Andras Csaki - Laureate Guitar Series - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco was one of Italy's most influential and important composers during the 20th century. He was inspired to write for the guitar after meeting Andrés Segovia, and in the years that followed he wrote over one hundred works for the instrument. The Quintet for Guitar and String Quartet, a rare combination, reveals perfect sonority and construction with a serene Iberian mood. The Sonatina for Flute and Guitar contrasts joyfulness with poignant melodies, while the Eclogues are bucolic and lively. Written for Segovia and his wife Paquita Madriguera, the Fantasia for guitar and piano presents an expertly blended texture for this combination of instruments. Guitarist Leonard Becker is the Second Prize winner of the International Hannabach Guitar Competition 2020, held in Augsburg, Germany. He has performed with orchestras including the Pilsen Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he performed Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuezin 2019. Alongside Louis Vandory, Valerie Steenken, Elisabeth Buchner and Márton Braun he is the founder of the Tedesco-Quintett (guitar and string quartet), which won First Prize at the International Chamber Music Competition 'Gerhard Vogt' in 2019.

The latest addition to the KingJam Records roster is the wildly talented Franky Afrika, who brings his own style of modern hip-hop. Franky, who was born to an Ethiopian mother and a Nigerian father, flashes a decidedly Afro-centric vibe that adds a unique element to his brand of hip-hop. He is working on finishing up his first full-length album, and the results of which will no doubt attract a wide audience with his hypnotic voice and the rhythms he brings from his homeland. Following up on the success of The Motherland, Red, Black & Green is the second single to be released in advance of the full-length, and refers to the Red, Black and Green flag which represents the entire African nation (black people everywhere). It was voted to be the flag of Africa on August 12, 1920 by Marcus Garvey and the thousands of members of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), at their conference in Brooklyn NY. The new single features the original album mix, an extended mix, plus bonus instrumental and acappella versions. .

Michalis Kontaxakis, First Prize Winner in the 2005 International Francisco T'rrega Guitar Competition, is considered today to be one of the leading young Greek guitarists. He studied the guitar with Vassilis Mastorakis and Costas Cotsiolis.