Where are they now?

[Folio]

The thread about the “next big thing” got me thinking about some guys whose recordings from the ‘90’s had a huge influence on me. What happened to these guys? Have they all retired to mundane teaching positions?

Kurt Rodarmer? Did his Goldberg Variations offend too many?

Shin-ichi Fukuda? This guy is pure elegance. I’ve seen his name on competition panels, etc. but why hasn’t he been recording?

Baltazar Benitez? I used to have conversations about this guy with Philip Rosheger (they one the Santiago de Compostela in consecutive years) and Rosheger was bitterly jealous of Benitez’s career. What career now? I want more.

Slava Grigoryan? Someone told me he was “finding himself” on a walk-a-bout, playing jazz duets with a didgeridoo. True? Would he be welcomed back to classical?

Any info would be appreciated! And feel free to ask about your favorite missing guitarist...

[BenB]

Slava Grigoryan never stopped playing classical.

He just very recently released a cd with his brother of Rodrigo concertos.

I don't know about the rest but apparently Shin-ichi Fukada did a ridiculous amount of recording earlier in his career so maybe he's giving it a break.

[Folio]

Slava Grigoryan never stopped playing classical..

Yeah, I kinda knew that. I've checked his homepage over the years and seen all the ABC recordings. I was joking about the didgeridoo. But I think he had alot of momentum which was lost when he decided to experiment and then do recordings that don't get wide distribution. It's great for you guys and I'm sure he'll always be popular there, but I think he lost his chance to be a leading figure in worldwide CG scene. Too many other great players have come up I fear. The perspective that I hear alot over here is that he was a flash in the pan.

[yamashitafan]

But I think he had alot of momentum which was lost when he decided to experiment and then do recordings that don't get wide distribution. It's great for you guys and I'm sure he'll always be popular there, but I think he lost his chance to be a leading figure in worldwide CG scene.

I agree. I think he had a chance to become one of the next big things. But who knows, he seems to be doing what he wants, and his ABC recordings have been very good.

I think an even bigger let- down was the disapearance of Nicola Hall from the guitar scene due to hand injury. She made one last recording in 1999 of Scottish composer Billy Cowie's music (excellent music and playing). She seemed to offer something powerful and new in her playing.

Adam Delmonte is incredible, but he's taking a bit too long to put out another recording. I would hate to see him become another "what happened to."

[Richard]

On the same subject, let's talk about Christopher Parkening. I don't think anyone ever produced sweeter CG music than him on his early recordings. I think he's still quite good, though I must say I never saw him perform live.
Did his born-again experience and years away from the stage diminish his talents?

[JerryZ]

I think the tendency is to overlook the fact that some people DO NOT want fame and fortune and journey through life for personal reasons. Who can really say why talent is “wasted” – if that’s a term you choose to describe things. Personally, whatever makes someone happy is all the public should expect – regardless of what they think someone “could have” made of themselves. If you’ve never been in the “spotlight”, it’s probably difficult to understand that point of view.

[Faya]

I think the tendency is to overlook the fact that some people DO NOT want fame and fortune and journey through life for personal reasons. Who can really say why talent is “wasted” – if that’s a term you choose to describe things. Personally, whatever makes someone happy is all the public should expect – regardless of what they think someone “could have” made of themselves. If you’ve never been in the “spotlight”, it’s probably difficult to understand that point of view.

Ain't that the Truth!............ :wink:

[BenB]

Slava Grigoryan never stopped playing classical..

Yeah, I kinda knew that. I've checked his homepage over the years and seen all the ABC recordings. I was joking about the didgeridoo. But I think he had alot of momentum which was lost when he decided to experiment and then do recordings that don't get wide distribution. It's great for you guys and I'm sure he'll always be popular there, but I think he lost his chance to be a leading figure in worldwide CG scene. Too many other great players have come up I fear. The perspective that I hear alot over here is that he was a flash in the pan.

Ok yeah I understand what you're saying. In my opinion he is not a good enough player to be a leading figure in the worldwide CG scene anyway.

