Dear
folks: It is our honor, pleasure, and great fortune to be able to invite you to
marvel at the artistry of one of the world’s greatest living flamenco
guitarists, Grisha Goryachev.
I know — right off the bat, it seems odd to have a famous flamenco guitarist with a Russian name, but, hey, did you know that some of the biggest fans of flamenco outside Spain are Germans?
This is, after all, 2023, when, for instance, a restaurant in Atlantic Beach named Amos Mosquito’s (where Selde and I ate last night) has added a sushi item on their menu.
Those of you who were lucky enough to witness Grisha’s online performance for TGS during COVID lockdown in December 2020 couldn’t fail to appreciate, even on your home computer screen, just how amazing a talent he is.
And even if you haven’t seen Grisha there or in his 2013 appearance with TGS and you have yet to be astounded by his virtuosity and sensitive interpretations — now you can see him live and in person, on Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. at The Church of the Good Shepherd in Durham (see “Grisha to Bring Flamenco Fire” on page 1 for more details). And that’s not all: Grisha has graciously consented to share his knowledge and insights with us in a very special clinic.
So, all members, please bring your guitar to what we’re calling the Grisha Flamenco Clinic. It’s a three-hour masterclass on flamenco techniques, starting at 10 a.m. on the morning before Grisha’s concert, at my house (105 Highland Drive, Chapel Hill).
It will be an unforgettable learning experience. Whatever your skill level, Grisha can help you improve your rasgueados, scale speed, and arpeggio speed. And you can soak in the true duende (untranslatable, but generally denoting musical, expression, heart, or soul — combined with awareness of one’s mortality) from one of the world’s recognized experts in the art of flamenco.
Then, please consider sharing your own playing with all the rest of us in a
second TGS Open Mic/Luncheon special play-in event this season. Contact Dennis
Aberle to get added to the roster. I will sit this one out, so that will free up
20 minutes right there, HA!
This will be on Dec. 9 at noon at Gourmet
Kingdom Chinese Restaurant at 301 E. Main St., Carrboro. It’s a follow-up to our
very successful season-opening performances there by nine members on Aug. 26
(see “A Musical Offering,” TGS News, September/October
2023). All who played
at the first session are invited back, and this time, member Len White plans to
join us. Len had to cancel last time but he is getting Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s
Tarantella ready to share with us.
Show up hungry, and be prepared to not
only hear great performances but also eat great food from what many folks are
calling the best-kept secret for fine Chinese cuisine in the Triangle. And
please say hello to our host, David Yu. This time, he will have two wait
staffers to help him meet our multitude of food demands.
Finally, it is
with sadness that I report of the passing of a dear friend to our little
community. Dr. Robert William Chadwick passed away at age 93 on Oct. 13 after a
full life of scientific discovery. Bob’s biggest guitaristic achievement was
performing Recuerdos
de la Alhambra at one of our early meetings at RTI. As
an early secretary on our board, Bob helped bring consistency and organization
to our fledgling club.
Dr. Chadwick was considered an international
expert in the field of pesticide toxicology and metabolism. He authored over 50
peer reviewed scientific journal articles and book chapters, several special
government reports, and numerous abstracts and presentations of his scientific
research. He especially distinguished himself through exploring the
toxicological interactions of pesticides with xenobiotics, the role of
intestinal metabolism, and the role of age in toxicological response. His
research saves lives! Visit
this link to learn more.
— “Prez” Randy Reed