Pierre Bensusan In Concert

Hailed by music critics worldwide and admired by pianist George Winston, the incredibly talented Pierre Bensusan--whose fingers can run the entire neck of the guitar faster than a security guard can frisk a concert-goer at a Pearl Jam fest--plays a dozen compositions in this exceptional session filmed at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley last year. Drawing on influences as diverse as Gaelic, Celtic, Hindi, blues, jazz, and New Age, Bensusan can move from a lightning-fingered acoustic scat song such as "Bamboulè" into a multi-textured love ballad like "Au Jardin D'Amour." Although he has a little help to make him sound like a quartet (he sometimes records his opening bass and rhythm tracks which then play as background throughout), Bensusan also bridges musical passages that many artists wouldn't even dare trying due to the technical difficulty. Although the filming is pretty perfunctory, the music is heavenly, and guitar lovers will discover a major aural treat in the virtuoso playing of Pierre Bensusan. Highly recommended. Note: Two other videos featuring guitarists filmed at the Freight & Salvage are also available: Martin Simpson in Concert and Bob Brozman in Concert. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)