Some friendly criticism
DAVID CASWELL
Bolivar Hall, London
18 December 2002
This was an evening held to raise money for the Argentinian guitarist Cacho Tirao. It was the fifth concert in David Caswell's series. Many pieces were arrangements by Cacho Tirao of pieces by Carlos Gardel, Anibal Troilo, and the unforgettable Milonga Sentimental by Sebastian Piana. There were also works by Cacho Tirao such as the Milonga del Barbijo and Le Petit Tango for guitar and cello, performed with cellist Helen Godbolt. David Caswell is a fabulous guitarist with wonderful technique and well deserves the title that the Argentinians give him of 'el tanguero ingles'. He played an enormous amount of repertoire, and all with a tight rhythm that was light and dancing, despite the complexity of some of the pieces such as La Trampera by Anibal Troilo and Bebedero by Cacho Tirao. It was a pure pleasure to listen to his performance.
Therese Wassily Saba
Classical Guitar Magazine
Bolivar Hall, London
18 December 2002
This was an evening held to raise money for the Argentinian guitarist Cacho Tirao. It was the fifth concert in David Caswell's series. Many pieces were arrangements by Cacho Tirao of pieces by Carlos Gardel, Anibal Troilo, and the unforgettable Milonga Sentimental by Sebastian Piana. There were also works by Cacho Tirao such as the Milonga del Barbijo and Le Petit Tango for guitar and cello, performed with cellist Helen Godbolt. David Caswell is a fabulous guitarist with wonderful technique and well deserves the title that the Argentinians give him of 'el tanguero ingles'. He played an enormous amount of repertoire, and all with a tight rhythm that was light and dancing, despite the complexity of some of the pieces such as La Trampera by Anibal Troilo and Bebedero by Cacho Tirao. It was a pure pleasure to listen to his performance.
Therese Wassily Saba
Classical Guitar Magazine
David Caswell at Ekocaféet, Uppsala, Sweden
April 28 2003
Swinging guitar music
The Ekocafé has during the year invited us to music evenings under the theme ‘Guitarras por el mundo’. The series closed on Friday with Argentine folk music by the British guitarist David Caswell. The audience was given a virtuoso and humoristic performance of fiery arrangements.
The guitarist D.C. with diploma from the Royal College of Music in London and an international career has during the last years been working with Latin American folk music and specially the Argentine tango. Caswell has in particular studied the work of the maestro Cacho Tirao and has spent years to interpret and communicate his work to the audience. At the Ekocafé he gives us a mix of Latin American folk music and later on tango arrangements by Tirao.
Energetic and powerful
If one should play the music of Tirao, one might have to renounce the technical perfection. That is because the music first of all must sound energetic and powerful. Often it’s a stomping, swinging base in simple fifths that gives a wonderful energy to the music. But even the guitar hero will be given a chance to show off in some extremely fast passages. The traditional tango has been put aside for a curious experimentation with harmonies, chromatics, flageolets, four finger tremolos, glissandi, rhythms and Latin American touch technique in as it seems endless variations. The roguish and romantic tango Nunca tuvo novio by A Bardi gets in this way a “jazzy” expression.
The lovely waltz Pedacito de Cielo is a piece where the jazz influence is even more explicit. Warmth, glow, pentatonic and sometimes pure jazz harmonies - Tirao shuffles and deals all these elements. Another technique he uses is variations, at the same using the themes with different techniques and figures. Sometimes with chords instead of simple notes, as in the tango Sur by A Trolio.
Humoristic arrangements
It is obvious that the expression is the most important when you listen to how Caswell is playing. Even though concentrated and controlled, he himself is amused by the humoristic and expressive arrangements. He even make comments and brings the audience to laughter in the middle of a comic piece. The special thing about him is not only his virtuoso technique but also the unique style he has taken.
He makes the music really swing and communicates the warmth and humour within the work of Tirao. Caswell tightens his bow that much that you think it might burst, but it doesn’t and he shoots the target into little pieces.
Andreas Victorzon
(Many thanks to Carsten Pedersen for the translation from the original Swedish.)
April 28 2003
Swinging guitar music
The Ekocafé has during the year invited us to music evenings under the theme ‘Guitarras por el mundo’. The series closed on Friday with Argentine folk music by the British guitarist David Caswell. The audience was given a virtuoso and humoristic performance of fiery arrangements.
The guitarist D.C. with diploma from the Royal College of Music in London and an international career has during the last years been working with Latin American folk music and specially the Argentine tango. Caswell has in particular studied the work of the maestro Cacho Tirao and has spent years to interpret and communicate his work to the audience. At the Ekocafé he gives us a mix of Latin American folk music and later on tango arrangements by Tirao.
Energetic and powerful
If one should play the music of Tirao, one might have to renounce the technical perfection. That is because the music first of all must sound energetic and powerful. Often it’s a stomping, swinging base in simple fifths that gives a wonderful energy to the music. But even the guitar hero will be given a chance to show off in some extremely fast passages. The traditional tango has been put aside for a curious experimentation with harmonies, chromatics, flageolets, four finger tremolos, glissandi, rhythms and Latin American touch technique in as it seems endless variations. The roguish and romantic tango Nunca tuvo novio by A Bardi gets in this way a “jazzy” expression.
The lovely waltz Pedacito de Cielo is a piece where the jazz influence is even more explicit. Warmth, glow, pentatonic and sometimes pure jazz harmonies - Tirao shuffles and deals all these elements. Another technique he uses is variations, at the same using the themes with different techniques and figures. Sometimes with chords instead of simple notes, as in the tango Sur by A Trolio.
Humoristic arrangements
It is obvious that the expression is the most important when you listen to how Caswell is playing. Even though concentrated and controlled, he himself is amused by the humoristic and expressive arrangements. He even make comments and brings the audience to laughter in the middle of a comic piece. The special thing about him is not only his virtuoso technique but also the unique style he has taken.
He makes the music really swing and communicates the warmth and humour within the work of Tirao. Caswell tightens his bow that much that you think it might burst, but it doesn’t and he shoots the target into little pieces.
Andreas Victorzon
(Many thanks to Carsten Pedersen for the translation from the original Swedish.)
A letter to David from Cuban guitar maestro Jose ‘Ñico’ Rojas, offering congratulations on the demo CD
“Mis saludos maestro Caswell, no tengo palabras para decir de su interpretacion en ese maravilloso Cd que me envio por el cual le doy la mas sinceras gracias, nada mas voy a decirle que me parecia oir a un guitarrista argentino por la magistral forma de interpretar esos arreglos sobre los tangos, lo felicito por tan importante y exquisito trabajo, pienso que el maestro Cacho Tirao debe estar muy satisfecho por tal homenaje en la guitarra, salud y exitos en su carrera profesional, y gracias de nuevo cordialmente” Ñico Rojas
“Mis saludos maestro Caswell, no tengo palabras para decir de su interpretacion en ese maravilloso Cd que me envio por el cual le doy la mas sinceras gracias, nada mas voy a decirle que me parecia oir a un guitarrista argentino por la magistral forma de interpretar esos arreglos sobre los tangos, lo felicito por tan importante y exquisito trabajo, pienso que el maestro Cacho Tirao debe estar muy satisfecho por tal homenaje en la guitarra, salud y exitos en su carrera profesional, y gracias de nuevo cordialmente” Ñico Rojas
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West Dean 2006