COURTESY OF FRANK SALOMON ASSOCIATES
The LAGQ (from left): Andrew York, Scott Tennant, John Dearman and William Kanengiser.
Guitarists pick There's nothing wrong with striving for middle ground, professes Scott Tennant, whose celebrated musical ensemble, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, appears to have perfected the art of compromise. Troubled couples, take note: LAGQ is quickly closing in on an impressive 23rd year together. That's more than three times the duration of the average American marriage, and a feat, Tennant explains, attainable only through wholehearted cooperation and strict adherence to a democratic system.
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"We make sure when we play, that parts are passed around pretty evenly," he says. "Coming up with songs is a really complicated, painful process, actually. Each one of us has strong ideas on what we want to do and we kind of present our cases in trying to convince everyone else. In the end, majority rules."
Where: Orvis Auditorium, UH-Manoa Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
When: 7:30 p.m. tomorrow
Tickets: $25 general, $20 students, seniors, military and UH faculty and staff
Call: 956-3836
An openness to new ideas has helped cement LAGQ's identity as the definitive classical crossover ensemble. Over time, the group has expanded its arsenal to include elements of Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, Celtic, Balkan, Middle Eastern and Asian sounds, while compositions by such disparate sources as Tchaikovsky, Count Basie, Copland and Led Zeppelin have been retooled by the iconoclastic foursome. No artist or composer is too off-center or too familiar for LAGQ, whose music somehow manages to remain as accessible as it is adventurous.
Take the quartet's latest offering, "Latin," for example. While the album includes new LAGQ renditions of works by esteemed composers Leo Brouwer, Astor Piazzolla and Egberto Gismonti, its lead track, "Fragile," was culled from the catalog of pop icon Sting as a last-minute concession to the album's producers. "A lot of the classical purists blasted us for putting it on there, but then again, classical purists don't listen to us because we play guitar," remarks Tennant, adding that the group agreed to the recommendation of their record label, Telarc, to record the song because of its potential to bring the album greater exposure. "They obviously want a lot of airplay and they want something catchy. Even though the product is representing us in a sense, they're fronting the money and putting it out and publicizing it. Their reputation's on the line and they're really the ones who have money to lose on it, so we certainly don't want to let them down."
The bottom line isn't always the bottom line for LAGQ, however. The act of creation has always been the primary driving force for a group that lives to play. "We all have a deep, deep, love for music and art in general," attests Tennant. "For me, it's kind of a healing thing. When I play, it puts me in a zone; an inner realm that makes me feel apart from myself, in a way. I can kind of step outside my body and hear things. I know that projects out to the listeners because as a listener, I've been affected by performers who feel the same way when they play. It's very spiritual."
No one could have predicted such a long and storied career for LAGQ, who can still recall traveling to gigs in bandmate John Dearman's Volvo wagon, splitting for hotel rooms and sharing a row of seats on airplane flights.
Tennant offers a simple explanation concerning the group's astounding longevity. "We give each other a lot of space," he reveals. "When we're together, we work really, really hard, but when we come home, it's e-mail only."
He responds to his own admission with a slight chuckle. "Once in a while, we'll talk to each other on the phone, but we all have lives to lead and things to do and we all know when to put the 'closed' sign on the door. I think that's really important."
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