Only on digital platforms
Kristensen/Kelley/Smith/Wangen - Guitar Quartet
California Session
Two compositions:
1. Moon River
2. This Masquerade
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1. Moon River - Johnny Mercer/Henry Mancini
Music arrangement: Rolf Kristensen
Rolf Kristensen, Pat Kelley, Richard Smith, Øystein Wangen - electric guitars
Theme first part: Rolf Kristensen
Theme second part: Pat Kelley
First solo: Pat Kelley
Second solo: Rolf Kristensen
Third solo: Richard Smith
Last theme: Richard Smith
2. This Masquerade – Leon Russell
Music arrangement: Rolf Kristensen
Rolf Kristensen, Pat Kelley, Richard Smith, Øystein Wangen - Guitars
Theme part one: Pat
Theme part two: Richard
Solo 1, acoustic guitar: Rolf
Solo 2, electric archtop: Pat
Solo 3, acoustic guitar: Øystein
Solo 4, electric guitar: Richard
Ending theme: Rolf
Drums: Andreas Skorpe Sjøen
Double bass: Håvard Henriksen
Electric piano: Bruno Gagro
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Norwegian-American guitar quartet with guitarists from USC and UiA.
Rolf Kristensen, Pat Kelley, Richard Smith, Øystein Wangen - electric and acoustic guitars.
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This recording is a result of a musical collaboration that began when Rolf Kristensen was a guest professor at the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles in 2012. Many of the most renowned American guitarists are faculty at USC, and Kristensen had the pleasure of playing with some of these during his stay in LA. On a later visit to LA in 2019, Kristensen brought his own arrangements of the classics "Moon River" (Johnny Mercer/Henry Mancini) and "This Masquerade" (Leon Russell).
He invited the USC professors, Richard Smith and Pat Kelley, two of the finest guitarists on the West Coast, in addition to the young and very talented Norwegian guitarist Øystein Wangen, a student at UiA and exchange student at MI. Rolf Kristensen is an associate professor at UiA, known from collaborations with artists in a wide range of genres.
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The four of them gathered for a session in Artsong Studio in the Hollywood Hills, and the result was two new and original versions of these beautiful classics in an inspired meeting between four guitarists representing different musical traditions. On "This Masquerade" we also hear the Norwegian rhythm section: Håvard Henriksen - bass, Andreas Skorpe Sjøen - drums and Bruno Gagro - electric piano
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Take a listen by using the links here on this page, or use your own most preferred music-player. :)
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