To celebrate (and amplify) the Special Focus section in the new Spring 2019 issue of Classical Guitar, we’re posting a different video of a guitarist in combination with other instruments all week.
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Scottish guitarist Simon Thacker has been a favorite of mine since I first heard his unique fusion of classical guitar and Indian music elements about four years ago. His most recent recording is the stunning and original double-CD Trikala, released last fall. For a while, Thacker has been spearheading a “collective” of musicians called Svara-Kanti, which this time out includes 13 different musicians and singers—many from India, others not—in different combinations playing an assortment of traditional pieces, ones “re-imagined” by Thacker, and quite a few of his own unique compositions. (I’ll write more about the CD another time.) This video presents a shortened version of Thacker’s piece The Fire of Intention, featuring just three players: Thacker, violinist Jacqueline Shave, and tabla player Sukvinder Singh (aka “Pinky”). Vive la différence! —Blair Jackson