Tonight the cream of today?s fingerstyle guitarists gather to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Schoenberg Guitars, the legendary line of high-end acoustic guitars designed by Eric Schoenberg.  

Joining Eric tonight:
Although Jorma Kaukonen, is best known for his lead guitar work with Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna, today he is leading a revival of older traditional American music through his Fur Peace Ranch.  Inspired by the playing of the late Rev. Gary Davis, Jorma transmutes the roots tradition ? through a personal style stripped of everything but his love for the music ? into timeless rhythm, melody and emotion. With Jorma is mandolinist Barry Mitterhoff, who has played extensively with Tony Trischka, and Hazel Dickens.  While Barry has bluegrass roots, he also plays klezmer and has played classical mandolin with the orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Laurence Juber, hand-picked by Paul McCartney to play lead guitar for Wings, launched his fingerstyle career with original compositions and impeccable technique.  A two-time Grammy winner (in 2005 for Henry Mancini ? Pink Guitar) and longtime apostle for the acoustic guitar, Laurence is held in the highest regard by his peers and his fans alike, having once been voted #1 Guitarist by the readers of Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine.

Featuring the nylon-string guitar and the harp guitar Muriel Anderson is the only woman National Guitar Picking Champion.  From her studies with the superb classical guitarist, Christopher Parkening, and with Chet Atkins, she has carved out a repertoire that stretches from Japanese Koto music and Irish reels to Bach minuets, Sousa marches and The Beatles.  A composer and singer as well, Muriel travels the world, most recently with tours to Japan and Europe.  

Mike Dowling, a great roots player and a virtuoso swing guitarist, also composes and sings. He is the only player to have a National Resophonic Guitar model named for him ? he?s a traditional Piedmont-style fingerpicker and swing jazz legend, all wrapped into one.  In 1994 one of Mike?s songs was nominated for Bluegrass Song of the Year and, in 2005, he, along with Laurence Juber, won the Grammy for Henry Mancini?Pink Guitar.

Schoenberg Guitars

A luthier is said to be a builder of guitars.  What if you take someone who understands deeply the ?feel? of guitars ? both from a musical and an historical point of view ? as well as any builder and bring that person into the building process as a designer?  Inspired by the great 1929 ? 1930 Martin instruments, Schoenberg guitars are designed by Eric as instruments with an ability to impart subtle feelings, and states like happiness and beauty, as opposed to guitars that emphasize loudness.  As a solo performer who toured the world Eric needed guitars that were responsive and rich tonally, and turned to designing them.

Beginning in partnership with Martin Guitars (1986 to 1994), the Schoenberg guitars were created in collaboration with luthiers Dana Bourgeois, T.J. Thompson and Julius Borges.  Today, they are hand-built to Eric?s specifications by Bruce Sexauer, Robert Anderson and Alan Perlman.  Together with his builders, Eric continues a tradition of taste and excellence in great American acoustic guitars.

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