California Guitar Trio and Montreal Guitar Trio Play Harris Center Tonight

California Guitar Trio (CGT) and Montreal Guitar Trio (MG3) feature six virtuoso guitarists from CGT and MG3. Representing four countries (Japan, Canada, Belgium, and U.S.), they fuse over 40 years of combined performing experience into one unique six-by-6-string 'phenomensemble' and one very exciting evening for Harris Center for the Arts audiences in Folsom.

CGT's steel stringed-guitars blend naturally with MG3's nylon-stringed guitars, as each trio frets boards, and chase the others' original compositions and new arrangements of progressive rock, world, jazz and classical music. Inspired in 2010 by an impromptu studio session together in Montreal, CGT and MG3 have proceeded to release a live recording (2011), land showcases at numerous arts presenter conferences, and sustain frequent co-bill touring throughout North America; from the Iridium in New York City, to Montreal Jazz Festival (twice), to Napa Valley Opera House. The two trios toured again in 2012/13, visiting 20 cities (and counting) in the United States and Canada.

California Guitar Trio & Montreal Guitar Trio performs tonight, November 11, 2014 at 7 pm. Tickets are priced at $19-$29; Premium $39; Students with ID $12. Tickets are available online at www.harriscenter.net or from the Harris Center Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from 10 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday, and two hours before show time. Parking is included in the price of the ticket. Harris Center is located on the west side of Folsom Lake College campus in Folsom, CA, facing East Bidwell Street.

The California Guitar Trio's relentless passion for following the muse has served it well. The acoustic group's fearless multi-genre explorations have driven 14 albums and nearly 1,500 gigs across its 22-year career. It has also proven that a zero-compromise musical approach can yield an ever-expanding audience. The Los Angeles Times praises the trio as "Winning, energetic and highly accessible..." Comprising Bert Lams of Affligem, Belgium, Hideyo Moriya of Chiba, Japan, and Paul Richards of Utah, USA, the group crisscrosses the universes of rock, jazz, world music, surf music, and classical music in its performances and recordings.

The trio met while participating in Robert Fripp's Guitar Craft courses in 1987. They first toured together as part of Fripp's League of Crafty Guitarists, an orchestra of acoustic players that served as exponents of the King Crimson founder's teachings, compositions, and performance approach. In 1991, they founded the California Guitar Trio, which initially gained notoriety opening for the likes of King Crimson, John McLaughlin, and David Sylvian. They have fans in high places too. The crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavour used their pieces as wake-up music.

Recent years has found the group working with the Montreal Guitar Trio. The acts perform both independently and in a dazzling six-guitar format during gigs. They play arrangements of each other's material, as well as innovative takes on rock standards. The collaboration has also yielded the concert recording +Live [CGT 2011].

When it comes to bridging diverse genres of music, Montreal Guitar Trio (MG3), which CBC described as "the hottest guitar ensemble in Canada," has quickly established itself as a force to be reckoned with. For more than 14 years, the trio's virtuosity, rigor, creativity, and dynamic stage presence have been winning applause around the world. As the Cairns Post states,"The Montreal Guitar trio delights at every turn..." They won the 2011 Opus Prize for concert of the year in the Jazz / World Music category. They have given hundreds of concerts in prestigious venues in North America, Europe, New Zealand, and Australia, including the BB King Blues Club in New York, the Rundetårnet in Copenhagen, and the legendary Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

MG3 (guitarists Glenn Lévesque, Marc Morin and Sébastien Dufour), released their fourth CD, Cambria (©2011). This album contains six original tracks and three covers, including the legendary "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" by George Harrison and "The Mexican" by Babe Ruth. Once again, MG3 sails past the formulaic boundaries that usually limit guitar trios, while charming ears and capturing hearts of seasoned critics and ever-expanding audiences.

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