This video features Andrés Segovia performing Bach’s Gavottes I and II from the Sixth Cello Suite (BWV 1012), which he transcribed for guitar himself. Filmed in 1976 when he was 84 years old, it was shot at the historic Alhambra palace in Granada, Spain—his childhood city—and is part of the documentary Andrés Segovia: The Song of the Guitar. A fun tidbit: despite his advanced age, Segovia delivers the lively Gavotte I transitioning seamlessly into the more subdued Gavotte II around the 1:54 mark, proving why he’s credited with elevating the classical guitar from a folk instrument to a respected concert staple, all while performing up to 160 shows a year in his
I stand by my words. But don’t argue with me. Argue with one of the founders of Rock n Roll: The legendary Chuck Berry. Ray Charles also said “..Rap is not my kind of music.”..,I win!
Jethro Tull performing “Bourée” for French Television in 1969
“Bourée” is an instrumental and a flute-based adaptation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Bourrée”. The Bach version was written for lute, and is his fifth movement of the Suite in E minor for Lute. Also known as “Aufs Lautenwercke” (works for the Lute), Bach wrote the piece in the early 1700s. In an interview, Ian Anderson explained why he decided to adapt the Bach composition. He said: “I got to the point where I was playing the flute every night on stage in the early part of ‘68, and so by the end of the year, I was casting around for an instrumental piece as a successor to the Roland Kirk piece, ‘Serenade to a Cuckoo,’ which I’d been playing most of 1968. I wanted something that had a syncopated jazzy feel, but a melody that wasn’t associated with the jazz world or the blues world. And ‘Bourée’ was a little bit of music that came to me through the floorboards of my bedsitter in London, because there was a media student in the room below who kept playing over and over again this refrain of the Bach tune “Bourée.” He played it on classical guitar, but he only ever got the one bit, he never progressed beyond that basic thing. So I kept hearing that over and over and over and over again, and decided that I would try to use that little tune some way as a starting point for an instrumental piece. And Martin Barre, who literally at that point in January ‘69 was just kind of auditioning to join the band, said, ‘Oh, I know that. I think I’ve got the sheet music somewhere for Bach’s ‘Bourée.’’ So it was something we could fairly readily embark upon as a variation on a classical piece of music.”
One of the funniest short stories of Rock ‘n’ Roll history. David Bowie doing an impression of Mick Jagger. This always makes me laugh!
David Bowie, born 8th January 1947.
Happy Holidays to all and thanks for supporting Sonoramics in 2025. We look forward to adding more friends and venues in the new year.
Christmas falls on a Thursday this year, so we hope you'll spend the evening with us (as usual) at The Fling starting at 9PM.
I Want to let you all know that on Saturday, September 6th my Jukebox (expanded version) will be playing the Summerstage at 8 PM--surprises in store! And, of course, at the Springsteen Archives all week we're celebrating the 50th anniversary of the album Born To Run. Come celebrate with us!