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<\/p>\nAcoustic guitar trios are nothing new. But in the hands of the musicians calling themselves the California Guitar Trio, the instrument is approached in a unique way. And the sounds created are subtly different as well.<\/p>\n
Founded in 1991 by an international aggregation \u2013 Hideyo Moriya from Japan, Belgian musician Bert Lams and Salt Lake City-born Paul Richards \u2013 the California Guitar Trio has its roots in Guitar Craft, a course of study led by King Crimson Guitarist Robert Fripp. The unusual program was as much personal development as musical theory.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight from the beginning of the day, it was very different from what I had been doing at my university studies,\u201d says Richards. \u201cWe would start the day doing a half hour of a kind of meditation. Robert would lead us through bringing our intention through various parts of our body, to bring relaxation and improve our attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Guitar work focused more on technique than theory. The configuration of the instrumentalists was unique as well. Forming a circle, the guitarists would begin with a practice that Fripp called circulation. \u201cRobert would give this instruction to play one note,\u201d Richard explains, \u201cand pass your note to your person to your right. As the notes went around the circle, it created a kind of a group melody. It was up to us to learn to listen to what was happening with the whole group. Playing just the right note at just the right moment would compliment what was happening with the whole group.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was at Guitar Craft where Richards, Moriya and Lams first met. Building on their shared studies, the three guitarists adopted Fripp\u2019s New Standard Tuning \u2013 \u201cmore like a cello or violin, in fifths,\u201d Richard explains \u2013 creating a signature sound that sets the Trio apart from other acoustic ensembles. Sometimes the three instruments together sound more like zithers or harpsichords than acoustic guitars.<\/p>\n
Belying the almost supernatural musical simpatico between the Trio members, the three men come from vastly different backgrounds. Richards studied jazz in college. \u201cI was basically a rock guitar player for all my early years,\u201d he says. Lams\u2019 foundation is in classical music, and Moriya brings both world music and surf guitar textures to the group. \u201cThat\u2019s how it became so eclectic,\u201d Richards says with a laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen people ask me what kind of music we play, I usually start out by giving quite a vague response,\u201d he says. Richards begins by telling people that the Trio plays instrumental acoustic guitar music, but explains that they don\u2019t sound like other superficially similar acts. \u201cRodrigo y Gabriela have their own kind of Latin style; Tommy Emmanuel has his own fingerpicking, Chet Atkins style. Whereas we have [the influence of] Robert Fripp mixed with rock, jazz, blues, surf, traditional Japanese music and classical music with European sensibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The California Guitar Trio has released more than 15 albums; like the group\u2019s live shows, those releases often feature original compositions alongside inventive reworkings of material written by other artists. The Trio applies a rigorous standard when approaching a song in the latter category. \u201cIt needs to bring something new so it\u2019s not just a cover,\u201d Richards says.<\/p>\n
By way of example, he mentions the Trio\u2019s instrumental reading of \u201cBohemian Rhapsody,\u201d the 1975 hit by Queen. Re-interpreting Freddie Mercury\u2019s layered vocal harmonies and Brian May\u2019s complex electric guitar parts presented a real challenge. \u201cWe present it in such a way that it makes sense musically,\u201d Richards explains. \u201cIt\u2019s become the unofficial sing-along piece at our shows; big Queen fans often will break out in singing during that piece.\u201d<\/p>\n
The California Guitar Trio\u2019s approach may be unique, but it meshes well with conventionally-played instrumentation as well. Proving that point, the Trio\u2019s latest album, In a Landscape <\/i>is a collaboration with the standard-tuning based Montreal Guitar Trio.<\/p>\n
After 28 years, the Trio remains a cohesive unit. \u201cThe music is the thing that, in the end, really keeps us going,\u201d Richards says. \u201cHideyo, Bert, and I are still friends and get along really well. We still enjoy playing music together, and we\u2019ve always been very good at finding music that keeps things interesting. It\u2019s a combination between the friendship and the music that keeps things exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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