This collection opens with a piece specifically designed to set a relaxing mood. Candlelight Prelude was composed at the Good Stuff Cafe which once existed in Porter Square in Cambridge, MA around 1990. The appetizers that follow include short pieces from Italy and Spain. Pezzo Tedesco and Canzone are anonymous Italian Renaissance pieces that demonstrate the beautiful simple polyphonic melodies so characteristic of that period. They were originally composed for the lute, the most popular instrument of the Renaissance and the predecessor of the guitar.  Romanza is an anonymous captivating Spanish melody circulating in Spain around 1930 and also found under the title of Spanish Romance. Romance de los Pinos is by Fredrico Moreno Torroba (1891-1982) a Spanish symphonic composer. Although he did not play the guitar himself, at the request of Andres Segovia, he composed numerous beautiful pieces for the instrument. Etude in B minor is also known as study no.5 in a collection of Twenty Studies for the guitar by Spanish guitarist Fernando Sor (1778-1839).  Referred to as the "Beethoven of the guitar", Sor became the first great figure to bring the guitar into a concert hall setting. According to Segovia, Sor's studies represent "the balance of pedagogical efficiency and natural musical beauty."  

The entrees in this collection begin with several transcriptions of works by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) regarded as the greatest composer of Baroque music.  Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring (from Cantata 147) is one of Bach's most well known and loved chorales. This arrangement is based on a transcription for guitar by Rick Foster.  Bach composed Minuet in G   for his wife and thus the phrase “from the notebook of Anna Magdalena” is often added to the title. This arrangement for solo guitar reflects a slower tempo for a more meditative and relaxed mood. Prelude No. 1 (from the Well Tempered Clavier) is the first of 48 Preludes and Fugues intended for playing on the clavichord to demonstrate the capabilities of the well tempered scale that Bach favored. This prelude is based on an arpeggio pattern that begins with a basic major chord and then moves into a variety of majestic chords that take the listener on an emotional journey before returning to the opening major chord. This composition laid the chordal foundation for the famous Aria Ave Maria. 

The Gymnopedies are by the Impressionistic French composer Erik Satie (1866-1923). Unconventional in life-style as well as in his piano works, he was a musical visionary known for his lyrical pieces and use of advanced harmonies.  The Gymnopedie was a ceremonial choral dance performed at ancient Greek festivals. Saraband is from a Suite in E minor by Deitrich Buxtehude (1637-1707). Whether it was originally intended for a keyboard instrument or for the lute is not known. Greensleeves was a favorite in Elizabethan times and remains one of the most popular tunes in history. This arrangement incorporates a number of variations on the theme.  Canon in D was composed in 1699 by Johann Pachelbel. He was born in Nuremberg, Germany (1653-1706) and became one of the most brilliant organists of his day. He was court organist in Eisenach, the birthplace of J.S. Bach, and was a close friend of Bach's parents. The Canon in D is Pachelbel's best known composition. This transcription for solo guitar borrows from several piano and harp arrangements. 

This collection includes a sampler of original compositions by Phillip including Candlelight Prelude, and When Hearts Touch, an instrumental love ballad composed on a snowy afternoon; Oriental Fantasy was inspired after attending a Chinese New Years festival. Catalonian Folk Song are two gentle and sweet melodies arranged for solo guitar by Jack Marshall (1921-1973). The Catalonian song also goes by the title of El Noy Mar  and was often a favorite encore piece of the legendary Andres Segovia, a dessert he often served for his appreciative audiences. 
   

Production Notes

Credit for the title of The Gourmet Guitar goes to my friend and gifted guitarist, Elliot Gibbons. Eliot and I became friends while performing as subway musicians on the Red line subway at Harvard University back in 1990-92.  The menu concept was conceived by another gifted musician and good friend in Boston, George Doolittle. 

The Takamine Hirade E-90 Classical Guitar used on this recording was miked using an Audio-Technica 825 Stereo microphone along with a Lexicon LXP-1 Reverb. The master was recorded direct to a Sharp Pro Digital Audio Tape Deck. The seeds of this project began while I was living in Cambridge, MA. This project has been slowly simmering for many years. It began at Mark Dolin’s basement studio in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1991 and was finally completed in Bloomfield, New Jersey in 2007. Tracks 1, 8, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 were composed or arranged for solo guitar by Phillip Lester. 
   
Recognition

As mentioned on the CD jacket, I am especially indebted to the musical inspiration of guitarists like Christopher Parkening, Andres Segovia, Julian Bream, Earl Klugh, Chet Atkins, Tommy Jones, Jeff Beck, and Alex DeGrassi. I am also grateful for the following pioneers in the area of solo guitar arranging: John Knowles, Laurindo Alameida, Mario Abril, and Rick Foster.