Latin American SerenadeGregg Nestor, Guitar

Carlos LyraBaden Powell

Antonio LauroManuel PonceMario Gangi

João PernambucoLaurindo AlmeidaBenito CanonicoRodrigo RieraCarlos Atilano

Agustin Barrios MangoreAlbum Notes by Tom Williams

Carlos LyraBaden Powell

Antonio LauroManuel PonceMario Gangi

João PernambucoLaurindo AlmeidaBenito CanonicoRodrigo RieraCarlos Atilano

Agustin Barrios MangoreAlbum Notes by Tom Williams

Latin American SerenadeGregg Nestor, Guitar

Album Produced by Gregg Nestor

Recorded at Penguin Recording, Eagle Rock, CABetween April and June, 1991

Engineer: John Strother

Digitally Mastered byJonathan Marcus, Orpharion Recordings

Album Art Direction: Mark Banning

Mr. Nestor’s Guitar by José Ramirez, 1984

Front Cover: Rainbow in the Mist, Iguassu Falls, Argentina, South AmericaBack Cover: Angel Falls, Orinoco Basin, Canaima National Park, VenezuelaTraycard and CD Label: San Rafael Falls, Quijos River, Amazon, Ecuador

Album Produced by Gregg Nestor

Recorded at Penguin Recording, Eagle Rock, CABetween April and June, 1991

Engineer: John Strother

Digitally Mastered byJonathan Marcus, Orpharion Recordings

Album Art Direction: Mark Banning

Mr. Nestor’s Guitar by José Ramirez, 1984

Front Cover: Rainbow in the Mist, Iguassu Falls, Argentina, South AmericaBack Cover: Angel Falls, Orinoco Basin, Canaima National Park, VenezuelaTraycard and CD Label: San Rafael Falls, Quijos River, Amazon, Ecuador

The guitar music of Latin America isas rich and varied as the influencesthat have inspired it. Latin history

is interwoven with the beauty andnuance of two predominant languages –Spanish and Portuguese – as well ashundreds of regional cultures that haveprovided both its artistic variety andvitality. Nowhere is this more manifestthan in its music.

Gregg Nestor takes us on a musicaljourney to a number of Latin Americanpoints of interest, amply demonstratingwhy this repertoire is a treasure forclassical guitarists.

CARLOS LYRA (b.1939) is a Braziliansinger and the composerof numerous bossa novaand “Música PopularBrasileira” classics. Hewas a major figureamong bossa novamusicians who emerged

soon after the genre’s pioneers - JoãoGilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim –established the style. Later, he joinedsinger Nara Leão as part of bossa nova'sactivist wing, seeking a return to itssamba roots. Gregg Nestor has chosenBrazilian guitarist Paulinho Nogueira’sarrangement, dutifully transcribed byLuis Zea, of one of Carlos Lyra’s mostpopular compositions – Aruanda. InAfro-Brazilian folklore, “Aruanda” is a

mythical, idyllic place; a legendary landof peace, freedom and equality longed forby generations of African slaves in Brazil.

Braziliancomposer/guitaristROBERTO BADENPOWELL DE AQUINO(1937-2000), popularlyknown as Baden Powell,was one of the mostinfluential musical

personalities of his generation. Hisfather, a scouting enthusiast, named himafter Lord Robert Baden Powell, thefounder of the Boy Scouts. In 1962, Badenmet the poet-diplomat Vinicius deMoraes, Antonio Carlos Jobim’s lyricist atthe time, and the two collaborated on anumber of songs that became some ofthe classics of Brazilian popular music.Bossa nova was the prevailing sound, butBaden and Vinicius wanted to combineAfro-Brazilian forms such as Candomblé,Umbanda and Capoeira with Rio deJaneiro's samba forms. The result was asong cycle released in 1966 on the LP"The Afro-Sambas of Baden andVinicius." Gregg Nestor has chosen oneof the most famous of the Afro-Sambas –Canto de Osanha (Chant of Osanha).Osanha is an Orisha (supernatural being)of the Afro-Brazilian religion.

Venezuelan composer/ guitaristANTONIO LAURO (1917-1986) oftenincorporated in his guitar compositions a

unique, indigenousmusical form - the valsvenezolano, orVenezuelan waltz. Itcombines the folklorichemiola meter (1-2-3/1-2-3/1-and-2-and- 3-and)with the SouthAmerican waltz stylepopular in fashionable

