New York Guitar Festival Celebrates Greats Online

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Parent Category: Other Festivals
Category: Music
Published on Sunday, 03 May 2020 09:46
Written by Brad Balfour

 

As for music music, The New York Guitar Festival (NYGF) provides a unique curation series online based on this year’s theme of “Reverend Gary Davis: In Search of the Harlem Street Singer.” Presented live on YouTube beginning May 4, the 12-song daily event pesents a diverse group of internationally recognized artists including Bill Frisell, Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal, Fantastic Negrito, Jorma Kaukonen, Amythyst Kiah, Warren Haynes and others to explore the blind blues musician Rev. Gary Davis’s legacy. The performances debut on WNYC and on YouTube.

A Harlem street performer from the late ‘40s until his death in 1972, Davis was one of those figures in music history who never became famous, but was a legend to many superstar players. Overcoming poverty, discrimination and blindness, Davis made many recordings and festival appearances; he also taught students including David Bromberg and Bob Weir. Having been covered by The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, Peter Paul & Mary, and Bob Dylan, Davis had a greater impact than anyone ever expected.

Performances include:

In partnership with the New York Guitar Festival, WNYC’s “New Sounds — hosted by John Schaefer —will debut audio recordings of the full collection on May 4. Tune in nightly at 11pm - on the radio dial at 93.9FM or at www.newsounds.org or https://www.youtube.com/user/guitarfestival