The German leg of the tour has gotten off to a great start, with no jet lag, perfect fall weather, beautiful train rides, and, best of all, full houses of appreciative guitar fans. Many thanks to Christian from the Jazzclub Bruchsal, and especially to Jörg Dickgiesser, the concert promoter. I’ll be back in April of 2013 for a show during my next tour. In English, here is the opening paragraph of my review from the Bruchsal newspaper. In Deutsch, hier ist eine gute Artikel von die Zietung von Bruchsal:

“It’s easy to love Chris Proctor.  The American from Salt Lake, born 60 years ago in Frankfurt, plays in the relaxed atmosphere of the Bruchsaler Jazz Club as part of their line up for the ‘Jazz on the Wild Side’ series. He proves to be a master of the modern finger style guitar.  This sympathetic musician, whose name is mentioned in the same breath as guitar greats such as Leo Kottke, Peter Finger or Martin Simpson, did not bring a light show or other distractions.  Instead, the listener is immediately drawn into the music’s essence; the melodic and harmonic sounds of the guitar strings, played with unfathomable beauty.”

Second set in Bruchsal concert

Another great visit for my teaching week at Steve Kaufman’s gold medal-winning camp in Maryville, TN. A week of teaching, concertizing, fraternizing with old and new friends, both from among the teaching ranks and students as well. It’s a rejuvenating experience for all of us, not just students, and one that I look forward to each time I’m invited. Steve and I will reunite for a week of teaching in late August and early September at Acoustic Alaska in Wasilla. Come on up to the last frontier and learn some guitar in the bargain.

The Kamp was followed by a week of concerts in Knoxville and Cookeville, TN, Birmingham and Huntsville, AL, and Dahlohnega and Roswell, GA, all nestled in the southern Appalachian mountains and foothills. Truly a fine trip- thanks to all concert presenters and concert-goers.

The Atrium in the Student Center of Western Wyoming Community College has welcomed me many times, and this year was no exception. Performing while sharing space with life-sized dinosaur skeletons and surrounded by glass with a view of the entire valley, it’s been one of my favorite Wyoming spots for years. This year Valerie Ross came to the show and took well over a hundred photos, two of which are here, one with head and one without. A third shot was added to the rotating photos feature of the site. Many thanks to Valerie, to Dustin Conover from the college, to ASG, and to my area friends and fans. I hope to see you again next year.

The last concert of my European tour was a perfect finale for the trip- beautiful setting, great sound, enthusiastic audience, good food and wine, and great weather, besides. Thirteen concerts in Germany, Austria and Germany, with the last in Bella Firenze…

The somewhat odd name of the group, Six Bars Jail, comes from  a song written by one of the group’s original members, who imagined the guitar as a birdcage with the songbird living within the body of the guitar, looking out through the strings (bars) of the cage as it sang its songs. Thanks to everyone from SBJ- I look forward to returning in November of 2011 during my next European tour. Grazie mille a Carlo e a Sergio per le photo!

I was interviewed by Sergio before the concert, and you can read (in Italian) the interview here. For you non-Italian readers, there are some nice photos.

Grazie anche a Dario Fornara per mettere l’intervista sul internet.

Two photos from my wonderful concert in Graz, Austria in late March.  Georg, the photographer, entered the house carrying more gear than I had. Another place to which I hope to return next trip! Special thanks to Doris and her staff, with a shout out to Lucas, my personal chauffeur and plastic CD box finder.

Here is Jim’s amazing photo.