RELEASE DATE: July 24, 2015. CATALOG # 201510. UPC: 889845175049

Art Johnson, well known for his contribution to jazz and popular music as a guitarist, has also spent part of his career in the classical field as well.  Art arrived in LA in 1969 and studied with classical concert guitarists Phil Boroff and Hebert Stewart for two years.  In 1972, Art auditioned for and received the honor of a seven symphony tour across the United States performing a concerto for guitar and orchestra composed by Igor Stravinsky’s student Hial-Bancroft King.  In the mid 1970’s Art gave weekly concerts in Los Angeles area public schools sponsored by the ‘Performing Tree’ Arts Fund of LA County.  Famed New York saxophonist and educator Ira Schulman was Art’s duo partner for the school concerts and they performed their arrangements of J.S. Bach, Scarlatti and Debussy.  Art also performed frequent solo concerts throughout Northern and Southern California. In the 1980’s Art took up the study of the Renaissance lute and gave concerts in Los Angeles and San Diego after his return in 1989. From 1989 until his departure for Europe in 2002, Art was the guitarist for the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, accompanying Luciano Pavarotti in concert on classical guitar among other duties.  He was also professor of Music at SDSU and Mira Mesa Colleges.  During this tenure with the SDSO, the concert master Russian violin virtuoso Igor Gruppman invited Art to co-found a chamber orchestra called ‘Classics Unlimited’ which concertized for two season featuring 20th Century works.  When Art arrived in Nice France in 2002 he was offered a professorship at a private school of performing arts where he was installed to teach the Conservatoire graduates from the area the art of improvising on the violin, his second instrument. 

Tracks:

1. Pavane #1(Milan) 1:30

2. Allegro in A Major (Guilliani) 1:31

3. Pavane #4 (Milan) 1:58

4. Ballet (Gluck) 2:44

5. Etude #1 (Sor) 1:28

6. Etude #2 (Sor) 1:11

7. Etude in E Minor (Villa-Lobos) 2:59

8. Prelude in A Minor (Villa-Lobos) 4:55

9. Prelude in E Minor (Villa-Lobos) 2:35

10. Spanish Dance Number 5 (Albeniz) 4:38

11. Preludium in E Major (Bach) 4:55

12. Six Dances from The Italian Renaissance (Anonymous) 7:18

13. Prelude in D Major (Ponce) 4:12

14. El Noy de La Mare (Spanish Traditional) 2:14

15. Prelude #1 (Johnson) 3:15

https://youtu.be/OlSTFAlUmjE