We don’t meet people by accident. They cross our path for a reason.

The first time I saw Clive Carroll it was three years ago, in November, at a concert he had at the Half Moon in Putney.

I was mesmerized by his warm tone, musicality, technique and his unparalleled ability to master any style under the sun. I was speechless. Still, I decided it wasn’t the right time to lose my nerve. After the gig I went straight to talk to him. And I’m glad I did – as we kept in touch, and I suppose that was the day I began mentally planning a Clive Carroll Concert.

There was no specific ‘real’ plan or date set in stone, but I was resolute that I would make it happen!

If you’re a guitarist and you’re not yet familiar with Clive Carroll‘s music, forget about reading any further and check out his music – right now.

Clive is a world-class virtuoso performer; a hard-working musician, writing his own music, recording, touring and organizing his own workshops. I know this first-hand as I’ve been to one of his workshops and it was a very valuable experience, one I’d like to repeat soon enough.

A busy musician, Clive started this year with a tour in the States opening for The Guitar Wizard of Oz – Tommy Emmanuel C.G.P.  The tour was so successful that in September he was back in the USA, satisfying the demand for more dates. So we were extremely fortunate and excited to be bringing him to Richmond this November, as part of his sell-out UK tour.

Funnily enough, one year ago in November we were busy promoting a Tommy Emmanuel C.G.P. Masterclass at the same venue, Ritz Music, London.

Curious about Clive Carroll’s concert?

Well, Clive obviously likes to jump right in the deep end. He started his performance with a new original, ‘In the Deep’ – a profound, harmonious song that left us breathless from the first note. Clive had written the song in standard tuning with the low E string tuned down to B, the propulsive bass-line sinuously threading its way through a delicate melody. Brilliant!

From there we were transported in time, through different musical genres and eras, from the Renaissance to Baroque, Classical, Modern, even Jazz finger-style. Listening to Clive’s originals, one can’t help but sense the deep reservoir of musical knowledge that nourishes them – Mozart, Tarrega, even Debussy.

He followed with a medley of jazz standards where the bass-line, chords and melody were so clear it seemed almost unreal.

Clive then moved into Blues territory. In one of my favourites, ‘Mississippi Blues’, Clive bent the neck of the guitar like there was no tomorrow, creating a very unique effect – almost like hearing a guitar played with a bow. Phenomenal!

Some of the pieces featured exotic tunings, such as DADGAD (a traditional Irish tuning) used in ‘The Kid From Clare’, where Clive played some incredible triplets that usually you’d only hear on the fiddle. He even played an original inspired by Romanian folklore. Accompanying these enthralling performances were fun stories of other great musicians he’s worked with: Tommy Emmanuel, John Renbourn, John Williams…

Towards the end, Clive played a wonderful piece, ‘Eliza’s Eyes‘, a song written for his daughter in a very vibrant tuning: CGCGCD.

Judging by the happy smiles in the audience during and after the show, I’d say Clive Carroll’s concert at Ritz Music was a huge success!  And we were left wanting more!

Thank you, Clive! We’re already looking forward to your return!!

Photography by Cristina Schek