An Incredible Performance

[Rich]

Last night I went to a show at our local arts center, the Lowe Mill. It was a duet: a guy by the name of Richard Smith, and his wife, Julie Adams. It was the most incredible live show I have seen perhaps in my entire life.

Richard Smith is a guitarist extraordinaire. He was the National Fingerstyle Champion in 2001. Chet Atkins, when asked about Smith, stated: “he is the most amazing guy I know on guitar. ... He (Smith) can play anything I know, only better.”

And apparently that wasn't an exaggeration. Oh my GAWD! He was the most amazing player I have ever witnessed in my life. It was mesmerizing to watch and beautiful to listen to. Not only was he technically-gifted, but he was a great entertainer as well, immediately connecting with his audience.

His wife, Adams, is a virtuoso Cellist. And she is amazing in her own right, but is completely overshadowed by his talent. They played together just the two of them. The variety was staggering, from a Beatles Medley, to some Atkins and Jerry Reed material, to Scott Joplin ragtime, to Cole Porter, to some Brahms and a rousing rendition of Semper Fidelis.

If you ever get a chance to see this act, please do yourself a favor and go. I paid ten bucks to get in. I would pay fifty to see him again. I bought every CD he had. It was just that good of a show. I will attach a link to his web page so you can check him out, look at his calendar, and purchase a CD or DVD if you are interested. Looks like he is in Birmingham tonight and then headed up into the midwest. Here is the link:

Richard Smith Music

Go see him if you get the chance. You won't regret it.

 

[RUR]

Rich, after you've listened to the albums, let us know which would make the best introduction.

Apparently, they're not touring West of the Rockies.

 

[JonFo]

Rich, glad you had an enjoyable night out with live music.
It is always a thrilling experience to hear a gifted player in a good venue.

I'd also be interested in your recommendation for starter disc.

 

[Rich]

Thanks for the replies, guys. As soon as I have had a chance to listen to all four discs, I will make my recommendation. Hopefully, that will be by the end of the day today.

 

[twich54]

Rich, hopefully the recorded music come close to re-capturing your concert experience !

look forward to re-cap of the recordings.

 

[Len44]

Rich, hopefully the recorded music come close to re-capturing your concert experience !

look forward to re-cap of the recordings.

Me too -- Hurry up!

 

[Rich]

Me too -- Hurry up!

What's the matter, Len? You afraid this will be on the same timeline as posting my system?

 

[Bernard]

What's the matter, Len? You afraid this will be on the same timeline as posting my system?

Rich,

This is interesting information. I think you ENJOY being hounded about not posting your system, and that's why you don't do so. Is your mythical system in reality the tools of trade of an organ grinder ?

 

[Rich]

O.K., Here Goes . . .

I have had a chance to listen to all four discs a couple of times and so I think I can make some recommendations.

First of all, I will say that you will most likely be happy no matter which disc you pick. They are all great in terms of song selection, quality of sonics, and quality of performance.

Also, there are two other CDs and a DVD that I didn't buy at the show, so can't review for you here. They are available from their website, and I intend to order all of them. I am that impressed with the music on all of these discs. I think the DVD in particular would give you a better understanding of Smith's amazing abilities. Seeing him play will drop your jaw to the floor. Hearing it ain't so bad either.

So here is my take on the four discs that I purchased:


Seems Like Old Times . . .

This disc is the best of the four in terms of giving you a feel for the live show. This is their most recent disc and all the songs on it were played in the show that I saw. It has some great music on it, including several of my favorites from the show. It features not just their talents on Guitar and Cello, but also their substantial vocal talents.

My favorite tracks off this cd are:

Seems Like Old Times - a beautiful rendition of this classic.
Beatles Medley - very well done and appealing to any fan of the Beatles music.
So Round, So Firm, So Fully Packed - WOW! One of my favorites of the whole bunch, both at the show and on the disc. A great Merle Travis tune that is masterfully played and sung by Smith.
Gentle Maiden - a haunting rendition of a traditional ballad. Adams' Cello shines on this one.
A Simple Melody - A great ragtime-style tune by Irving Berlin, one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Smith and Adams make it their own with a wonderful duet. This is another one of my favorites from the show and on the disc.


requests

This disc is all-instrumental (no vocals) and contains some great songs. A nice mix of classical, standards, and folk. I particularly liked:

Hungarian Dance - This Brahms piece is very well done and shows off Smith's considerable technique on the guitar.
Swingin' 69 - a nice bluesy tune by Jerry Reed.
Mr. Bojangles and Vincent - Incredible instrumental versions of these classic popular tunes. Vincent (by Don McClean) is one of my all-time favorite songs, and they really do it justice on Cello and Guitar.
Semper Fidelis - I'm not a big Souza fan, but they do a fantastic rendition of this piece.


