Pierre Bensusan, winner of Guitar Player Magazine's Reader's Choice Award as "Best World Music Guitar Player” will perform in The Grain Store At Ballymaloe on Monday 5 November at 8pm.
The French-Algerian artist, globally known as the "Mozart of Guitar,” will introduce Irish audiences to his most recent album, Vividly, a multi-cultural, melodic instrumental and vocal album that marks his 35th year as a recording artist.
The Los Angeles Times calls Pierre Bensusan "one of the most unique and brilliant acoustic guitar veterans in the world music scene today." He has the ability to make a single guitar sound like an entire band as he brings the audience on a mesmerizing musical journey. And yet, Pierre is more than any musician or music lover expects from a guitarist. He is a composer as well as a bilingual and improvisational vocalist, melding whistles and resonant low notes with his own scat technique.
Pierre's work is both playful and serious, with an unparalleled sense of freedom in both his compositions and improvisations. His music defies classification, crossing world, classical, jazz, traditional, folk and more. None can be isolated as simply “Brazilian”, "Arabic" or “French.” Rather, they represent our world in its current state, fusing cultures together in ways we have never experienced.
Pierre's Irish tour brings him to The Grain Store which was developed by Rory Allen (son of Ballymaloe matriarch, Myrtle Allen), just steps away from the world-renowned Ballymaloe House and Restaurant in Shanagarry, East Cork. Built on the site of a 17th-century building used for storing grain and farm machinery, Rory respectfully maintained its character when creating the venue which opened in 2010.
Combining excellent acoustics and an intimate atmosphere in the grounds of one of Ireland's most renowned country house hotels, The Grain Store is a unique new Irish venue. Tickets for Pierre Bensusan's 5 November concert are €20. For a truly special night out, a combined pre-concert dinner at Ballymaloe House and ticket is available for €65. To book, email thegrainstore@ballymaloe.com or ring 021-4655511.
Satellite Taxi offers a 20% discount to those travelling from Cork to The Grain Store. Gather some friends, and the cost per person for safe, reliable round-trip transport is very low.
Back to Pierre. The music on Vividly reflects a spirit of jubilation. "My hope is always to create music that becomes part of the fabric of people's lives,” says the guitarist. "It's there for your enjoyment and it won't disturb you, but if you do stop and pay closer attention, you might be magically roped into something you could not have imagined.”
One of the key people that Pierre Bensusan and Vividly have emotionally lassoed is three-time Grammy Award winner and master guitarist Steve Vai, who has worked with fellow electric guitar monsters like Frank Zappa and Joe Satriani and also toured with Ozzy Osbourne.
Pierre's Ireland dates are part of a huge seven-month global tour that began in March 2012 covering Australia, China, Taiwan, USA, Canada, where he played the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Austria, Italy, England and France. When not on the road, he hosts one-week residential guitar workshops from his home outside Paris.
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TO BOOK: Email thegrainstore@ballymaloe.com or ring 021-4655511.
Pierre Bensusan
The Grain Store at Ballymaloe
Shanagarry, Co. Cork
Monday 5 November at 8pm
Pre-concert dinner at Ballymaloe House and ticket: €65
Ticket only: €20
For media queries, images and interviews contact Jamie Monagan on
jamiemonagan@gmail.com or 086-8924447.
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