The First Stick Center in Spain

Next March 2002, we'll start informing, teaching and promoting the Stick in the 1st Stick Player's Centre in Spain. This experience started in Argentina with Guillermo Cides, a pioneer in the world of Stick Concerts, with which he toured around the world. During the past 10 years, Cides did an "artwork" spreading the word from musician to musician in free informative meetings for all those interested in knowing the Stick, how it's played, the secrets it hidden in those 10 strings, its history, its technique and its interesting concept for musicians all over the world. At present, Cides represents Stick Enterprises California in Argentina and in Spain.

The Stick is a mixture of bass and guitar that is played with a piano logic and is tapped with both hand's fingers (tapping) making the musician a sound and tact percussionist. Four instruments in one, created in the 70's by Californian luthier Emmet Chapman, who at present manufactures every instrument musicians order. The instrument was made popular at first by Tony Levin in his appearances with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel, and later used in recordings by musicians as John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Bruce Cockburn, David Sylvian, Thoya Wilcox, and Yes, among others.

The 90's saw the first concert players and solo records among which Cides was one of the most active artists with his Cds "El mundo interior de los planetas", "Primitivo" and the brilliant "The Bach Tribute" played only with Sticks. He was invited to play with musicians such as Roger Hodgson, Emerson, Like & Palmer, Fish, John Wetton, Rick Wakeman and toured around the world presenting his own show (Holanda; U.K; Andorra; U.S.A; Espana; Ecuador; Costa Rica; Peru; Uruguay; Brasil; Chile; Bolivia). Its artistica activity of these last years in Spain was reflected in the press through its interviews in the magazines Guitar Player; Guitarist; Total Guitar; Beat & Bit; the nationals news paper El Mundo; El Pais; El Periodico. I n September 2001, Radio 3 concerts in TV2 presented Cides with the first Ensamble of Spanish Stick Players formed for the occasion. He was playing in Festival de la Guitarra espanola de Cordoba; Festival de Jazz de Terrassa; U-zona Reegae; Festival de Musica Etnica de Menorca, among others .

Now he founds this Stick Players Centre with the aim of presenting this new form of artistic expression to musicians. The first step will be a meeting for all those who wish to know about the Stick, where we will show different models, tunings, techniques, microphones, as well as its history and answering all the questions of the musicians. Of course, there'll also be a performance by Guillermo Cides. Summing up, something new in the world of music.

We appreciate the promotion of this event.

The first objective of this Center will be, as it is custom, to the not-stickistas in its first phase. It will be the point of contact in the Spanish/English language for the musicians who wish to know about still not known instrument Chapman Stick and his art, forming an Assembly of Stickistas like part of the learning, and maintaining the instruction to initiated stickistas. (Soon we will make our first European Seminary for musicians that they execute or they wish to execute the Tap-Technique).

Aula de Musica Moderna i Jazz en Barcelona presents:
OFFICIAL PRESENTATION OF THE STICK PLAYERS' CENTRE
AND INVITES YOU NEXT
MARCH 7TH, 8 PM. FREE ADMISSION
CARRER MONTORNES 37. (08023) BARCELONA / TEL: 93 2111062

Our Mailing List is of approx 5,000 users. If you wish, you can send your activities to the Stick Players Center and we will include them in our habitual information.

David Calvano (Web Press)
stickcenter@hotmail.com