Lawson Rollins

Last updated

Lawson Rollins
BornNorth Carolina, U.S.
Genres Latin jazz, world, new-age
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
Instrument(s)Guitar
LabelsInfinita
Website lawsonrollins.com

Lawson Rollins is an American guitarist from North Carolina [1] noted for his virtuoso fingerstyle technique and melodic compositional skills. [2] [3] Guitar Player magazine ranked him as one of the "50 Best Acoustic Guitarists of All Time". [4] His music has risen to #1 on the Billboard charts and is generally classed as Latin jazz and world music, with elements of samba, bossa nova, Middle Eastern, classical guitar, flamenco, and shred guitar. [5] He often employs fast minor scales and diminished scale solo runs to his compositions which are executed in the flamenco picado style.

Contents

Career

He is best known for his compositions Free to Fly, World of Wonder, The Fire Cadenza, Santa Ana Wind, Flight, Daybreak, Infinita, and Moonlight Samba and his albums Rise, True North, Dark Matter, Airwaves: The Greatest Hits, Infinite Chill (the remix sessions), 3 Minutes To Midnight, Traveler, Infinita, Espirito , Elevation and Full Circle which were all critically acclaimed by the jazz and guitar communities. [6] [7] [8] [9] He has reached a wide audience on both radio and the internet. Video performances of Locomotion, The Fire Cadenza and Santa Ana Wind have been viewed millions of times on YouTube. [10] His songs "After Twilight", "Free to Fly", "Bluewave Bossanova", "World of Wonder", "Island Time", "Flight", "Daybreak", "Moonlight Samba," and "Infinita" have proven popular on jazz radio stations and landed on the Billboard Top 30 contemporary jazz radio chart. [11] [12] [13] [14] His song "After Twilight" hit number 1 on the Billboard contemporary jazz radio chart. [15] His album Full Circle landed on the Billboard Top 10 World Music album sales chart [16] and he was a Top 100 Artist of the Year on radio as ranked by RadioWave. The song "Shifting Seasons" from Full Circle won the U.S. Songwriting Competition first place award for instrumental song of the year. Lawson was also awarded third place for Artist of the Year. In a separate year he received another first place award in the USA Songwriting Competition for the title track of his Traveler album. The Traveler album also won three Gold Medals in the Global Music Awards for Instrumentalist, Album, and Top 10 Albums of the Year. [3] [17]

Influenced by Andrés Segovia from his mid-teens, he developed an interest in jazz, flamenco, and improvisational Latin and Brazilian guitar styles in his early twenties. [18] [19] After graduating from Duke University he earned a graduate degree from the London School of Economics, then moved to Washington, D.C. in 1998 where he met guitarist Daniel Young (Dan Young) at a local flamenco shop and formed the Latin guitar fusion group Young & Rollins. They released several albums together, including Salsa Flamenca, which landed on the Billboard Chart in 2000, Sevilla (2001), Esperanza (2005) and Mosaic (2006) and played at venues such as the Kennedy Center and Sydney Opera House. Rollins was based in Washington until 2007 when he moved to San Francisco. [20]

His solo albums are characterized by an eclectic mix of Middle Eastern, Brazilian, and Arabic music fused with Spanish guitar and backed by an all-star cast of musicians from around the world including Israeli singer and composer Idan Raichel, Brazilian singer Flora Purim, percussionist Airto Moreira, Cuban drummer Horacio Hernandez, Shahin Shahida of Shahin and Sepehr, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Iranian kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhor, Grammy-winning violinists Mads Tolling and Charlie Bisharat, and electric guitarist Buckethead, among others. [1] [21] [22]

Lawson is a voting member of NARAS, a member of A2IM, and owner of the independent world music record label Infinita Records. [23] [24]

Discography

Albums

Solo

Compilations

As part of Young & Rollins

Singles

Collaborations

Solo

Compilation appearances

Solo

As part of Young & Rollins

Awards

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rollins Band</span> American rock band

Rollins Band was an American rock band formed in Van Nuys, California. The band was active from 1987 to 2006 and was led by former Black Flag vocalist Henry Rollins. They are best known for the songs "Low Self Opinion" and "Liar", which both earned heavy airplay on MTV in the early-mid 1990s.

