Jacques Stotzem

Jacques Stotzem - Catch the Spirit - 2008 - Acoustic Music Records

"Belgian guitarist Jacques Stotzem is captivating American listeners with his fluid, driving, melodic and impressionistic fingerstyle playing. On stage, Stotzem plays with heartstopping intensity, drawing the audience to the edge of their seats." - Acoustic Guitar - USA - 12/1995

"Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Neil Young, U2, Sting, Radiohead or even Rory Gallagher all cast a light on my life as a musician at one time or another. So for years, I've been excited by the idea of doing a retrospective album, exclusively featuring tracks by artists whom I admire and who have influenced me. This project represented a fascinating challenge, which resided in the need to restore the spirit of the original genre without actually forgetting my own style. In other words, to be able to revisit, tame and even permeate works by adding my own grain of salt, certainly with some daring arrangements, but especially with a great deal of respect and even tact, in order to try to find the right measure and equilibrium." - Jacques Stotzem

Twelve wonderful covers by an amazing guitarist played with a unique harmonic knowledge. Jacques covers songs by Rory Gallagher, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young, U2, The Beatles, Radiohead, and Sting. The great Larry Coryell said that "Jacques Stotzem is a unique artist. ... I would definitely not say Jacques is making guitar music - it happens to be pure music - it's just that the instrument he uses is the guitar, which he plays very, very well." This album is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy Jacques' "In Concert" album and support Grade A acoustic guitar music [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 121 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Fire - Jimi Hendrix 4:06
2 After the Gold Rush - Neil Young 4:22
3 One - Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. 4:43
4 Come Together - John Lennon & Paul McCartney 4:09
5 No Surprises -Thomas E.Yorke 3:44
6 Moonchild - Rory Gallagher 4:34
7 The Shape of My Heart - Gordon M.Sumner (Sting) & Dominic Miller 5:02
8 With or Without You - Bono, Adam Clayton, The Edge, Larry Mullen Jr. 4:15
9 Voodoo Chile - Jimi Hendrix 4:30
10 Heart of Gold - Neil Young 4:31
11 Fields of Gold - Gordon M.Sumner (Sting) 4:24
12 Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix 4:43

SHORT BIO

In the acoustic guitar world today, Jacques Stotzem is one of the "fingerstyle" guitarists with the most diversified style. Born in 1959 in Verviers, the Belgian guitarist has recorded 12 CDs and is high up on the list for fans of the acoustic guitar. Readers of the influential German acoustic guitar magazine Akustik Gitarre have likened Stotzem to artists such as Leo Kottke, Paco De Lucia, Neil Young and Keb' Mo'.That's not really astonishing. His unique and highly refined playing style combines a well-developed melodic sense with a rare dynamic approach to the instrument that speaks directly to the listener. Jacques, unlike many guitar players today, possesses an in-depth sense of harmonic knowledge, which is evident throughout his compositions. All of this is cemented together by his perfect command of the instrument and by his optimistic personality. Jacques Stotzem has become a regular guest at European and American festivals and is often invited for tours in Japan, China or Taiwan. Since 2006, the famous American guitar company "Martin Guitar", produces an "OMC Jacques Stotzem Custom Signature Model", a dream for every guitar player, a consecration for Jacques. In 2009, his CD “Catch The Spirit” entered the Belgian pop charts and stayed for 43 weeks. His guitar-playing colleague Larry Coryell described Jacques as follows : "What he plays is pure music. As an instrument he uses the guitar, which he knows very, very well." © http://www.stotzem.com/