Mel Bay Brazilian Jazz Guitar (Book & CD)
Mike Christiansen is a Professor and Director of Guitar Studies at Utah State University. In 1994 he was selected "Professor of the Year" at Utah State. He is the author of numerous instructional books, has recorded several CDs, and appears on fourteen instructional videos. He has had articles published in several magazines including Acoustic Guitar and Soundboard, and has also conducted many workshops for guitarists and educators. In addition to this work geared toward teaching, he has played in many top bands and ensembles, has written and performed radio jingles, has backed up many artists on recordings and has written and recorded music for TV and educational films. Currently, in addition to his teaching and writing duties, Mike does solo work, performs with the Lightwood Duo (a clarinet-guitar duo), and is a member of the group, Mirage. John Zaradin's professional life began performing with the violinist, Jan Resek, in Germany and the UK, after which his London debut concert, in 1968, at the Purcell Room, Royal Festival Hall, launched him into the London musical world. Here, he was exposed to a wide variety of music and was called upon to perform in studios, in theatre and on the concert platform. He made, at this time, with the London Symphony Orchestra, the guitar recordings for the television series The Strauss Family. His London theatre life began at the Royal Court Theatre with Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (director Jane Howells), evolved onto the West End stage at the Piccadilly Theatre with Man of La Mancha and continued into touring with the musicals Hair and Fiddler on the Roof and with the companies Ballet Rambert, London Contemporary Dance and Glyndebourne Opera. In 1972 Belwin Mills became his first publisher and he made his first solo recording Concierto de Aranguez by J. Rodrigo (EMI/CFP). Later that year, he was invited to join the Royal Shakespeare Company for the world tour of his production of Midsummer Night's Dream. Returning to Europe, John toured as soloist, with Brazilian companies, presented his own group Images of Brazil and recorded a second album Zaradin's Guitar for EMI (1976). This group Images of Brazil, playing original compositions and a kaleidoscope of music from Brazil, made television and radio performances and performed in venues, which ranged from Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club to the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.