In these divisive times, when America, and now even the Olympic opening ceremonies, are choking with wokeness and destruction of virtues based on merit, it was a soul-refreshing breath of air to witness the extraordinary musical talent of classical guitarist Eric Henderson, together with fellow outstanding guitar virtuosos Curtis Matheson and Richard Bredice, rounded out by bassist Jimmy Perez and drummer Frank Cotinola. It’s been a long time since the sheer magical genius, yet simple beauty, of music-making could hold me spellbound. How can fingers fly that fast, chords ripple with that kind of sound, and percussions perfectly punctuate? It was an epiphany of original scores and classics mixed with some Spanish baroque and Hendrix hues. If magic has a sound, this was it.
The small, intimate venue of the LBCAC – Laguna Beach Cultural Arts Center – on Forest Avenue is reminiscent of the speakeasy venues of Manhattan. To see this talent in such a small space almost felt like theft. It is hard to do justice with mere words. Those of us fortunate enough to be in the audience Sunday evening were rewarded with a rare treat.
If you have not had the opportunity to see a show at the LBCAC I heartily encourage you to do so. It won’t disappoint. Rick Conkey has poured his heart and soul into making this music venue a reality. You can see Eric Henderson perform at the LBCAC again on Aug. 25. When you hear his guitar, you will know what I mean. Soul refreshing. Need more of that.
Jennifer Welsh Zeiter, Laguna Beach
