Theatre Raymond Kabbaz Presents
California Guitar Trio + Montréal Guitare Trio
Performing Together on a 20+ City North American Tour
Taking Acoustic Guitar to New Dimensions
In Los Angeles Thursday, January 24, 2013

LOS ANGELES, CA – December 19, 2012 –Two of the world’s best guitar ensembles will share the stage when Theatre Raymond Kabbaz presents California Guitar Trio (CGT) and Montréal Guitare Trio (MG3) performing together on Thursday, January 24, 2013 at 7:30pm.  When these two ensembles join forces, audiences will be treated to a “six by six-string” set of eclectic music, including Baroque fugues, Spaghetti Western movie themes, arena rock, world and surf music, and intricate original compositions.  Featuring six virtuoso guitarists from four countries (Japan, Canada, Belgium, and the U.S.), CGT, on steel-stringed guitars, and MG3, on nylon-stringed guitars, fuse over 40 years of combined performing experience into one unique ‘phenomensemble.’  The event is the Los Angeles stop of a 20+ city tour in the U.S. and Canada and will be the first time the two trios will perform together in the City of Angels.  Tickets cost $35 ($25 for students with ID) and are available at https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?m=241d6077b39728479d58e072170e1c6f&t=tix.  The event is supported by the Quebec Government Office in Los Angeles.  Theatre Raymond Kabbaz at Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles is located at 10361 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064.  To learn more about Theatre Raymond Kabbaz, please visit http://www.theatreraymondkabbaz.com.

“Together, MG3 and CGT will bring a subtle brand of musical pyrotechnics to Los Angeles,” says Pierre Leloup, Theatre Raymond Kabbaz Director, “The audience is in for a real treat – a combination of wry showmanship and amazing cross-genre guitar technique.”

Montréal Guitare Trio (MG3) & California Guitar Trio (CGT) together on stage.  (Photo courtesy of the artists.)

Inspired in 2009 by an impromptu studio session together in Montreal, CGT and MG3 proceeded to release a live recording in 2011, land showcases at numerous arts presenter conferences, and sustain frequent co-bill touring throughout North America – from the Iridium in New York City, to Montreal Jazz Festival (twice), to Napa Valley Opera House, and points between.  At the Los Angeles event, each trio will perform separately in the first set, for several songs each, then together, as a sextet, in the second set.

Montréal Guitare Trio –
Montréal Guitare Trio (Sébastien Dufour, Glenn Lévesque, and Marc Morin) have made a name for themselves beyond their native Quebec by covering classic rock songs from The Beatles and others, as well as folding in stylistic influences from Scandinavia to South America into their original compositions.  The trio, which CBC described as “the hottest guitar ensemble in Canada,” bridges diverse genres of music including flamenco, tango, samba, Cuban, surf, modern pop, and prog rock.  Noted for the wit and warmth of their interactions with audiences, the group has been winning fans around the world.

They have performed at hundreds of concerts in prestigious venues in North America, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia, including the BB King Blues Club in New York, the Rundetårnet in Copenhagen, and the legendary Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.  MG3 also won the 2011 Opus Prize, for concert of the year, in the Jazz/World Music category.  In addition to the live 2011 recording with CGT, MG3’s discography also includes Cambria (2011), MG3 (2006), Garam Masala (2002), and Meninas (1998). https://www.facebook.com/MontrealGuitarTrio and http://www.mg3.ca

California Guitar Trio –
California Guitar Trio has released fourteen studio and live albums, filmed a tour documentary, and carried their music across international borders as easily as they’ve crossed musical genres.  These three revered musicians are not actually natives of the “Golden State” – ensemble members are Bert Lams from Belgium, Hideyo Moriya from Japan, and Paul Richards from Utah. Together, with breathtaking technical wizardry, the group performs a wide-range of instrumental music…. everything from unique originals to cleverly arranged interpretations of jazz, classical, and even surf rock.  Since its inception in 1991, the trio has released 14 CDs: nine studio albums (including a Christmas record), three live releases (including An Opening Act from their 1995 worldwide tour with King Crimson), and two compilations.

On screen, CGT can be seen in the documentary Following the Music: On The Road w/ California Guitar Trio and the new high-def multi-camera shoot of an intimate house concert in 2009.  In October 2010, CGT released Andromeda, an all-original album nearly three years in the making.  The album was named Best Instrumental Album that year by the Indie Acoustic Project.  In addition to working with MG3, CGT has also collaborated with bassist Tony Levin, guitarist Fareed Haque, and drummer Paul Mastelotto. CGT performed on the 2003 Grammy Award-nominated track “Apollo” on Levin’s CD Pieces of the Sun; and CGT music was sent into outer space as wake-up music for the crew aboard NASA’s Space Shuttle Endeavor.  CGT music was featured also in television coverage of the 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2004 Olympics, as well as on CBS, NBC, CNN, and ESPN TV programs.  https://www.facebook.com/CGTrio and https://www.cgtrio.com

Theatre Raymond Kabbaz –
Theatre Raymond Kabbaz is a non-profit institution dedicated to the promotion of art and culture in the West Los Angeles area.  This 220-seat theatre welcomes multidisciplinary and multicultural shows.  TRK’s mission is to be an open window on French and international cultures, as well as to inspire and sustain a lifelong appreciation for the arts.

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For more information, photos or to schedule an interview, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

Montréal Guitare Trio (MG3) + California Guitar Trio (CGT) together on stage.  (Photo courtesy of the artists)