Cactus & Friends: Germaine Broadbent catches up with Julie Gunn, Manager of Ricardo Garcia
Monday, 28th September 2009
I met up with my friend and manager of Ricardo Garcia, Julie Gunn, last week at the wonderful Landmark Hotel just outside Marylebone Station. The hotel provided a welcome oasis of afternoon luxury from pounding the streets of London for the day, as well as a delicious lunch (mezzanine not dining room!)
Julie & Ricardo were off to Marrekech for a week to meet up for a family party and also to do a few performances at the Murano Hotel. Julie was hoping for a similar gig to the ones Ricardo played at Raffles Hotel in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 2006. Although they only played for cocktail hour 18.30 – 19.30, they were allowed to use the spa facilities from 11.30am….the mellow cool calmness achieved prior to playing the guitar with Julie singing can only be imagined!
Julie & Ricardo will be in Marrakech from 28 September – 8 October. Along with doing a hotel gig, they will be meeting the American School of Marrakech. They will be discussing running workshops where the children would experience and experiment with the culture and rhythm of Spanish guitar music in comparison to other types of music. Ricardo may also be running ‘master-classes’ where he will teach basic Spanish guitar.
Following Marrakech, they will be moving on to France. They will be in Carcassone from 15 – 18 October, teaching guitar to adults. These ‘master-classes’ will be held for experienced adult guitarists learning rhythms. Western culture teaches guitar via melody, whereas Spanish culture teaches guitar via rhythm – just as they do in African & Indian culture.
This will be useful for Ricardo’s next gig - TV this time, in Kenya! On the 20 October they will be travelling to Africa to take part on a programme called ‘For the Spirit of Unity’ on KBC - Kenyan Broadcasting Company. Ricardo will be teaming up with some major Kenyan musicians for a musical fusion. Keep your eye on the KBC website (http://www.kbc.co.ke/) as this is bound to get on there!
So after a very pleasant smoked fish platter followed by mint tea….and a catch up on their travel plans…we went our separate ways…until next time Julie.
Tags: ricardo garcia, dance, music, spanish
Posted by Michelle Curtis 2009-09 under Cactus Language Worldwide, Cactus News, Anecdotes, Experience Cultures, Blogs,
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