[khayes]

On the same subject, let's talk about Christopher Parkening. I don't think anyone ever produced sweeter CG music than him on his early recordings. I think he's still quite good, though I must say I never saw him perform live.
Did his born-again experience and years away from the stage diminish his talents?

Why would his 'born-again experience' necessarily diminish his talents??? I would love to be half the player that CP is.

[nylon6]

On the same subject, let's talk about Christopher Parkening. I don't think anyone ever produced sweeter CG music than him on his early recordings. I think he's still quite good, though I must say I never saw him perform live.
Did his born-again experience and years away from the stage diminish his talents?

I can't see how it diminished his playing ability per se (I believe he kept practicing), but I think it cost him some fans. Not everyone wants to pray at a concert like he reportedly requested. I liked him when I first heard his LPs in the early 80's, but after seeing live and enduring a program of 22 bits and pieces of greatest hits/encores/student pieces, I wrote him off. Then the "born again" proselytizing just made him even less appealing for me.

I would certainly like to know what happened to Kurt--his Goldberg Variations CD is stunning even if it's overdubbed.

[ewok]

He came to Dallas about two years ago and performed in a guitar solo concert with a Ramirez owned by Segovia (now belonging to a guitar collector in Dallas).

In my opinion, his talents are never diminished. Just there are too many talented younger guitarists these days.

On the same subject, let's talk about Christopher Parkening. I don't think anyone ever produced sweeter CG music than him on his early recordings. I think he's still quite good, though I must say I never saw him perform live.
Did his born-again experience and years away from the stage diminish his talents?

[Dinosaur]

On the same subject, let's talk about Christopher Parkening. I don't think anyone ever produced sweeter CG music than him on his early recordings. I think he's still quite good, though I must say I never saw him perform live.
Did his born-again experience and years away from the stage diminish his talents?

Why would his 'born-again experience' necessarily diminish his talents??? I would love to be half the player that CP is.

I wholeheartedly agree with Ken.If anything. I would suggest his
born again experience brought him back to the guitar at
the very least.
As a young student in the 70's I actually had the good
fortune to look up from my lesson in the music store where I studied
with a private instructor( i was a business major) and lo
and behold-there he was! I rushed out to the car and got
something called a "78 LP" that was new and still in the
clear plastic wrapper.My instructor was acquainted with CP
and asked him to autograph it for me.I will never forget that
moment! The impression I got was that he was very humble,
almost timid in fact.I felt like I embarrassed him somewhat with
the request and resolved to never put anyone on the spot
like that ever again.He was very kind about the request,however,
and I still have that album amongst my box of cherished items
somewhere in my closet.
Later I went with members of my family to at least
two of his concerts.After one of them my uncle exclaimed.
"Gee,I didn't know you could play a guitar and not sing!"
Oh yeah folks,the Dinosaur has country roots!
Dinosaur

[Richard]

I didn't mean to imply that a born-again experience should diminish one's skills. It is a fact, though, that his career was interrupted at about the same time. His later recordings, while really good, don't measure up to his first ones in the 1970s. Am I wrong? I brought the subject up in the context of the Where Are They Now subject of this thread, not to castigate one's religious beliefs.

[Dave Olsson]

I would think, that over the course of the years, given how much effort is necessary to maintain a world class talent and repertoire, given how little attention is paid to most of the people capable of that level of playing, given how relatively little financial compensation they receive and the constant pressure from new talents vying for the same gigs, recording deals, teaching jobs, etc., that it must be terribly hard to keep trying to scramble up that mountain. I imagine a lot of very gifted people just step aside.

[thedrizzle]

too many big fish in too small a pond. really, how many players do you know PERSONALLY that are really good. i know a couple.

thats depressing

[Sandra]

I have nothing against anyone "finding religion" in whatever way, shape or form floats their boat. But when it becomes a proselytizing focus (ala Tom Cruise and Scientology), then I have a problem with it.

CP is a talented guitarist, but when his "Christian Testimony" takes up more pages than the rest of his site combined, it kinda puts me off.

[Mark Lim]

CP is definitely one of my all time greats. He did what he believed in and i dont mind his Christian testimony. At least he had the courage to make it known to public and for that i will take my hat off to him.