Laurence Juber

Laurence Juber - Different Times - 2001 - Solid Air Records

Memorable melodies delivered with skill and passion - Dirty Linen magzine
Stunning Fretwork - Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine

Magazines and music publications have always conducted polls to decide the "All Time Greatest Guitarists", and "Best Guitarists Of All Time". Laurence's name may not always be on these lists, but his technical skills are on a par with guitarists like Jan Akkerman, Larry Coryell, or any great guitarist you can think of. Laurence was a young working musician in London in the '70's when Paul McCartney asked him to become Wings’ lead guitarist. Laurence spent three years with Wings, in that time he won a Best Rock Instrumental Grammy for "Rockestra" from Wings' Back To The Egg album. After Wings split in 1981, Laurence began a new career as a solo artist, composer and arranger. He is now acknowledged as one of the world's most accomplished top finger-style acoustic players and guitar virtuosos, being voted No.1 by Fingerstyle Guitar magazine. He is also a highly sought after session musician. His guitar technique is amazing, and his melodic flourishes, and even the way he plays single notes are totally unique. His "LJ Plays the Beatles" was voted one of Acoustic Guitar magazine’s top 10 all-time acoustic albums. He has several other extraordinary albums on release like his ""PCH" album, and his "Groovemasters" album with Preston Reed. He regularly tours with the great Al Stewart, and can be heard on Al's "Between The Wars" album. "Different Times" is a sublime collection of thirteen acoustic tracks by a master of his instrument. Eleven of the thirteen tracks were composed by either LJ or with his wife, Hope. It would be unusual if LJ didn’t cover a Beatles or Macca tune, and he covers Paul & Linda’s beautiful “”My Love” on the album. The other cover is a great version of Smokey Robinson and Ronald White’s classic “My Girl”, a huge hit for The Temptations back in 1965. All LJ’s albums are HR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy his "Guitar Noir" album, and check out his "PCH", “Laurence Juber Plays The Beatles”, “LJ Plays the Beatles, Vol. 2” albums on this blog. For another magnificent acoustic guitar album, check out the incredibly talented Stephen Bennett's "Beatles Acoustic Guitar Solos" [All tracks @ 256 Kbps: File size = 89.3 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Leaning Post - Laurence Juber 4:16
2 The Spider Shuffle - Laurence Juber & Hope Juber 2:22
3 Just Out of Reach - Laurence Juber 3:34
4 My, My, My - Laurence Juber 3:53
5 Different Times - Laurence Juber 3:02
6 My Love - Paul McCartney & Linda McCartney 3:48
7 Dancing on Streams - Laurence Juber 4:12
8 Gate 43 - Laurence Juber 4:55
9 My Girl - Smokey Robinson & Ronald White 2:38
10 You're the Only One - Laurence Juber & Hope Juber 4:06
11 Casaglia - Laurence Juber & Hope Juber 4:27
12 Off the Leash - Laurence Juber 3:47
13 Vine Street Blues - Laurence Juber 3:44

MUSICIANS

Laurence Juber - Electric & Acoustic Guitar
John Pisano - Acoustic Guitar
Dominic Genova - Upright Bass
Peter Erskine - Drums, Percussion

SHORT BIO

Acoustic guitarist, composer, and producer Laurence Juber, known by many of his fans simply as "LJ," was born and raised in London. By the time he was 13, he began to earn money by performing at local get-togethers. A couple of years later he took up the study of classical guitar and then went on to earn a music degree from the London University, Goldsmith College. He also performed as a soloist with the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. Around the mid-'70s, Juber found work as a session player. He perfected his skills as a variable guitarist along the way and earned a respected name for himself in the profession. In 1978 he joined the Paul McCartney group Wings as lead guitarist, where he spent the next two years. During this time Juber won a Grammy award for Best Rock Instrumental for the tune "Rockestra" off the album Back to the Egg. In the early '80s Juber left his homeland behind and moved to Los Angeles. He easily slipped back into session work. He did a lot of work for hit television shows like Home Improvement, Seventh Heaven, Boy Meets World, and Roseanne, as well as noted movies such as Dirty Dancing, Splash, Doc Hollywood, Pocahontas, Snow Day, Good Will Hunting, and many others. In 1990 Juber signed with the Beachwood Records label, which belonged to fellow artist and friend James Lee Stanley. That very year Juber recorded his solo debut album, Solo Flight. It was followed three years later by Naked Guitar, and then by Winter Guitar in 1998. In 1999 Juber was named as the number one Fingerstyle Guitarist of the Year. In between numerous tours, he released three new albums for 2000 -- LJ Plays the Beatles, Naked Solos, and The Collection -- each recorded under the Solid Air Records label. © Charlotte Dillon © 2011 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/laurence-juber-p26582/biography

BIO (WIKIPEDIA)

By his own account, Juber began playing guitar the week that "I Want to Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles was released. Beginning on a cheap acoustic guitar, he learned to read music early, figuring out the system of music notation for himself. He began to earn money playing the guitar at 13, and began to study classical guitar at the age of 15. Enraptured by the sounds on records of the mid- to late-60's, he set his sights on becoming a session guitarist in London's music studios. He earned his music degree at London University (Goldsmith College) where he expanded his horizons playing the lute. Upon graduation, he immediately began work as a session guitarist, working on his first project with producer George Martin on an album for Cleo Laine. Juber gave up a lucrative and highly successful studio career when invited to join Paul McCartney and Wings. He played on recordings that were to become Back to the Egg, as well as the subsequent tour. From these sessions he garnered his first Grammy Award, winning Best Rock Instrumental for the track "Rockestra Theme" from Back to the Egg. He was miscredited as Lawrence Tuber on the album sleeve. From this period dates his first solo album Standard Time (only released on vinyl). Ex-fellow Wings members Paul McCartney and Denny Laine played along on the track Maisie. When Wings disbanded, Juber moved to the United States of America. In New York City he met his future wife, Hope, and soon moved to her native California. He subsequently resumed work as a studio musician and played guitar for numerous television shows, including Happy Days and Family Ties, and for movies, perhaps most famously playing the James Bond theme for the movie The Spy Who Loved Me. In 1990, he released his second solo album, Solo Flight. During the next decade he would begin to explore altered tunings. In 2000, Juber released the solo album LJ plays the Beatles and The Collection and in 2003 the album Guitarist was released to critical acclaim. Juber's credentials as a top-tier fingerstyle guitarist continue to grow. Having been voted "Guitarist of the Year" by readers of Fingerstyle Guitar magazine as well as one of the top acoustic players of all time by Acoustic Guitar magazine, Juber is an ambassador for his instrument as well as his own music. He has released nineteen critically acclaimed CD's to date, and has earned a second Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental for his solo guitar arrangement of "The Pink Panther Theme" on the CD Henry Mancini: Pink Guitar. Juber has also released a series of instructional CD's that teach basic music theory and arrangement techniques for guitarists. In addition to his own recording and performances, Laurence Juber has produced and played on Al Stewart's albums Between the Wars (1995), Down in the Cellar (2000), A Beach Full of Shells (2005) and Sparks of Ancient Light (2008), and occasionally performs with Stewart