This is about the greatest sounding mandolin ever.. and played by one of the greatest mandolinists. I met John at Steve Palazzo’s house for a concert and got to hear it from about 5 feet away and even picked a few notes on it… thrilling! Recently I was lucky enough to get a one on one lesson from Matt Flinner and he let me play his Gilchrist mandolin. It is so much like John Reischman’s F-5 in tone, playability, and appearance… they both have a depth and beauty that is hard to describe. ! What a sonic treat to experience these instruments…
Juan Zelada is an impressive singer-songwriter and session musician for bands touring UK and Spain. He recently left a nice comment on my post of Emiko and I playing Angel Eyes. I checked him out and and found a sophisticated songwriter with a very deep understanding of chord movement and melody, and a soulful and authentic voice. . His influences include , Sting, Dave Matthews Band, Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Michel Camilo, Maria Rita, James Taylor, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Pat Metheny, Radiohead, Coldplay, Bill Evans, The Police, Pearl Jam, Maceo Parker, Jorge Drexler, The Beatles, The kinks, Seu Jorge, Weather Report, Chick Corea, Eric Clapton, Ketama, Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong….. He has listened well and has been able to absorb the best these artists have to offer. And, he is a very accomplished piano and guitar player.
“Juan is truly a global artist and his music reflects this cultural and linguistic diversity. Originally from Spain, Juan currently lives in London after spells in Hong Kong, Liverpool and Madrid. His songs are a rare mixture of intricate chord progressions, uplifting melodies and impressionist lyrics that merge with the music to create a mellow and sophisticated sound.” (from Lost FM)
Juan is here to stay and destined to become one of the greats… in my humble opinion. So give a listen to some of his songs on his MySpace site http://www.myspace.com/zeladaband….. and be sure to read his musings on music and living the musical life on his interesting blog at http://www.juanzelada.wordpress.com