Living Out A Dream

This disc has a lot more classical on it. It is primarily instrumental, but there are a couple of tunes with vocals. My favorite tracks:

Blue Rondo ala Turk - A nice Jazzy Brubeck tune.
Badinerie and Ave Maria - Bach at its finest. Nothing but Cello and Guitar, beautifully played. Both of these songs are excellent.
Arrow - Another beautiful song, and it features the wonderful velvety voice of Holly Yarbrough.
Flight of the Bumblebee - another classical piece that I am not really that fond of. But what an incredible version, and it really shows off their instrumental virtuosity.
Blackberry Blossom - a great traditional bluegrass tune. Well played.

Slim Pickin'

This is a solo CD by Richard Smith. It is probably the best introduction to his amazingly flawless fingerstyle technique on guitar. My favorites:

The Ragtime Dance - I love Joplin and this is a great tune.
The Watkins Man - If you like Chet Atkins, you will love this rendition.
Jesu - I'm just a sucker for Bach. Another beautiful melody.
Windy and Warm - another great tune that was popularized by Chet Atkins. Masterfully played.

Conclusion:

All of these discs are well worth the price. If you get a chance to see the live show, just do it. Whatever the admission price, it is way too cheap. I'm already trying to decide if I want to drive up to Knoxville (six hours) to see them again in a few weeks. I may just wait until they are a little closer.

 

[JMAUSGP]

This is too weird. I glanced at the thread and just for chits and giggles looked where they are going in the midwest and they are going to be less than 5 minutes from my house on Friday night the 23rd.

Rich, you are starting to scare me.

 

[Rich]

This is too weird. I glanced at the thread and just for chits and giggles looked where they are going in the midwest and they are going to be less than 5 minutes from my house on Friday night the 23rd.

Rich, you are starting to scare me.

That is too cool. You absolutely must go. And if you want to really mess with the guy, go up to him during intermission and tell him you were recommended to go see him by the guy in Huntsville that gave him the CD.

Backstory: A friend of mine just came out with his most recent CD and I did all the photography for it. We used the historic Lowe Mill as the setting for the shots, and that is the same location where they were doing their show. So just for giggles, I gave him a copy of the CD as a gift to remember us by.

 

[JMAUSGP]

Got reserved seats today, so it looks like we are going.

 

[Jimna]

What a known disappointment this must be for you considering its not multi-channel.

 

[TomD]

They are playing in a place called the Wagon Shed that is less than an hour and a half from us so just got tickets.

Drove all the way to Worcester, MA to see Dream Theater in one of their limited small venue appearances, so a ride to PA seems like just around the corner.

Looks like a nice venue, up close and personal. Can't wait!

 

[Rich]

Cool! You guys please post your thoughts after you see the show.

 

[Bernard]

What a known disappointment this must be for you considering its not multi-channel.

But if it's live it IS multi-channel.

 

[JMAUSGP]

I am planning on doing some drugs, so it will surely be multi-channel

 

[JMAUSGP]

Well, we went to see Richard and Julie, they are both gifted in their own right.

The trick with Richard is to get up close and watch his hands and fingers. On a Sousa number he imitated a drum with his thumb and a loose guitar string...it really was amazing. I thought it was a recorded drum for a few seconds then I saw his thumb and the stroke matched the drum, wow.

He can imitate pianos, drums and play any style of guitar that there is, really an enjoyable evening.

If any of you are lucky enough to catch him and Julie, make sure you do.

And Rich, thanks for the Heads Up.

 

[Rich]

You're welcome, Joe. Glad you were able to catch him. I agree that his talent and technical skills on the guitar are just amazing to watch. It just blew my mind that he could basically play lead and rhythm guitar at the same time. Or lead guitar and bass. Or lead guitar and percussion. All at the same time on one guitar (basically picking lead guitar with his four fingers and using his thumb for rhythm). And the speed and dexterity with which his fingers work is just incredible.

 

[JMAUSGP]

Exactly, that is why I recommend that anyone that goes to see him, get close so you can watch his hands and fingers, without that you might miss what you are really hearing.