Post by fatfingerjohn on Oct 17, 2017 16:14:19 GMT
So I finally got there a week after my first abortive visit and what a superb evening it was. Having seen Luca before at London Acoustic in a workshop I wondered what a full evening would be like and whether his unique and crazy style would be too much after a few numbers. I needn't have worried!
Now I know that this will be a marmite moment for many in this 'ere forum but his ability to stretch the instrument in ways unheard of is fascinating and wonderfully entertaining. As it happens he's also a totally down-to-earth and modest guy who at only 26 is doing amazing things.
Initially he ran through 2 or 3 of his original arrangements which allowed him to become established a few years ago. I've posted a few of these before so won't again;look them up if you haven't seen them. He then introduced his new 'baby' which has been on the drawing board for 18 months and finally came to life a few weeks ago. here's a video. (Traditionalists close your eyes and shudder at the thought). What is it. Well, the 'conventional guitar' bit is a fan fret which is the cornerstone of his repertoire, although his tunings, use of split/multiple capos etc make it hard to follow. The middle '7-string' semi-fan fret is tuned as you would a piano i.e. in full tones between each string. This allows him to play a melody line on top of the other components without using the left hand. The final bit is effectively a 3-string bass guitar (with the fretboard working in the opposite direction to normal i.e. the bottom end of the guitar is the 'neck' and the frets increase the tone as you move up to where the neck is normally. This is the only way that he can reach the strings whilst doing the percussive stuff. (Yes, the second video is stupidly set in a wheatfield; not sure where the amplification power comes from ....)
Luca now has a long tour ahead and will be accompanied for part of it by his girlfriend who joined him last night onstage to do 3 or 4 solo numbers and then 2 as duets at the end. She has a lovely vocal, is an accomplished guitarist in her own right and tours solo herself.
Overall it was an incredible evening; 3 hours of music, innovation, fun and jaw-dropping technique.
FFJ
Jo whoever he is.