Oscar Lopez is a Chilean-Canadian guitarist, whose signature style blends Latin and jazz styles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johannes Linstead</span> Canadian musician

Johannes Linstead is a Canadian guitarist and instrumentalist who fuses virtuoso Spanish-style guitar with Afro-Cuban, Middle Eastern, and Latin American percussion and instrumentation. In 2017, Linstead was awarded the "Best World Album of the Year" in the T.I.M.A Awards. He has/had an influential artist endorsement deal with the Yamaha Corporation of America and an endorsee with D'Addario String Co.. Further accolades include being named "Guitarist of the Year" in the prestigious Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards (2007), two NAR Lifestyle Music Awards, a nomination for a Juno Award and others.

Lara & Reyes is an instrumental group founded by Sergio Lara and Joe Reyes in 1989. It performed flamenco-influenced Latin guitar instrumental pieces. Their first album Two Guitars - One Passion released in 1992 under Talking Taco Records Record Label, the album was available only at the duo's concerts and in a limited number of record stores around their home of San Antonio, Texas, later the album was released in 1996 under Higher Octave Music Record Label. By the time Two Guitars - One Passion was released in San Antonio, both Joe Reyes and Sergio Lara were receiving top honors in the San Antonio News's annual media awards. Both have won the acoustic guitar category, for instance, and Sergio's mandolin playing won him a first place award in the miscellaneous instrument category. The two have won the San Antonio Current award as "Best Latin Band" for two years running.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TSR Records</span> American independent record label

TSR Records is an independent record label based in Tarzana, California, that produced many hit songs in the 1980s, especially dance music. Founded by Tom Hayden and his wife Suzanne. The name TSR is made up of the initials of Tom, Suzanne, and their son, Ryan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strunz & Farah</span>

Strunz & Farah is a guitar duo with an eclectic sound that has been described as a cross between world fusion and flamenco.

Armik, is an Iranian-Armenian American New Flamenco guitarist, producer and composer. Several of Armik's albums have reached Billboard's Top New Age Albums chart. A child prodigy, born in Iran of Armenian descent, at seven years old he pawned his watch for a classical guitar, which he hid and practiced on in the basement. By the age of nine, Armik had completed formal music lessons as well as a rigid instructional regimen. At the age of 12, he was a professional recording artist. He launched his solo career in 1994.

Shahin & Sepehr are an Iranian-American guitarist duo. Sepehr Haddad is also the author of the historical fiction novel, " A Hundred Sweet Promises" by Appleyard & Sons Publishing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Young & Rollins</span> Musical artist

Young & Rollins is a guitar duo, consisting of Daniel Young and Lawson Rollins, that performs and records original music which draws upon an eclectic mixture of salsa music, Latin jazz, blues, samba, bossa nova, flamenco, and classical styles. Their music can be broadly described as a melding of Nuevo Flamenco, World Music, and Latin Music genres. Daniel Young and Lawson Rollins began collaborating after meeting in Washington, D.C. in 1998. They came from different musical backgrounds - Rollins started out as a classically trained guitarist before moving into Latin American and flamenco guitar styles, while Young holds a degree in jazz from The New School in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vieux Farka Touré</span> Musical artist

Boureima "Vieux" Farka Touré is a Malian singer, composer and guitarist. He is the son of Malian musician Ali Farka Touré.

Luis Villegas is an American guitarist who released an album called Cafe Olé in 1996, which was nominated for the Best New Album award at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards in 1999. Villegas's style combines new-age music, flamenco, and jazz. He is known for using a technique of playing fast, intricate lines by using the fingernail of his right index finger in place of a guitar pick. He also had a small role as a member of a band in the film Collateral starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. He is currently a member of the group Heavy Mellow, along with founder Benjamin Woods and percussionist Mike Bennett.

Santoo Govi is a new age and ambient German American musician. Each of Govi's albums have reached Top 10 on Billboard's New Age chart.

<i>Espirito</i> 2010 studio album by Lawson Rollins

Espirito is the second album by Lawson Rollins. Rollins composed all of the music and co-produced the album with Persian-American musician and producer Shahin Shahida and multi-platinum producer Dominic Camardella. The cast of musicians includes the Grammy-nominated Brazilian singer Flora Purim, percussionist Airto Moreira, Iranian kamancheh player Kayhan Kalhor, and Grammy winners Charlie Bisharat on violin as well as Cuban drummer Horacio Hernandez.

The Touré-Raichel Collective was a musical group led by Malian singer and guitarist Vieux Farka Touré and Israeli singer and pianist Idan Raichel. The group's debut album, The Tel Aviv Session, was released on Cumbancha in March 2012.

