Lawrence Blatt

San Francisco's Lawrence Blatt delivers piercing, original compositions played on acoustic finger-style guitar. His unique sound stems in part from his fusion of classical and modern performance techniques. Blatt shares a little about his mode of playing to create his distinctive sound. "As a solo instrumentalist, I have to let my guitar be my voice. I try to create moods and express feelings by using alternate tunings, by careful attention to musical dynamics and intonation and by layering percussive sounds behind the main voice of the guitar. Sometime playing a phase softer or louder can have a significant impact on what is communicated. In some cases, being a solo instrumentalist is difficult since I cannot use lyrics to directly express my thoughts and feelings. In another sense, this is highly cathartic as my music can communicate in any language and I can create new patterns of communication through sounds and rhythms."Blatt performs in a variety of styles, "My music ranges from soft contemporary compositions to mysterious pieces that could be set in the 18th century." Blatt's music unfolds in a variety of genres, including new age, adult contemporary, acoustic and folk flavors and occasionally fringes on alternative sounds. His latest release, "The Color of Sunshine", was produced by William Ackerman, Grammy winner and founder of Windham Hill records. "Working with Will gave me the opportunity to introduce new instruments to my music including Flugelhorn played by Jeff Oster, Violin played by Steve Schuch, Cello played by Renata Bratt, Accordion played by T-bone Wolk, Piano played by Kori Linae Carothers and vocals sung by Noah Wilding.” Additionally, percussionist Derrik Jordan and drummer Patrick Gorman give the album a great rhythm and vibe that is further accentuated by veteran bassist T-Bone Wolk (Hall and Oates). In addition to nylon and steel-string and baritone guitars, Blatt also plays bass, charango, ukulele, synthesizer and percussion on several tracks and contributes vocals on Infrared: The Abyss.Any discussion of Blatt's music must include mention of his instruments. When recording, Blatt can be heard playing two “very special guitars.” One is a custom steel-string guitar crafted by Edward Dick. “This guitar has a spruce top and Indian rosewood back and sides. It's slightly bell-shaped body produces a warm deep sound. I waited almost eighteen months for this guitar to be completed and I worked very closely with Edward during the construction to build the guitar to my exact specifications.” The other guitar is a small-bodied 12-fret parlor guitar made by Kathy Wingert. It was built with a German spruce top and Brazilian rosewood back and sides. “This tiny guitar packs a powerful punch and was the inspiration for the title track for my first solo CD “Out of the Woodwork.”This solo artist has been playing acoustic guitar for over 30 years. His music has been called heartwarming, soothing, and relaxing. His music consists of layers of guitar work decorated with luscious melodies and percussive moods. He often plays in open tunings with a single guitar used to create the rhythm, bass and lead melody all at once. His latest project "The Color of Sunshine" is a compilation of fourteen original pieces and is available at CD Baby, Amazon.com, iTunes and other fine retailers.