salons throughout the continent duringthe 19th Century. Like his artisticcontemporaries, Lauro was dedicated tocreating a strongly nationalistic,identifiable style - a Venezuelan corollaryto Argentinian tango or Brazilian samba.Largely unknown beyond the borders ofhis native country for years, his workswere featured beginning in the 1960s inthe international concert programs of hisfellow countryman, Alirio Diaz. Theynow form an integral part of the standardclassical guitar repertoire. Natalia is oneof his first folkloric waltz compositions,one of a set of four dating from 1938-1940that, years later, he named after hisdaughter. It is arguably his most famouswaltz. The three Venezuelan Waltzescontinue Lauro’s exploration of thisdistinctly upbeat, native waltz style in aset of very short themes. Juliana is amongLauro’s most European waltzes and couldeasily be re-titled as an etude. Itincorporates the more complex form ofAABB’CC’. Lauro's Variations on aVenezuelan Children’s Song includes adedication: "Homage to the guitarists of

the XIX Century." Its inspiration isinstantly recognizable to classicalguitarists - the theme/variationcompositions of Sor, Giuliani, Carcassiand others of their generation. The firsthalf of the melody is the Venezuelanchildren's song Palomita Sentada, but thesecond half is uniquely Lauro’s, whowished to broaden the simple melodictheme.

Lauro’s Tríptico, composed between 1974and 1976, consists of three pieces in Eminor which the composer combined atthe request of Andrés Segovia. The firstof these, Angostura, is the ancient namefor Ciudad Bolívar, Lauro’s birthplace.Madrugada (“Before Dawn”) is anappoggiatura study drawn from one ofVenezuelan composer (and Lauro’smentor) Vicente Emilio Sojo’s feworiginal works for guitar. It wascomposed shortly after Sojo’s death. LaNegra was Lauro’s niece Armida’snickname. Musically, it is very closethematically to Lauro’s more famousNatalia. El Marabino is a shortVenezuelan waltz. A marabino is aresident of the Maracaibo, Venezuela.Seis Por Derecho – literally “Six by Right”is a joropo – a dance popular among thenative people of the Venezuelan plains.The piece is subtitled “styled after theVenezuelan harp.” It is a lively, energeticdance, with what might be described asan “inverted” hemiola alternatingbetween 6/8 and 3/4, and Lauro creates

the illusion of a folkloric harp. The titlerefers to its 6/8 rhythm, with the llanerosor people of the plains giving Lauro theright to adopt their beloved joropo.

Andrés Segovia calledMexican composerMANUEL PONCE(1882-1948) the “St.Francis of Assisi of theguitar,” referring toPonce’s selflessdevotion to creating aserious repertoire for

the instrument. Ponce was among thefirst of his countrymen to pursue aEuropean musical education, studying inItaly and Germany, and later in Paris withPaul Dukas. He met Segovia in 1923 andwrote five sonatas for him, as well asthree theme/variations andarrangements of Mexican folk melodies.Gregg Nestor plays his own arrangementof Ponce’s most famous song, Estrellita(Little Star), dating from 1912. ScherzinoMexicano is a transcription of one ofPonce’s piano works.

Italian composer/guitaristMARIO GANGI (1923-2010) was a European whowas very much at homewith Brazilian musicalstyles, represented in thiscollection by hisContrastes BrazilianosNos. 1 and 2. The first is a lovely, very

romantic serenade, contrasting with themore up tempo melodic theme of thesecond.

JOÃO TEIXEIRAGUIMARÃES, knownas JOÃOPERNAMBUCO (1883-1947), is one of Brazil’smost beloved gifts tothe classical guitar andits devotees. Anironworker from theState of Pernambucowho emigrated to Rio do Janeiro in 1902,he was a very proficient guitarist and askilled, self-taught composer for theinstrument. Sadly, much of his repertoirewas lost at the time of his death, becauseexcept for Heitor Villa-Lobos’stranscriptions of his music, coupled withtranscriptions taken from his sparserecordings, his music was not published.Gregg Nestor has chosen Pernambuco’smost famous choro, Sons de Carilhoes.The title has been translated as “Soundsof Bells” or “Sounds of Carrillons.” Sincecarilhoes can be translated fromPortuguese as “bells, “carrillons” or even“doorbells,” there has been a friendlydebate fo years among Pernambucoadmirers about the most appropriatetranslation of the title. Notwithstanding,it is evident that Pernambuco wasevoking a bell-like sound from the guitar,evident in both the A and B sections.

Brazilianguitarist/composerLAURINDOALMEIDA (1917-1995)had a rich, variedcareer that includedforays into Brazilianpopular music, jazz

and classical repertoire. A 7-timeGrammy winner who resided for manyyears in Southern California, he firstperformed in the U.S. in 1947 at theinvitation of Stan Kenton. Thoughknown for his mastery of varied styles, hewas perhaps best known as a “mestre doviolão bossa nova,” (master of bossa novaguitar), perhaps Brazilian guitar’s mostaccomplished non-resident. He isrepresented here by Braziliance, awonderful example of a contemporaryBrazilian choro, incorporating a slightlyless-traditional choro form of A-B-A-C-C-A.

