Les Paul: Live In New York - Film Premier August 2010

Les Paul: Live In New York premiers this Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010 at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. It hits the stores 8/24*.

I've been viewing an advance copy for a couple days, and this is a great film! Anyone who's seen the earlier released Chasing Sound documentary is really gonna love this one, also produced by John Paulson.

Live in NY focuses on Les Paul's later performances at NYC's Iridium Jazz Club, including various guest spots from his 90th birthday bash in '05. These shows are extremely well filmed with excellent sound, editing and camera angles.

Joined onstage by Steve Miller, Keith Richards, Tommy Emmanuel & others, Les always steals the show and keeps everyone laughing. From a guitarist's perspective, the playing and tone are on the money. In spite of advanced arthritis in his hands, Les always manages to phrase and accent where it counts, including playing off the riffs of his guests. His intonation and sound are dialed in. The neck pickup in his guitar looks like a single coil, is angled like a Strat bridge pickup and installed as far forward at possible.

Additional menu features include elaborate interviews with Bonnie Raitt, Steve Miller, Tony Bennett, Tommy Emmanuel and Bucky Pizzarelli. Tommy & Bucky with guitars in hand, provide demonstrations of Les' playing technique. Other bonus features include early footage with Mary Ford.

Where Chasing Sound gives you a time line and solid background on Les Paul's overall contributions, Les Paul: Live In New York really shines with rich performance sections, stage banter and guest interview spots. A five star production overall!

Special thanks to Scott at Questar Entertainment for this review opportunity.

*Available for pre-order/order at Amazon.com:

Les Paul: Live in New York
(Regular DVD or Blu-ray)

Also stay tuned to iTunes, Netflix, Blockbuster, etc.

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