Best guitarist of this planet Tommy Emmanuel for the first time in Montenegro

It's always funny to me when people use the phrase the best guitarist in the world, but if I had to choose one it would be Tommy Emmanuel – the equally famous guitarist Steve Vai once said. The Montenegrin audience will have the opportunity to agree or disagree with this statement on August 15^th at Kanli Tower, because the best guitarist on the planet is coming to Montenegro for the first time as part of the 16th Guitar Art Summer Fest in Herceg Novi.

During his half-century-long career, Emmanuel visited the Balkans several times, and every time the tickets for the concerts of this famous guitarist were sold out.

Tickets are now on sale online via new.tickets.rs and at box offices of Kanli Tower and Park Hall, at the price of 35 euros.

As part of the 16^th Guitar Art Summer Fest (August 15-20, Herceg Novi), the living legend of the world of guitar, Tommy Emmanuel, will perform on August 15^th at Kanli Kula, and this will be an opportunity for us to hear for the first time some of the tracks from his current album with which he started his world tour.

The biggest rock and roll magazine "Rolling Stone" pronounced him as the best guitarist in 1990, while the readers of the biggest media authority for guitarists "Guitar Player" overwhelmingly chose Emmanuel as the best acoustic guitarist of all time! Emanuel himself is the proudest of the "Certified Guitar Player" recognition, which is held next to him only by three other world guitarists, all of whom were personally chosen by Chet Atkins, Tommy's greatest role model and legendary guitar master from Nashville. The Australian guitar magus collaborated with numerous musicians, including Eric Clapton, Joe Satriani, Stevie Wonder and the legendary Les Paul, who prophetically said of Emmanuel "he has all the qualifications to be great" just before the end of his life. 

To the European audience he is also known for his collaboration with Vlatko Stefanovski and Stöchel Rosenberg in the supergroup "Kings of Strings", which was brought together by the Belgrade Guitar Art Festival in 2012 and which resulted in their album and tour "First Step".

Tommy Emmanuel, CGP

“Songs are our teachers. They show us the depth of the human race

and its unrelenting desire to create.” Tommy Emmanuel

Anytime you talk to any of Tommy Emmanuel’s fans, whether musicians or civilians, invariably they will speak of not one but two qualities that define his greatness. The first, predictably, is his extraordinary guitar playing. Considered by those in the know to be among this planet’s greatest guitarists, his playing is simply miraculous, as it would take three musicians, or more, to do what Tommy does solo. Who else, for example, when playing “Day Tripper,” can lay down the rhythm part, dig into the riff and sing the melody all at once on just one acoustic guitar?

 

Which brings us to the other aspect of his music always mentioned, and without which the first might not be as powerful or as infectiously appealing: the joy. Yes, joy. Because it’s one thing to play these multi-dimensional arrangements flawlessly on an acoustic guitar. But to do it with that smile of the ages, that evidence of authentic, unbridled delight, is an irresistible invitation to feel his music as deeply as he does. “The joy, he says, “is there always because I'm chasing it through music. Seeing the surprise in peoples' eyes is worth living and working for... I can't help but play to the people with all my heart, which is overflowing with joy of being in that moment that I’ve worked all my life for. And here it is!”

 

Although his expression is instrumental, he comes to the guitar much more like a vocalist,

positively singing melodies through the strings. He inhabits the tunes he performs, delivering every nuance and turn of phrase. His own songs are also illuminated always with lyrical melodies that go right to the heart, such as his beautiful ode to his daughter, “Angelina,” or his great “story without words,” “Lewis & Clark.” That they resonate so deeply without words makes sense, as words only go so far. But music, coming from a genuine and joyful source, can go so much farther. Now with The Best of Tommysongs, he brings us a complete collection of his own songs, all rich with ripe melodicism and rendered with joy in real-time.

 

“When I was a kid, I wanted to be in show business. Now, I just want to be in the happiness business. I make music, and you get happy. That’s a good job.” Tommy Emmanuel