None of us are having the spring we imagined, and that includes world music finger-style guitar virtuoso Pierre Bensusan (www.pierrebensusan.com). The Paris-based musician had spent the last few years writing and recording a new album, authoring an instructional book and creating a signature guitar model, all of which were to be launched with the support of an extensive 110-city US and Canadian concert tour this spring before tours through Europe and China later in the year. One week into the trek and just as the “Azwan” album dropped, Bensusan had to pull the plug and return home with the North American portion of the tour pushed to 2021 because of the novel coronavirus.
With everything happening in the world, I am not sure if you received the “Azwan” CD we mailed. Happy to provide a link to download or stream it if you prefer. Bensusan wrote and produced the dozen tracks that comprise the collection of primarily solo acoustic guitar instrumentals showcasing the French-Algerian artist’s masterful DADGAD technique, improvisational rendezvous, melodic dalliances and atmospheric vocalizations. Crafting enchanting explorations by mixing world music, new age, jazz, classical, traditional, folk and pop with French, Arabic, Latin and Celtic cultural references, Bensusan’s guitarwork was conceived as an orchestra, delivering melody, bass, chords and counterpoint in the same space.
Bensusan’s message on “Azwan” – pronounced “as one” - is our oneness and interconnectivity, something we are all experiencing firsthand as we battle a global pandemic. The album is a study unifying people, animals and the whole of nature. Voted by Guitar Player magazine readers as Best World Music Guitarist, Bensusan’s “Pierre Bensusan Guitar Collection” book was published as planned and his handmade Lowden Guitars signature model is also now available. Bensusan is a captivating storyteller and with people eager for escape, his 15th album inspires glee, healing and reflection as well as instills awe and wonderment of our planet and its creatures. Have you listened to “Azwan” and considered Bensusan for a feature, interview or an album review? Please let me know if you need anything on our end. Thanks for your consideration.
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