Review of 2009

As is traditional at this time of year, I have decided to do a quick review, and highlight some of the most popular blog posts.

2009 has certainly been busy.

Despite global recession Robin has travelled to over 30 countries (I gave up counting in the end...) and performed to many thousands of people.
It is always a delight when Robin receives comments and feedback after a concert, and when someone goes to the trouble of seeking the artist out to express their enthusiasm, it is even more rewarding.

It hasn't all been good though.

We have been plagued by 'pirates' with well in excess of 10 000 illegal downloads, and those are the ones I know about.

Not unrelated, as major record companies try to find a way around these issues, was a particular low spot for me, as we had to pull out of recording Robin's concerto, 'Eternal Dances' with the fabulous London Symphony Orchestra due to funding problems related to the recession.
However, yesterday I was delighted to receive an email from a gentleman in Ireland, who had heard one movement played on RTE, and was so taken by it that he managed to contact me to express his enthusiasm.
I know that this piece will be an exceptional addition to the classical guitar concerto repertoire and will therefore pursue the project with renewed energy in 2010.

Looking back through some of the blog posts in 2009 there were a few that stood out.

Back in February we joined Reverbnation.
This post, 'The Stories Behind the Music - Robin Hill on Reverbnation' does exactly as it says. A little insight into each of the pieces available on the player.

Then in March there was a performance of Rodrigo's, 'Concierto de Aranjuez' and the corresponding post, 'The Concierto de Aranjuez, an ancient vinyl and advice on nail care.'

In June we were delighted to discover that one of Robin's pieces, 'Dolor de Muelas' had been nominated for an award, 'JPF Music Awards 2009 - Nominee...Robin Hill!!'
Whilst the piece didn't go onto win, it was a massive achievement to reach this stage.

Also in June a surprise favourite post that came about from a simple question posed on Twitter, as to whether musicians like to eat before, or after, a concert.
I'm indebted to all those that replied, and would like you to know that this post continues to be read daily around the world! 'To Eat or Not to Eat - Before a Concert'.

Then in July a milestone was reached as we celebrated our 3rd Birthday. Quite an achievement in the blogging world, and one that I am rather proud of. 'Life of a Musician' 3rd Birthday'.

By far the most popular post of the entire blog, never mind the last three years, was written in October.
'Music Practice Tips - Classical Guitar' continues to be read worldwide on a daily basis.
The post itself is an extract from Robin's book, 'The Guitar Gymnasium', so all those who have found it interesting should perhaps order themselves a copy, as the post is only a fraction of information that has been tried and tested over a lengthy performing career.

But for now I would like to thank all my readers for continuing to follow the life of this particular musician and to wish you all a very happy and healthy 2010.

Samba, Bossa Nova and the Joy of Latin Homework

It has been very nice to have Robin home for a few weeks but he has not been idle.

He has been working hard on an alternative show which he has been asked to organise, featuring himself, plus an extensive band.

The pieces are varied, ranging from original compositions to arrangements of standards, which have all been given the 'Hill' treatment. There's everything from latin/jazz to swing and even some rock.

One piece, an original composition, is called Brasilia.

This is in a bossa nova style featuring guitar, bass, flute, clarinet, alto & tenor sax, trumpet, trombone, Latin American percussion and even a cuica. All resulting in a rather fabulous latin/jazz feel.

'Dolor de Muelas', which has recently been nominated for an award, is a piece in a samba style which has also been given the 'Big Band' treatment.

Arrangements have also been done for a number of well known pieces such as 'Can't Buy Me Love', 'Bach Prelude', 'Fragile', 'Here Comes the Sun', 'This Masquerade' 'Classical Gas' and many more, all naturally heavily featuring the guitar.

Amongst this musical extravaganza will also be a few pieces from Robin's solo guitar repertoire.

The whole show will be taken for a test drive before too long, and we will be searching for various musicians at some point.
But be warned, Robin is known for writing rather tricky trumpet parts, you only have to listen to 'Celebration' in the sidebar to see what I mean...
You can read more about Force Ten here.

Paul Griffin is responsible for hitting the very high notes on the trumpet. Based in New York, Paul was the product of a very musical background. His father Chris was one third of Benny Goodman's 'Biting Brass' trumpet section, and Paul himself played at John F. Kennedy's funeral.

I wonder if we can coax Paul back out on the road. That would be some show....

JPF Music Awards 2009 - Nominee... Robin Hill!

