REVIEW: Guitar heroes pluck Tenby heartstrings (From Western Telegraph)

Guitar heroes pluck Tenby heartstrings

5:05pm Monday 24th October 2011 in Leisure

When great guitarists pop up in conversation, it's guaranteed the names of Jimi Hendrix, Les Paul and Jimmy Page will be blurted out at some stage.

But you may not have heard of Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo. Yet these two New Yorkers are ranked among the best guitarists in the world.

Caffe Vista knows this and presented a concert of these two guitar maestros in the Church House in the grounds of St. Mary's, Tenby.

In front of a packed house, this skilful pair bounded onto the small stage and launched into a vivid repertoire of jazz standards, classical pieces and even a brief foray into Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' deftly inserted into the very different 'Tico Tico'.

It wasn't necessary to be an expert guitarist to note the sharp technique and astonishing ability of these professionals. They slipped with ease from Django Reindhart's faintly haunting 'Tears', to the nervous excitement of Mozart's 'Turkish March'.

The virtuosity of the duo was highlighted by the unison in which they played. They bounced off and complemented each others' solos magnificently, while still engaging the audience with quirky actions and quick wit. It is a credit to the showmanship of Vignola and Raniolo that they paused mid-song, after the flash of a camera, and called out 'Do you want a picture?'. The two posed for the photo, yet carried on playing without missing a beat.

Throughout the performance, both maintained a delightful charm, making jokes at every turn. Yet the music was the most important aspect of the night. This was helped by both the acoustics of Church House and the beautiful sound of two superior instruments.

The duo both sported guitars made by Ryan Thornell of Utah. These produced a warm, incredible sound which excelled in their rendition of Hoagy Carmichael's 'Stardust' and produced a perfect hot jazz atmosphere.

Vignola also invited on stage some other musicians including Will Barnes of the group Inspector Gadjo and Sarah of the Sarah Smith Trio.

The pedigree of the two principal guitarists was very clear, both having played with guitarist Emmanuel Thomas and Vignola having played with Les Paul, Madonna and Ringo Starr. This experience leaked into all of their pieces, shifting styles in and around their songs.

However, the greatest moment for myself and much of the audience was when Frank Vignolo asked for any requests. Someone promptly replied with 'The Welsh national anthem'. A rousing rendition of 'Mae hen wlad fy nhadau' ensued, as the two American guitarists fished for a melody in the increasingly discordant sea of voices, their faces wreathed in smiles.

The evening was a heartfelt tribute to a by-gone age, kept alive by these masterful young guitarists.