Pavlo Simtikidis, often called simply Pavlo is a Greek-Canadian guitarist who plays, "a Mediterranean sound mixing the folkloric styles of Greek, Spanish and Latin music with pop sensibilities." Born in Toronto, Canada, he is the son of Greek immigrants, George & Freda Simtikidis, of Kastoria, Greece. His albums Pavlo and Fantasia certified Gold in Canada, and album Fantasia was nominated in 2001 for a JUNO Award for Best Instrumental Album.

<i>Elevation</i> (Lawson Rollins album) 2011 studio album by Lawson Rollins

Elevation is the third solo album by guitarist and composer Lawson Rollins. Rollins co-produced the album with Persian-American musician and producer Shahin Shahida and multi-platinum producer Dominic Camardella. The cast of 20 different musicians includes the Grammy winning violinist Charlie Bisharat, avant-garde electric guitarist Buckethead, Nepali sarangi player Kirin Nepali, Iranian vocalist Parsa Hassandokht, Nepali flute player Ruban Kumar Shrestha, Iranian santourist Pejman Eckhtiari, and Nepali tabla player Raju Maharjan. Associate producer William Aura of 3rd Force recorded the Nepali musicians in Kathmandu, Nepal. The Iranian musicians were recorded in Iran by co-producer Shahin Shahida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idan Raichel</span> Israeli musician

Idan Raichel is an Israeli singer-songwriter and musician known for his "Idan Raichel Project", distinctive for its fusion of electronics, traditional Hebrew texts, and diverse musical influences. Prior to the project, Raichel was a keyboardist, collaborating with artists such as Ivri Lider.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yo Nací Para Amarte</span> 1998 single by Alejandro Fernández

"Yo Nací Para Amarte" is a song written by Kike Santander and performed by Mexican recording artist Alejandro Fernández. It was co-produced by Santander and Emilio Estefan and was released as the fourth and final single by Sony Music Mexico from Me Estoy Enamorando in 1998. The song is a bolero-pop ballad with ranchera influences and portrays the singer confessing his love which he admits "goes beyond reason".

<i>At the Edge of the Beginning</i> 2015 studio album by Idan Raichel

At the Edge of the Beginning is the first solo album by Israeli musician Idan Raichel. It was released on 12 March 2015 by Helicon and Cumbancha records.

<i>Quarter to Six</i> 2013 studio album by the Idan Raichel Project

Quarter to Six is the fourth studio album by Israeli music group The Idan Raichel Project. It was released in March 2013 by Helicon in Israel and Cumbancha worldwide. The album features guest appearances by Andreas Scholl, Tamir Nachshon, Anat Ben Hamo, Idan Haviv, Ana Moura, Mira Awad, Vieux Farka Touré, Amir Dadon, Marta Gómez, Shai Tsabari, Liat Zion, and Ishay Ribo. It peaked at ninth place in Billboard's World Albums chart. In 2015, the album was certified 4× platinum in Israel, selling 120,000 copies.

References

  1. 1 2 "Espirito: An Extraordinary World Music Journey with Lawson Rollins". Wandering Educators. February 22, 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Lawson Rollins". All Music Guide. Retrieved May 30, 2011.
  3. 1 2 "LawsonRollinsBio". LawsonRollins.com. Retrieved December 13, 2014.
  4. ↑ "GuitarPlayerMagazine". GuitarPlayerMagazine.com. July 18, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Billboard Chart History". Nielsen Company. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Guitar Player Magazine article" (PDF). Guitar Player Magazine. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 2, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Infinita". Jazz Review. Retrieved November 12, 2010.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. ↑ "Lawson Rollins" (PDF). All About Jazz. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Review of Espirito" (PDF). All About Jazz. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 14, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  10. ↑ "YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Jazz Radio Chart Songs". Nielsen Company. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Moonlight Samba". Nielsen Company. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Infinita". Nielsen Company. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Flight". Nielsen Company. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Billboard Chart History". Nielsen Company. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  16. ↑ "BillboardChart". Nielsen Company. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  17. ↑ "RadioWaveChart" (PDF). RadioWave. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 10, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Jazz times, Volume 36, Issues 6-10". I. Sabin. 2006. p. 48.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  19. ↑ "Biography". Lawson Rollins. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  20. ↑ "Biography". Lawson Rollins. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  21. ↑ "AMG review". All Music Guide. Retrieved May 31, 2011.
  22. ↑ "Biography". Lawson Rollins. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  23. ↑ "NARAS member". Lawson Rollins. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  24. ↑ "Infinita Records". Infinita Records. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.