We are very happy to, at last, announce the release of this fabulous new jazz recording from Hugh Burns.

Eight new tunes from Hugh and his friends, two tunes from Hugh's mentor the great Ron Moore and one Wes Montgomery classic make up the eleven tracks on this CD.

Unlike too many current recordings, the tracks on this CD were mastered without heavy compression and other 'loudness' boosting techniques, so the natural sound of the instruments is fully evident.

Buy this CD and you can let yourself go and bask in the warm intimate sound of great jazz played with enormous elegance and style by this small group of master musicians.

AS FEATURED ON RADIO JAZZ FM on the Dinner Jazz program hosted by Sarah Ward.

Particularly for the convenience of our American customers - Synchromatic is available from CD Baby -

www.cdbaby.com/hughburns

Don't let the lurid cover fool you, this book is an excellent and very accessible introduction to the world of jazz guitar.

This book is designed to get even the raw beginner playing authentic sounding jazz accompaniment, as quickly as possible, using simple 3 and 4 note chords. At the same time it contains information that should be useful even to the most seasoned player.

Packed with information, the book clearly explains the relationship between scales and chords and how chords are constructed. Using a small number of simple shapes it shows how to access a large vocabulary of chords.

The example audio CD has over 50 tracks, including a number of tracks that feature real drums and bass played by professional jazz musicians. Where appropriate a click track can be heard but otherwise this CD has been nowhere near a drum machine or synthesiser !! A great deal of effort has gone into making authentic and high quality recordings.

NOTE - The entire line of Crash Course books have been "remaindered" to the publisher. This means the remains of the publishing run of 'jazz guitar' have been sold on to end-of-run book merchants who are selling them for as much as they can get. We have obtained a few more copies for stock but have been forced to increase our price.

FURTHER UPDATE

We have now reformatted "Jazz guitar voicings" as an eBook and hope to publish it on the Apple iBooks store soon.

Recorded in May 2003 at The Electric Theatre, a beautiful conversion of Guildford's old electricity generating station, this concert shows one of the UK's finest solo fingerstyle guitarists generating his own brand of electricity.

With a set of eleven tunes, some original compositions and some unique arrangements, Eric moves from the full-on rock of Van Halens 'Jump!' to the lyrically traditional 'The water is wide'. Through using a multi-pickup system and by utilising a wide range of percussive and harmonic techniques the guitarist wrings a huge sound from his by now, heavily distressed Lowden guitar. All the dynamics, power and nuance of this amazing live performance are faithfully reproduced on this DVD.

Also included are 25 minutes of bonus tuitional material. Eric explains and demonstrates many of the techniques he uses to create his complex sound.

Click here for a partial sample - Spin

Please note - Order PAL for the UK or NTSC for the USA.

NOW RE-RELEASED ON DVD-R

Please be sure your DVD player is fully DVD-R compatible before ordering. Now available in NTSC format for our USA customers.

Acoustic Masters launch concert - Guitars at the Cockpit Theatre - was a truly memorable evening with world class playing from three musicians with very different styles.

The DVD video recording of that concert is finally here, so for those of you who were lucky enough to be there, here's your chance to relive that incredible evening, or if you weren't in our audience, to see it for the first time!

Please note - The initial release of this title is on DVD-R. USA customers - this is a PAL std. video.

John's latest solo recording - 14 immaculate tracks, some original tunes plus fine arrangements of jazz, popular and even some rock standards !

The view from here, and what a great view it is, features nine of Johns own compositions and four fine arrangements of standards. Entirely solo, with no multi-tracking or additional instrumentation Johns elegant and almost understated delivery creeps up and takes you by surprise. Lovely stuff !

Click here for a partial sample of track 10 -

Revelation.MP3

Note - This release is on CD-R. Please check if your player is CD-R compatible before ordering.

A leading innovator in the electro-acoustic genre Preston uses two handed tapping , slapping, guitar body percussion and altered tunings on a modified Ovation longneck guitar to achieve his unique sound. Preston also has a fine command of bottleneck and conventional finger picking. On Handwritten Notes all these techniques are brought to bear on fourteen compositions ranging from the rhythmic to the soulful ballad.

Preston Reed - truly a guitarist extraordinaire.

Click here for a partial sample of track 10 -

Tractor Pull.MP3

Scottish Guitar Quartet - fait accompli - CR1001

The sound field created here by the four guitars is quite simply sublime. Couple this with truly original compositions by Ged Brokie, Malcolm MacFarlane and Kevin MacKenzie and you have a world class ensemble recording easily on a par with the best work of, for example, The California Guitar Trio.

Click here for a partial sample of track 6 -

Sidewardly Mobile.MP3

John Etheridge - Chasing Shadows - Dyad 023

On this recording John and his band mates - Dave Kelbie on rhythm guitar, Chris Garrick on violin and Malcolm Creese on double bass - show just how exciting an acoustic jazz quartet can be. Although their repertoire has obvious Hot Club associations it also includes more recent jazz classics such as Coltrane's 'Giant Steps'. These may be classics but the interpretation is definitely 21st century.

Click here for a partial sample of track 8 -

Django.MP3

Amrit Sond - Circular Motion - SACD2009

Amrit uses altered tunings on almost all of the eleven original compositions on Circular Motion as a palette to paint his sonic landscapes. Serene, sublime music, a perfect record to relax too.

Click here for partial sample of track 4 -

Nth Degree MP3

Angels & Unicorns - Andrew Brel & Hugh Burns - C7CD18

In something of a departure from the style of the rest of the music on our site, Angels and Unicorns offers seven tracks of music for relaxation and meditation. Aimed at the higher consciousness these recordings are intended to provide an oasis of calm in which to nourish clear thought.

This recording has been very popular in America where there is a developing interest in meditational music.

Allan Cox - Meet the Bass Player - FCM001

" Creating the ultimate practice environment for the developing contemporary jazz musician "

Inspired by Jim Blackley's book - "The Essence of Jazz Drumming" this CD by Allan Cox contains 18 tracks of double bass and rhythm guitar at tempos ranging from 40 bpm up to 340 bpm.

Although originally intended for drummers this practice aid has proven to be a useful tool to all musicians wishing to improve their jazz skills.