Music I Am #27 – Gerard Cousins, guitarist & composer
- Music I Am
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The moment when you knew you wanted to be a musician:
I’m not sure there ever was a moment – It just crept up on me when I wasn’t looking.
An important skill for a career in music that does not have anything to do with an instrument or making music:
The ability to create compelling ‘content’ (in whatever form you prefer.)
Two ways you stay motivated:
No.1 – I look back on all I have achieved and congratulate myself that I made it so far, then (No.2) I go look at my bank balance!
Latest Project:
My second album of Philip Glass transcriptions called “The Poet Acts”
What inspired it:
After the success of my first Glass album “Escape’ I really wanted to explore more of his vast output. There’s so much variety in his compositions that I wanted to show that not all of what he does should be termed ‘minimalist’. (Check out his Cello composition ‘Orbit’ or his Piano Etude No.20.)
Who’s on it:
Just me and my guitar.
How do you discover new music?
One piece leads to another, don’t you find?
One living and one dead musician that deserves more attention:
Derek Gripper – a South African guitarist who expanded the guitar repertoire with his Malian Kora transcriptions.
Manolo Sanlucar – can you imagine being a flamenco guitarist and having Paco de Lucia as a contemporary! Yet somehow he found a way – his album Tauromagia is a masterpiece.
Where can we find you online?
Upcoming Event you’d like to share?
New Album “The Poet Acts” is released on 7 July 2023
Photo by Dave Griffiths
Photo by Paz Vaira