Noted Venezuelan composer BENITOCANONICO (1894-1971) came from amusical era that immediately precededAntonio Lauro’s. Aire de Joropo againevokes the lively harp-based dance of theVenezuelan plain. Note the high registerof the folkloric harp tones imitated bythe guitar. The piece is also titled ElTotumo de Guarenas. A totumo is a gourdtree, reportedly well suited to the craftingof maracas. Guarenas is a small city nearCaracas.

Venezuelanguitarist/composerRODRIGO RIERA (1923-1999) is from the samegeneration that producedAntonio Lauro. The twofirst met in Caracas in 1941and eventually were fellow

guitar students of guitarist and composerRaul Borges. In 1949, Riera met AndrésSegovia, who encouraged him to furtherhis studies with him. After establishing acareer as a concert guitarist, he returnedto Caracas to teach guitar, and from thereuntil his death he devoted his energies tocomposition. His Venezuelan WaltzesNos. 1-3 move away from the folkloric,hemiola tradition of his contemporariesand instead are charming miniatures ofthe parlor or salon style of waltz. No. 4hearkens back to the vals venezolanotradition made popular by Lauro.

Venezuelan composer/guitarist/educatorCARLOS ATILANO (b. 1952) began hismusical education playing the native“cuatro” or 4-string guitar. Aftercompleting his studies at the VenezuelanConservatory, he got a full scholarshipfrom the Venezuelan government tostudy at The Boston Conservatory ofMusic in Boston Massachusetts, where hereceived his Bachelor of Music. Of theVenezuelan Pieces on this album, hestates: All the Venezuelan pieces forguitar that I have written were inspiredby pure love for my native land. Being

away from Venezuelabrings in me a kind ofintense nostalgia, andwith that nostalgia comesa longing for myhomeland, its music,places and the aromas ofthe tropics. All of these

things are conveyed in each of myVenezuelan folk pieces.

My Three Venezuelan Pieces: AireCriollo, Cancion and Valse, along with ElVals de Gregorio, are a good example ofthat nostalgia, happiness, and longing.The first three were composed in Caracasin 1984 and were dedicated to AntonioOchoa, my first guitar teacher at theConservatorio de Musica Juan JoseLandaeta. They were premiered in 1987by the Venezuelan guitarist GabrielGuillen. El Vals de Gregorio wasdedicated to my good friend GreggNestor. This piece was composed in 1991as a “thank you” to Gregg, who reallyloved these pieces and decided to recordthem. They were among my firstattempts to compose Venezuelan folkmusic for guitar.

Beloved Paraguayanguitarist/composerAGUSTIN BARRIOSMANGORE (1885-1944), toured LatinAmerica extensively,living for a time in

Argentina, Brazil andEl Salvador. He wroteworks for guitar inmany styles, from19th CenturyEuropean forms –waltz, gavotte,barcarole andmazurka – toregional SouthAmerica styles,

including the Brazilian choro, Andeancueca, and Guarani/Paraguayan dance.He is represented in this collection byMaxixe, a Brazilian dance in duple time.

From Brazil to Venezuela, Gregg Nestorhas provided ample evidence that SouthAmerica’s guitar repertoire is not onlyalive and well, but growing, as successivegenerations of talented composers, manyof them well-grounded in classical guitar,both draw inspiration from theirpredecessors and inspire others to keep arich tradition alive.

Tom WilliamsSalt Lake City, Utah

April, 2009

Tom Williams is a classical guitardevotee/player with a particular interestin the history, repertoire and personalitiesof Brazilian classical and popular music.He is an officer and board member of theUtah Classical Guitar Society.

GREGG NESTOR, guitarInternationally acclaimed guitarist Gregg Nestor has built astrong following for his abilities as soloist, accompanist andarranger. Finalist in the 1981 New York Concert GuildCompetition held at Carnegie Hall, Gregg has recorded andbroadcast in Holland, Belgium, Spain and for the BBC inLondon. In his London debut, The Times critic commented onhis being “uncommonly communicative, a real artist in timingand shading, in stylish fluency and tact besides wholeheartedcommunication with his composers.” Many works arranged byGregg Nestor for solo/duo guitars or with various ensemblehave been published.

GREGG NESTOR, guitarInternationally acclaimed guitarist Gregg Nestor has built astrong following for his abilities as soloist, accompanist andarranger. Finalist in the 1981 New York Concert GuildCompetition held at Carnegie Hall, Gregg has recorded andbroadcast in Holland, Belgium, Spain and for the BBC inLondon. In his London debut, The Times critic commented onhis being “uncommonly communicative, a real artist in timingand shading, in stylish fluency and tact besides wholeheartedcommunication with his composers.” Many works arranged byGregg Nestor for solo/duo guitars or with various ensemblehave been published.

