Search - Guitar Nights: The Four Martins on DVD

And now for something completely different ...

Rod Saunders | Tulsa, Ok | 10/14/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"About the only thing you could compare this DVD with is The Three Tenors. The obvious difference here is that The Three Tenors were in all probability the three greatest tenors of their day while the common bond with these guitarists is their having "Martin" in their names. While Martin Taylor is in my opinion the world's greatest fingerstyle jazz guitarist and Juan Martin for all I know is among the best in the world of Flamenco, Martin Carthy and Martin Simpson are probably better categorized as good folk guitarists who fall short of the tag "virtuoso". The highlight to me was Martin Taylor's "Kwame/Kiko", a combination of two tunes based on African Drum melodies. Not only does Taylor perform this tune but he offers a tutorial on how to play it in the Bonus section. This alone is worth the price if you ask me, but then we are also treated to a few jam sessions led by Juan Martin's latin guitar style. Simpson does some tasty slide guitar work in "Jasper Songbird/Spoonful". Carthy contributes as rhythm guitarist through most of the video but performs vocals as well on a couple of tunes. Also included in the Bonus section are interviews with the four Martins discussing how the project came together. The concept works, but I think it could have worked better with a different theme and a different lineup. Maybe something like Fingerstylepalooza or Acousticguitarama. Or maybe not."