Pierre Bensusan


Saturday September 5, 2009 JonnoPromotions presented Pierre Bensusan's Isle of Man Debut.

Guitar Player Magazine’s “Best World Musician” 2008.

At the Gaiety Theatre, Douglas.

http://www.rock-n-reel.co.uk/news.cfm?id=71

http://www.manx.net/default.asp?id=18&articleid=8973

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/what-where-when/Snap-up-your-tickets-now.5403737.jp

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/what-where-when/Top-musicians-head-to-the.5042741.jp

Read John Gregory's interview with Pierre here ...
http://www.iomtoday.co.im/what-where-when/Don39t-miss-chance-to-see.5550537.jp


PIERRE BENSUSAN’S WORLD
Guitar & Voice

If “World Music” is music that pays tribute to the spirit of a collection of human beings through distinct rhythms, traditional instruments and harmonic colors, French-Algerian guitarist, singer and composer Pierre Bensusan can be recognized as one of the most eloquent and diverse world musicians of our time.

Born in Oran, French-Algeria, in 1957, when France was decolonizing its Empire, Pierre Bensusan‘s family moved to Paris when he was 4. He began formal studies on piano at the age of 7 and at 11 taught himself guitar. Influenced in those early days by the folk revival blooming in Britain, France and North America, Bensusan began first to explore his own diverse musical heritage and then moved to the horizons beyond. At 17 he signed his first recording contract, and one year later his first album Pres de Paris won the Grand Prix du Disque upon his debut at the Montreux Festival in Switzerland. Described by the L.A. Times as “one of the most unique and brilliant acoustic guitar veterans in the world music scene today”, Pierre Bensusan was voted “Best World Music Guitar Player” in 2008 by Readers of Guitar Player Magazine.

His name became synonymous with contemporary acoustic guitar genius, long before the terms New Age, New Acoustic Music or World Music were invented. He has the ability to make a single guitar sound like an entire band as he brings the audience on a mesmerizing musical journey. And yet, Bensusan is more than what any musician or music lover expects from a guitarist. He is a composer as well as a bilingual and a brave improvisational vocalist, melding whistles and resonant low notes with something like his own scat technique.

There is a sense of something both playful and serious in his work, an unparalleled sense of freedom in his compositions and his improvisations. His “manner” of playing defies classification - crossing world, classical, jazz, traditional, folk and more. None can be isolated as simply “Brazilian”, “Arabic” or “French”; rather, they represent our world in its current state, a world sharing itself, fusing cultures together in ways we have never experienced. Not to be missed !

“Pierre’s music gives me the shakes. No other guitarist shares his strange gifts of sophistication, accessibility and downright joy. Even at its most complex, Pierre’s music only needs ears to be enjoyed.” Leo Kottke

“Listening to Pierre Bensusan is rejuvenating. Beside his extraordinary touch and tone, the notes and melody appeal directly to the tender side of our human nature.” Steve Vai

"One of the truly gifted musicians of our time - he plays the guitar as if it were the very soul of himself." George Winston

SELECTED PRESS
“He is a natural. Pierre Bensusan has the liquid, relaxed manner of playing which has the easy inevitability of true genius” Melody Maker, (UK)

“Bensusan gently lures his punters into a world where the sky is not just a different hue, but an entirely different texture, and fulfills a different function too. Instead of offering a roof on his world, it’s simply a springboard to an entirely different plane where three chords and the truth simply don’t cut it. With the entire audience on side, Bensusan’s inveterate pursuit of music’s less navigated terrain is still a show-stopper - and resonate long after he sounded his final note” Siobhan Long, The Irish Times (Ireland)

“Impossibly beautiful” David Curry, The Canberra Sunday Times (Australia)

Whenever the name Pierre Bensusan is mentionned to a guitarist, guitar fan, or anyone seriously into music, their response is always one of awe, reverence, and enchanted bewilderment at the man‘s unparallelled dexterity and creativity on acoustic guitar. He released his first album in 1975, and since then has carved a reputation as one of the most innovative guitarists there is, practically unrivalled by any acoustic (or maybe even electric) player. Pierre‘s music, though highly complex, is defined by melody and accessibility. You can hum a piece by Pierre Bensusan. The melodies lodge in the mind easily as well as make you wonder “How does he do that ?” Kernan Andrews, The Galway Advertiser (Ireland)

AWARDS

* 2008 USA - Best World Music Guitar Player - Guitar Player Magazine Readers choice award
* 2002 AFIM (Association for Independent Music) (USA) “Intuite” - Best Acoustic Instrumental Album

http://www.pierrebensusan.com

http://www.myspace.com/pierrebensusan


Profile Photo (c) Jack Gescheidt

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