Product: Guitar Artistry of John Fahey
Rating: 5.0
A must have DVD for Fahey fans who play guitar or those who just listen
This is another is really fine series of "Guitar Artistry of...." Videos from Stefan Grossman's Vestapol label. Grossman, a fine guitarist in his own right, and a long time student of Rev. Gary Davis, has been releasing video since back in the old VHS days. Though some contained performances, Grossman's main product was the guitar tutorial: a series of video lessons by some of the true experts in finger picking.As a person who loves to hear good guitar playing but is "all-thumbs" when it comes to actually playing, I always look forward to a new video of performance - or, as in the case of this DVD, interview and performance. And this volume with the legendary John Fahey is one of the best.I've known Fahey's music since the 1960s when I first heard his Takoma records label. (You will hear how the label started if you watch this DVD.) But I don't ever remember seeing him play, until now. The 2 hour long "main program," consists of a NEWLY recorded interview (actually a question is raised and you see and hear Fahey's reply) mixed with earlier performances - mostly in a studio, though there is an audience for some. There are 16 songs lasting from under two minutes to one that goes on for 13 minutes! Fahey's stories are wonderful. The ones he tells about hanging around with Elizabeth Cotton (composer of "Freight Rain") are my favorites. Raised in the urban East near Washington, DC, Fahey wrote his first song at age 14. He headed west to Berkeley where his got his degree and then went into performing full time.Like the other "Guitar Artistry" DVDs, this one serves two purposes: to inform and entertain non-musicians like myself and to educate those who play guitar. The camera work is exceptional and the close-ups so sharp that you can often read the label inside the guitar! As a bonus, Grossman has included a 12-minute "sample lesson" as a bonus (along with another 13 minute interview with Fahey by Christian Roebling). And for a bonus to the bonus lesson the DVD contains a .pdf of the sheet music and tablature for the sample lesson.All Fahey fans - both those who play and those who just listen -will want this DVD, even if you have other concert videos of him.HIGHLY recommended!Steve Ramm"Anything Phonographic"