“The playing is dazzling,
the dexterity and complexity is without parallel in this genre…every piece
is packed with a compelling, humorous quality….it’s what he does with his
damn hands that had the audience in hysterics”, Folk Roots, London.
Redefining musical diversity
worldwide, Bob Brozman is an exceptionally rare artist whose wit, energy,
and musical technique combine powerfully to create an unforgettable live
performance. A master of slide, fingerstyle, and percussive guitar, Bob's
exhilarating show spans the global and musical spectrum, and keeps audiences
enthralled, begging for more of his endearing, infectious energy.
Bob's familiarity with
diverse world music cultures produces a novel blending of rhythmic and
timbral influences, unparalleled in today's musical environment. His rhythmic
dexterity resonates with elements of blues, jazz, Gypsy swing, calypso,
sega, and even the most modern hip-hop and ska beats. Likewise, his chords
and harmonies articulate an acute blend of timbres from Hawaiian, Indian,
African, Japanese/ Okinawan, Caribbean, and American roots blues. His fingerwork
has been described in world press as uniquely staggering, yet full of humor.
Bob has a collection of hand-tricks that make audiences look for electronic
effects that in fact don't exist: his show is the clean product of acoustic
genius.
A lifelong study of ethnomusicology
and the global migration of musical styles ensures Bob's committed attention
and respect to each of the cultures in his repertoire. He casually shares
historical facts with his audience, and charms them
with his ability to integrate
the local language into his show. "Ja som hudobnik blasnivu ako byk" in
Slovak, "Je suis un artiste trop sensible" in French, "Der schadenfreude
von der kase mit schinken" in German, "Moi le content a zouer po
zot" in Reunionnaise
Creole, "Watashi no kotoba chisai na, demo watashi wa kokoro oki na" in
Japanese, "Mina soitan bluesia satana" in Finnish - Bob's disarming talent
for humor and rapport invariably adds spice to his already well-seasoned
repertoire of music.
Undoubtedly, however,
Bob's preferred language is music - which he speaks fluently, around the
world. His most recent projects have rendered him a true player in the
world music scene. In the past year alone, he collaborated on stage and
in the studio with over four dozen artists in more than 13 different countries.
At the 1999 Festival d'Été in Quebec, for example, Bob assembled
an international troupe that included Debashish & Subashish Bhattacharya
(India), Takashi Hirayasu (Okinawa), Rene Lacaille (La Reunion), Djeli
Moussa Diawara (Guinea), George Pilali (Greece), Romane (French Gypsy guitarist),
La Familia Valera (Cuba), and George Gao (China) - all performing for the
first time together, live on-stage! Moreover, in the last 2 years alone,
Bob has completed six full-length albums with the individuals above, most
notably JIN JIN (with Hirayasu), OCEAN BLUES (with Diawara), SUNRISE (with
Bhattacharya), and a new album with Lacaille, set for release in 2001.
As journalist Paul Fisher
notes:
"If music existed in
another universe, Bob would be the Planet Earth's representative for an
interplanetary collaboration."
www.bobbrozman.com
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