Pavane for a Blue Princess arr. Elden Kelly after "Pavane pour une infante défunte" by Ravel

Arrangement and improvisations on themes of "Pavane pour une infante défunte" by Maurice Ravel. Played on the Tom Ribbecke guitar from the Blue Guitars Collection.
The owner of the Blue Guitars Collection and I connected over a mutual early love of the album "Together" by Julian Bream and John Williams. That was the first time I heard this lyrical and mournful piece by Ravel when I was in my teens, and through it I fell in love with the range of timbres and sonorities of the classical guitar and its technique, which I here I carry over and apply to a steel string acoustic archtop guitar.

I believe archtop guitars are a misunderstood creature, perhaps because they are often relegated to a narrow usage in jazz styles and pigeonholed to certain genres. However, the archtop guitar, with the tonal balance and clear note separation, often make them excellent candidates for acoustic recording and ensemble instruments, with a strong and present midrange that cuts through a variety of textures well. The natural resonance of the tailpiece creates a complex ringing of reverberances that is alluring for all kinds of repertoire, especially fingerstyle playing, classical and all kinds of genres beyond jazz.

The Ribbecke stands out in the Blue Guitar Collection because of its acoustic volume and fullness, with a greater balance of frequencies and volume than many other acoustic archtops I have personally played. Like many of the guitars in the collection, based on interaction with woods and procesess, the blue dye manifests across a variety of tones. The purplish brown of the top of this Ribbecke are like none other in the collection. The back and sides show more blue however.

Although the jazz process and improvisation is my background and an important component of my sound, classical and world music are just as vital ingredients. I'm passionate about finding a new and fertile ground where music may even transcend any one of these processes.

Sincere thanks to everyone who helped connect me and the Archtop Foundation for their support in helping make this happen. Stay tuned for the next video and more projects with The Blue Guitars!

Thanks,

Elden

www.eldenkelly.com