Bob Brozman in the UK
From Aberdeen to Isle of Wight, from Belfast to Margate, Bob has had a long and wide musical relationship with the United Kingdom since his first show there in 1989.
Bob hit the ground running - literally - in the UK. Invited by Mike Cooper, under the advice of French avant-garde slide guitarist Cyril Lefevre, Bob came to play at the Institute of Contemporary Art on a very rainy autumn night 1989. His flight from California was delayed 8 hours, so after changing into his stage clothes in the airport WC, Bob arrived onstage and, according to those present, "exploded with energy" at his first show in the UK. In that one night, Bob helped redefine in England what a solo concert with National guitars could be. Over the next few years, Bob deepened his understanding of British culture and the subtleties of its humor, developing a warm rapport with his audiences there.
A few months before, Bob had been contacted by Gary Atkinson in regards to working on Bob's History and Artistry of National Resophonic Instruments, and wound up not only working on the book, but becoming Bob's UK agent and manager for the next several years and a few hundred concerts. The trials and tribulations of several intense road tours of the UK resulted in Bob and Gary remaining lifelong friends. Gary presently runs the well known Blues label Document Records.
Bob has toured the UK annually since 1989, covering thousands of miles and logging over 350 concerts and festivals, including several appearances at the WOMAD festivals. During the course of these tours, Bob had the pleasure of meeting nearly all of the British Blues, folk, and world music "mafias," especially the British resophonic guitar community.
Bob's presence in the UK has expanded considerably in the current decade. The international releases of four world music collaboration CDs with the World Music Network label in London has garnered accolades in the national press including extensive BBC airplay and interviews. Starting in the early 1990s with the small blues and guitar magazines, Bob has been featured in all the major UK newspapers (excluding the Sunday Sport, of course) and all the leading music magazines, including fRoots, Songlines, Guitarist, Guitar Magazine, and Mojo.
Bob has also introduced many of his international friends such as René Lacaille, Takashi Hirayasu, and Djeli Moussa Diawara to the UK for performances and recordings, as well.
In June 2004, at a sold out show at the Barbican in London, Bob hosted a evening with all three of his fellow World Music Network collaborators: Debashish & Subhashis Bhattacharya, Rene Lacaille Quartet, and Takashi Hirayasu.
This year as well, he was nominated for the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards 2004 in the genre 'Boundary Crossing'.
Bob's live solo concerts in the UK are managed by NEM Productions, and in Ireland by Moving On Music. Following his sold-out tour in 2003 and an even bigger tour of the UK and Ireland in 2004, Bob's next tour of the UK in October 2005 also sold out. His May 2006 Ireland/Northern Ireland tour was another resounding success. Bob's November 2006 UK tour sold out across the country, and the next UK tour is scheduled for November 2007. See Bob's Tour Schedule for details.
A brand new CD with World Music Network, featuring the orchestrated Bob, releases July 17, 2007 worldwide.
More Links...
World Music Network releases:
Mahima with Debashish Bhattacharya
Dig Dig with Rene Lacaille
Nankuru Naisa with Takashi Hirayasu
Jin Jin with Takashi Hirayasu
World Music Network
Document Records
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