We were delighted to discover on Friday, (many thanks to Nik Payton in Brazil for telling me!) that Robin has been nominated for the JPF Music Awards 2009.
The song is, Dolor de Muelas, and it has been shortlisted under the Latin Jazz Song section, amongst 20 other nominees.
To see the full list you can visit here.

This is a substantial achievement.
After 14 months of screening with 5 long rounds and 3 groups of judges made up of the music industry, artists/writer peers and music fans, the nominees were finally selected.
Apparently, 42 000 albums were submitted and a total of 560 000 songs across all genres!
According to the information I have this means that less than 1/3 of 1% were nominated.

Dolor de Muelas, (which can be found on 'Virtuoso' CD Baby, iTunes) may appear an unusual title and that's because when translated it means 'toothache'. At the time of composition Robin was suffering with the aforementioned and decided it would be rather amusing.
However we didn't realise the piece would be under so much scrutiny!
Dolor de Muelas has a freewheeling, samba groove and you can read more about it in the original post, 'Track 2: Dolor de Muelas and Manic Management...'.

So I would just like to say thank you to the judges who selected Robin's piece of music for this stage and wish everyone luck for the final round.
Maybe we'll see some of you in Nashville TN in August...

Track 2: Dolor de Muelas and Manic Management...

The second track that we are going to look at is called, 'Dolor de Muelas'.
In case you are bemused about the title, I should explain that when translated it means, toothache.
The reason being that it was composed and recorded when Robin was suffering from a particularly painful bout of toothache!
However, that isn't apparent in the music, as the piece is in a freewheeling samba groove, with much improvisation.

The Samba is one of the most popular forms of music in Brazil, and surprisingly also in Japan. The genre combines several different cultures, especially the musical aspects of African and Latino heritage, and continues to evolve within Brazilian culture today.

Originally the Samba was a generic term depicting the choreography of 'circle-dances' imported from Angola and the Congo.
A characteristic element of the Samba is the 'umbigada', which is an, 'invitation to dance', by the touching of the couple's navels!
Gradually, by the late 19th Century, the dance became urbanized, with the urban versions differing substantially from the rural folk sambas.

The Samba continued to gain notoriety as a distinctive kind of music, at the beginning of the 20th Century, in Rio de Janeiro.

On this recording Robin is also playing some of the percussion. So feel free to get into the Samba groove and dance along...

Today I am calming down after a particularly stressful couple of days.
On Wednesday evening I took a call from our London agent asking if Robin would be able to get to India by Monday.
The dates were fine, but, a visa is required for entry to India.
I consequently spent most of Wednesday evening, and all of Thursday, trying to resolve the problem.
After many 'phone calls between me, London and America, the only way forward would be to extend the trip and unfortunately due to previous commitments we were unable to do so.
I certainly couldn't expect Robin to arrive home from an overnight flight and perform the same day.
So despite our best efforts, on this occasion we had to concede defeat.
Still, you can't say we didn't try.

YouTube video - Robin Hill

Today I have decided to post Robin's YouTube video on the site. It gives me the opportunity to explain a little about each of the pieces, or rather extracts, that you hear, and for those interested in watching a guitarist at work, you can see what Robin is doing!
As the opening credits role, you can hear, 'Eternal Dance', this is the first movement of 'Concerto Latino' for guitar and orchestra. It features a driving 5/8 rhythm with some occasional 7/8. It begins with solo guitar and light timpani roll before the orchestra then state the theme. This piece was originally composed for Robin's quartet, 'Eklectica', but he then expanded it onto an orchestral canvas.

The first piece that you can watch as well as listen to, is 'Return to Islay'. This piece was inspired during a visit to this remote Hebridean island during a tour with Hill/Wiltschinsky.
Although Robin had never visited the island before he felt the place was strangely familiar, hence the title, 'Return to Islay'.

'Dolor de Muelas' has a freewheeling samba groove and contains much improvisation. As for the title, well, translated it means toothache...The piece was composed and recorded during a very violent bout of toothache. I wish I was so productive when I didn't feel well...

'Canarios' by Gasper Sanz dates from the mid 1600s and was originally for baroque guitar. As the title suggests this lively jig hails from the Canary Islands and many will know this theme from the last movement of Joaquin Rodrigo's, 'Fantasia Para Un Gentilhombre' - composed for Andres Segovia in 1953.

With the closing credits you can hear, 'Arrival of the Queen of Sheba', which comes from the oratario, 'Solomon' by George Frideric Handel. It is eminently suited to performance on the guitar with it's rapid scales and arpeggios, the original dialogue between two oboes being replaced by guitar and recorder.

Over on YouTube many of the comments have been about Robin's technique, so here's an opportunity to observe him.