVD featuring Tommy Emmanuel

Tommy Emmanuel’s performance at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company's Big Room in Chico, California, was filmed for his new Tommy Emmanuel: Center Stage DVD. The video firmly reinforces Tommy's world-wide reputation as one of the finest instrumentalists to step on a stage. His personal charm, musical virtuosity and adeptness at selecting captivating melodies guarantee his fans memorable performances.

In 2005, Modern Guitars saw the Australian guitarist at Carnegie Hall where he was one of many featured guitarists to pay tribute to Les Paul on the guitar innovator's 90th birthday. That evening, two artists received standing ovations - Les and Tommy. His reputation was confirmed when we read that he was named a Certified Guitar Player by the late, great Chet Atkins, who limited that certification to only three guitarists.

The SN Brewing Company DVD presents Tommy alone with his three guitars, two of which are face damaged by his incessant inclination to pummel them with percussionist abandon. The video starts with Emmanuel playing a perky “Finger Lakes,” that glistens with concentric ripples, offering a glimpse of what’s to come. Next up are “Papa George,” “Train to Dusseldorf,” and “I Got to Rio,” that all reflect Emmanuel’s symbiotic relationship with his Maton acoustics.

“Oh, I love this tune,” he says when he begins the intro to Merle Travis's “Nine Pound Hammer,” before thumbing and picking his way up North and down South of the fretboard.

Standard fare for Emmanuel is a nice Beatles medley that rolls out a great rendition of George Harrison’s “Here Comes the Sun” to “When I’m Sixty-Four,” “Day Tripper,” ending with a high stepping “Lady Madonna.”

One of Emmanuel’s most remarkable and inspiring displays of guitar-percussion is “Mombasa.” His hands slap all over the acoustic in a conga-beat before he slips in some sweet strums and ventures into some melodic magic. Tommy’s clearly enjoys performing the tune while he grabs a drummer's brush to vigorously swat his guitar and the mic with slap happy abandon.

A special treat follows when Tommy’s joined by harp master, “Dangerous” Bob Littell, Sierra Center Stage Host and Talent Liaison for the Big Room, who offers some swagger to a few tunes including, “Workin’ Man Blues,” “Georgia on My Mind,” “House of the Risin’ Sun,” and a blues drenched version of “Amazing Grace.”

Back to work on solo, Emmanuel hits full stride with a speed-driven bluegrasser , “Tall Fiddler,” that alone is worth the cost of the DVD. Tommy pushes into hyper-drive with an incredible bit of flash rhythm tied to high velocity and very impressive pickin'.

Letting the adrenaline level subside, Tommy relaxes into a sweetly melodic, “Cowboy’s Dream,” that saunters along at a steady pace and ending with a light sweep harmonic, before sequeing into an ethereal tune, “Morning Aire.”

“Lenny Bro’” offers more virtuosity with the romantic, “Questions,” holding the audience spellbound in melancholy charm. Tommy then draws us in more intimately, with his final performance piece, “Initiation.” The tune is as haunting as it is atmospheric, conjuring an aboriginal Dream Track, with all the spiritual trappings of the Australian Outback.

Tommy Emmanuel: Center Stage showcases Emmanuel in all his artistry at a small intimate venue, where he explores the guitar terrain like no one else. And as delightful as his Big Room performance is, we still can't help but wonder how explosive and all-consuming his performance would be armed with an electric and Marshall stack.

DVD title: Tommy Emmanuel: Center Stage
Label: Favored Nations
Producer/Director: Peter Berkow
Tommy Emmanuel (Acoustic Guitar, Vocals)
Bob Littell (Harmonica)

DVD Performance List:

• The Finger Lakes
• Papa George
• Train to Dusseldorf
• I Got to Rio
• Nine Pound Hammer
• Old Town
• And So It Goes
• The Jolly Swagman
• Sukiyaki
• Happy Hours
• Ruby’s Eyes
• Beatles Medley
• Mombasa
• Workin’ Man Blues
• Georgia on My Mind
• House of the Risin’ Sun
• Amazing Grace
• Tall Fiddler
• Cowboy’s Dream
• Morning Aire
• Lenny Bro’
• Questions
• Initiation

* * *

Related Links
Tommy Emmanuel
Tommy Emmanuel Interview at Modern Guitars





Inside Modern Guitars
Welcome to Modern Guitars, where you'll find thousands of guitar related articles covering every style and genre. This article is your gateway to everything from reviews and the latest industry news to an extensive archive of feature stories and exclusive interviews with six-string icons such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Carlos Santana, Jeff Beck, Bucky Pizzarelli, Les Paul, Zakk Wylde, Lily Afshar, Mike Stern, and a variety of guitar industry leaders including Paul Reed Smith, Christian F. Martin, IV, Bob Taylor, and Henry Juszkiewicz.

Featured Guitar
New from Gibson Custom, the Billy Gibbons "Pearly Gates" 1959 Les Paul Standard VOS Electric Guitar, a limited edition (250) VOS version of the new Gibson Custom that pays hommage to the famous Les Paul Gibbons played on every ZZ Top album. For more information or to order, click the link or the photo below of the new "Pearly Gates."

Gibson Custom Billy Gibbons





Noteworthy
Online exclusive: 1977 audio (with text) Steven Rosen interview of Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.



MG Magazine Columns
Modern Guitarist by M. Warnock
Guitar Shredding by Matt Mills
On Axis by Nick Sterling
PSYKO Guitar by Ronny North
Vintage by Saiichi Sugiyama
Jazz Scope by Steve Herberman
Industry Views by Peter Wolf
Women Rock! by Tish Ciravolo
Jazz Reviews by Vince Lewis
Reviews by Brian D. Holland
Berklee X by Matt Baamonde
Sunset & Vine by Billy Morrison
Functional Art by John Page
Guitar Art by Pamelina H
CRASH Pad by CRASH

Archives




Latest News and Articles





Page copy protected against web site content infringement by Copyscape
Site contents copyright Modern Guitars Magazine unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. Contact: news@modernguitars.com