� � 2012 Gregg Nestor. All Rights Reserved.Released by BSX Records, a division of Buysoundtrax.com • 2828 Cochran Street #287, Simi Valley, California 93065

01. Aruanda (arr. Paulinho Nogueira / Luis Zea) Carlos Lyra 2:1602. Canto du Osanha (arr. Luis Zea) Baden Powell 3:2203. Natalia Antonio Lauro 3:0504. Three Venezuelan Waltzes: (El Negrito) Antonio Lauro 1:2405. Three Venezuelan Waltzes: (La Gatica) Antonio Lauro 1:1606. Three Venezuelan Waltzes: (La Petronila) Antonio Lauro 0:4307. Estrellita (arr. Gregg Nestor) Manuel Ponce 2:2208. Juliana Antonio Lauro 1:5609. Variations on a Venezuelan Children’s Song Antonio Lauro 7:27 10. Scherzino Mexicano Manuel Ponce 2:31 11. Contrastes Brazilianos No. 1: (Delicioso) Mario Gangi 2:25 12. Contrastes Brazilianos No. 2: (Panoramica) Mario Gangi 1:28 13. Sons de Carilhoes João Pernambuco 2:03 14. Braziliance: (Choro) Laurindo Almeida 3:05 15. Aire de Joropo Benito Canonico 1:49 16. Venezuelan Waltz #1: (Melancolia) Rodrigo Riera 1:41 17. Venezuelan Waltz #2: (Monotonia) Rodrigo Riera 1:25 18. Venezuelan Waltz #3: (Nostalgia) Rodrigo Riera 1:25 19. Venezuelan Waltz #4: (Nando Riera) Rodrigo Riera 1:4220. Three Venezuelan Pieces: (Aire Criollo) Carlos Atilano 1:26 21. Three Venezuelan Pieces: (Cancion) Carlos Atilano 1:59 22. Three Venezuelan Pieces: (Valse) Carlos Atilano 1:52 23. El Vals de Gregorio (written for Gregg Nestor) Carlos Atilano 1:47 24. Tríptico: (Angostura) Antonio Lauro 2:06 25. Tríptico: (Madrugada) Antonio Lauro 3:1026. Tríptico: (La Negra) Antonio Lauro 2:21 27. Maxixe Agustin Barrios Mangore 2:48 28. El Marabino Antonio Lauro 1:15 29. Seis Por Derecho Antonio Lauro 3:28TT = 65:37

Latin American Serenade Gregg Nestor, GuitarLatin American Serenade Gregg Nestor, Guitar

01. Aruanda (arr. Paulinho Nogueira / Luis Zea) Carlos Lyra 2:1602. Canto du Osanha (arr. Luis Zea) Baden Powell 3:2203. Natalia Antonio Lauro 3:0504. Three Venezuelan Waltzes: (El Negrito) Antonio Lauro 1:2405. Three Venezuelan Waltzes: (La Gatica) Antonio Lauro 1:1606. Three Venezuelan Waltzes: (La Petronila) Antonio Lauro 0:4307. Estrellita (arr. Gregg Nestor) Manuel Ponce 2:2208. Juliana Antonio Lauro 1:5609. Variations on a Venezuelan Children’s Song Antonio Lauro 7:27 10. Scherzino Mexicano Manuel Ponce 2:31 11. Contrastes Brazilianos No. 1: (Delicioso) Mario Gangi 2:25 12. Contrastes Brazilianos No. 2: (Panoramica) Mario Gangi 1:28 13. Sons de Carilhoes João Pernambuco 2:03 14. Braziliance: (Choro) Laurindo Almeida 3:05 15. Aire de Joropo Benito Canonico 1:49 16. Venezuelan Waltz #1: (Melancolia) Rodrigo Riera 1:41 17. Venezuelan Waltz #2: (Monotonia) Rodrigo Riera 1:25 18. Venezuelan Waltz #3: (Nostalgia) Rodrigo Riera 1:25 19. Venezuelan Waltz #4: (Nando Riera) Rodrigo Riera 1:4220. Three Venezuelan Pieces: (Aire Criollo) Carlos Atilano 1:26 21. Three Venezuelan Pieces: (Cancion) Carlos Atilano 1:59 22. Three Venezuelan Pieces: (Valse) Carlos Atilano 1:52 23. El Vals de Gregorio (written for Gregg Nestor) Carlos Atilano 1:47 24. Tríptico: (Angostura) Antonio Lauro 2:06 25. Tríptico: (Madrugada) Antonio Lauro 3:1026. Tríptico: (La Negra) Antonio Lauro 2:21 27. Maxixe Agustin Barrios Mangore 2:48 28. El Marabino Antonio Lauro 1:15 29. Seis Por Derecho Antonio Lauro 3:28TT = 65:37