Classical and Jazz: Preview - Guitarist John Etheridge at Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel on Thursday, January 20
Published: 13 January, 2011
by SEBASTIAN TAYLOR
THERE’S a great opportunity to hear consummate Hampstead jazz guitarist and raconteur John Etheridge performing and talking later this month.
He’s playing a fundraiser for Burgh House, the Grade I-listed house in New End Square, Hampstead, on Thursday, January 20.
The concert will be at nearby Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel which can seat much larger audiences than Burgh House itself.
Etheridge’s solo performances have a tremendous reputation in jazz circles and, indeed, among music enthusiasts generally. The shows are wonderfully personal and mind-bogglingly varied, with Etheridge switching between any number of acoustic and electric guitars.
“I will be playing a solo set which roams the genres at the concert, playing a variety of guitars, some customised to my own specifications,” he says. “One guitar is fretless – I pulled the frets out when I heard bass player Jaco Pastorious in 1976. Another has bass strings substituted on the bottom. Influences will range from Django Reinhardt to Jimi Hendrix with nods to all my heros on the way.”
Matthew Lewin, chairman of the Burgh House Trust, said Etheridge is the first of three fundraising events at Rosslyn Chapel. On February 17, there’ll be an evening of poetry and prose on the subject of “love and hate” performed by top actors who live in the area. And in March there will be a classical concert given by musicians of note.