Latest news with #Bensusan
Associated Press
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
French guitar virtuoso Pierre Bensusan returns for his 50th anniversary tour
Currently on tour in China, the French superstar guitar legend launches his North American revisit June 7th in Los Angeles 'Pierre is one of my favorite guitarists. He has created a new way of playing and is the king of the DADGAD tuning.'— Michael Hedges NASHVILLE, TN, UNITED STATES, April 15, 2025 / / -- Multi-award winning acoustic guitar virtuoso Pierre Bensusan is returning to North America for his 'One Guitar - One Voice' 50th anniversary tour. The French-Algerian is considered a superstar in Europe, and is a popular return performer in countries such as China. One of the world's most eloquent World Music artists of our time, Pierre is known as 'Mister DADGAD' for his mastery of the unique guitar tuning style. When Michael Hedges titles one of his compositions 'Bensusan', you know that the inspiration behind it must be special and Pierre Bensusan certainly is. Guitarists from Leo Kottke to Larry Corryel, to Tuck Andress, Tommy Emmanuel, Mark Knopfler, Andrew York, Andy Timmons, to Steve Lukather… have sung his praises, and Steve Vai released three Bensusan albums on his label Favored Nations. And it's not just guitarists who are so inspired by Pierre's music, as a recent studio collaboration with him on Donny Osmond's latest album 'Start Again' goes to show. Pierre begins his US and Canadian tour June 7th, after shows in China, the UK and Switzerland. The tour will stretch from British Columbia to the Atlantic Ocean in the Southeast, from Southern California to the tip of Nova Scotia, and everywhere in between. Click for tour dates. Pierre's Media EPK: English EPK French EPK 'Listening to Pierre's music is rejuvenating.' Steve Vai 'This is beautiful... Pierre is one of the GREATS!!!' Tommy Emmanuel Cgp. 'Pierre Bensusan's music is a true inspiration.' Suzanne Vega 'With only his steel-string-acoustic guitar – and sometimes his rich, affecting voice – Mr Bensusan can disassemble your heart and hand it back to you restored and renewed. As he did to mine tonight. A true giant.' James Volpe Rotondi (former senior editor, Guitar Player Magazine) For further info, please contact Cletis Carr at CPR Artists Nashville. [email protected] Cletis Carr CPR Artists +1 615-801-2718 [email protected] Visit us on social media: Other Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content 'as is' without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Sky News
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Blue Note Jazz Club boss says restrictive licensing laws are killing music after late licence refused
The boss of an iconic jazz bar says he's been left "surprised" and "confused" after his late licence application for a London site was turned down, making him question support for live music in the capital. Steven Bensusan - president of Blue Note Entertainment Group and son of the original Blue Note Cafe founder Danny Bensusan - told Sky News: "If they're not giving us a late licence, I can't imagine how they would be supportive of other smaller venues, which are important for the ecosystem in general. "For music to survive and continue to thrive and grow, you need the feeder venues. They need the smaller venues, and you need the venues like the Blue Note. It's important for the music." The planned venue at a former gym on St Martin's Lane, Covent Garden, had been set to become the bar's flagship European site. The club had applied to Westminster City Council to remain open until 1am serving alcohol. However, in February, the Met Police objected to the jazz club's application over fears it could cause an "uptick in crime". Responding to the refusal, Mr Bensusan said: "In every city that we've ever opened the club they've rolled out the red carpet and really tried to go above and beyond and want us there because they realise that we're good for the economy. "We generate a lot of jobs and we bring not just nightlife but a cultural moment to the city. I've never experienced this before." 'There seems to be a bigger problem' Many of the capital's nightlife venues have been struggling since the pandemic and Brexit, amid the cost of living crisis, rising rents and decreasing footfall. Mr Bensusan says the rejection of his late licence highlights a bigger issue: "There seems to be a problem in general. A lot of music venues have closed over the years since COVID and they're not coming back. Many people believe it has to do with a lot of restrictive policies like this." While Mr Bensusan has flagged the "more mature and respectful" nature of the jazz audience, police concerns seem to be around guests falling prey to crime rather than perpetrating it. In their objection, the Met said jazz fans "leaving the venue late at night" could become a target for phone snatchers as well as illegal taxis who "prey on vulnerable, intoxicated lone females". Local residents also urged councillors to limit the venue's closing time to 11pm, with one saying they feared "inebriated" club visitors, "disorientated by their emergence into the cool night air" would be "immediately vulnerable to the gangs of criminals who already prey on similar groups of people in the Soho area". Mr Bensusan says a proposed closing time of 11.30pm would be "impossible", and would not allow for musicians to play two sets per night. He said he was also "a little confused" as to why the Blue Note was denied a 1am licence while others in the area had a later licence. For comparison, Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club just down the road in Soho has a licence up to 3am. Mr Bensusan has now filed an appeal. A petition set up by a jazz fan in support of the club has so far attracted over 2,500 signatures. Plans to nurture emerging talent The Blue Note site in London had proposed a 250-capacity main showroom "featuring legendary artists", plus a smaller 100-capacity room to showcase emerging artists. Mr Bensusan told Sky News: "There are so many great UK artists that we want to help build. I think we can do that given the platform that we have, and our ability to tour some of the artists to markets where we are around the world." Many UK artists who have played in the Blue Note clubs over the years, including Ezra Collective, Jamie Cullum and Nubya Garcia, have since found international success. Mr Bensusan says he wants "to help that continue to grow". He goes on: "Our goal is to focus on the best artists from around the world and give them the platform to play long runs. They're not just coming to the city for a concert and then leaving. Typically, our runs go between four and six nights a week, for two shows per night." The original Blue Note Jazz Cafe opened in 1981 in New York City, and now has nine sister venues around the world including in Tokyo, Shanghai and Milan. A new venue in LA will open this summer. The bigger nightlife picture A 2024 report from the Night Time Industries Association showed the UK night-time cultural economy was worth £33.3bn, down from £37.2bn in 2019. The association says that over the past four years, the UK has lost 37% of its clubs, which works out at a rate of around 10 clubs per month. And last year, City Hall was told by industry representatives that night venues were being pushed to the brink of closure due to issues including strict licensing laws. In response, London mayor Sadiq Khan has set up a dedicated "nightlife taskforce", made up of 11 independent industry professionals, to address issues facing the industry. They will be advised by bodies including the Met Police and Transport For London. In support of Blue Note's renewed application, the Music Venue Trust said: "Having a new grassroots music venue in Westminster is extremely important both for a sense of community the venue brings to its local community and also the mental health benefits of being able to attend and enjoy grassroots music and arts. "Through our engagement with West End Jazz Limited (Blue Note Jazz Club) we have viewed the proposals for the space which contain absolute commitments to grassroots live music programming." The next steps as to the future of the club should be known over the coming months.
