GuitarFest 2008 to feature Thorn Birds guitarist Juan Martin
CELEBRATED flamenco guitarist Juan Martin is heading to the Island at the end of this month to play at the Gaiety Theatre, Douglas, as part of GuitarFest 2008.
Reporter John Gregory spoke to the influential musician who has been voted one of the top three guitarists in the world.
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JUAN Martin is a Spanish musician who is known worldwide and has had a fascinating musical career.
Some readers may remember the highly popular TV series The Thorn Birds and it is Juan's playing that adorns the Love Theme — written by Henry Mancini — which was so memorable it reached the UK top 10 singles charts.
His flamenco guitar method book El Arte Flamenco de la Guitarra remains massively popular in all four corners of the globe and he has played on stage with Miles Davis, recorded a track with Rory Gallagher and made an album that depicts paintings by Pablo Picasso.
But these are just a few of the many, many achievements that will make Juan's debut Isle of Man performance at the Gaiety Theatre, Douglas, an event that is not to be missed.
He will appear on Friday, August 29, and also on the bill are Michael Berk, who has performed in the Island a handful of times, and local guitarists Stepan Podobsky and Liam Carter-Hawkins.
Juan, who was voted as one of the three best guitarists in the world by Guitar Player magazine in the US, will also be holding a guitar masterclass the following day at South Douglas Old Friends Club, in Finch Road.
When I rang the guitar maestro at his Spanish home he had just been practising.
Juan, who first picked up the guitar at the age of six, said: 'For me the sound of the guitar was immediately compelling and it was magical straight away for me, I just needed to pick it up and play it, I think I am still like that.
'I still need to go to the guitar. Once you lose this feeling to go and pick it up and enjoy playing you shouldn't play. The key to being a successful guitarist is the wanting to play. It's a simple thing really but that passion will take you to some standard.'
He turned professional when he was 17 and went to Madrid where he was fascinated to see so many fine players.
Over the years Juan has performed and come into contact with guitarists of many different styles and believes there is respect between guitarists.
'I guess that's one of the nice things about the festival in the Isle of Man, all the various styles are represented. Perhaps the mother of them is the original Spanish guitar,' he said.
One player he fondly remembers is the late, legendary Irish blues rock guitarist Rory Gallagher.
'Rory was a lovely man, it is a great tragedy he died. I just thought he was a real artist. In Ireland I am popular purely because I played with him, well, not purely, but it helps.'
He played with him on the track Flight to Paradise.
Seeing that our conversation had begun just after Juan had been practicising, I asked him about it.
'At the moment in Spain it's very relaxing in the morning, I will take a swim, there are jets of water in the pool and I use them to massage my hands and any other part of me that is aching, my back or whatever it is.
'Then I will come back, take a nice coffee, pick up the guitar and start quite slowly, playing something normally I enjoy playing.
'It is very important in music you don't just think of it as a mechanical thing, which it is really, no one is born to play the guitar. It's an unnatural movement really to be all over the strings and the neck.
'Once the hands are relaxed from the jets, I find they are so flexible I find I don't really need to do lots of scales to be able to play.
However, as I get nearer to this concert in the Isle of Man I will be building up the practice more and more to the best I can do in technical terms.
'But I think it's very important to involve the music as you perform and enjoy the guitar and that you have a spiritual feeling inside you as you are playing, you just don't produce it mechanically. Also in concert, that is what trasmits to the audience. When you feel it, they feel it, I don't think you can ever imitate that.'
Juan is set to re-release his album Serenade with five bonus tracks and his Isle of Man concert will be the first performance where it is available.
Talking to Juan and hearing the way he spoke about music and the guitar was one of the most rewarding interviews I have ever done.
There will be more about Juan and much much more about GuitarFest 2008 in this week's What Where When in the Manx Independent.
Tickets for Juan's performance are 19 (concessions 15) and are available from the ticket hotline on 694555 and www.villagaiety.com
There is a range of tickets available for the festival and workshops: ring 694555 for details.
www.juanmartin.com
www.iomguitarfest.com
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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