Woody Mann

On 8th June, a week earlier than usual to accomodate his hectic UK tour dates, Penarth Acoustic Club are hosting the magnificent American guitarist and singer/songwriter Woody Mann, currently on tour in the UK and making his only South Wales appearance here in Penarth.

Woody received his first musical schooling in the living room of Reverend Gary Davis, the legendary blues, gospel and ragtime guitarist. He complemented the tutelage of Rev. Davis with formal training at New York’s celebrated Juilliard School and in addition, completed a period of intense study with noted Chicago-born pianist Lennie Tristano, who introduced him to the world of jazz and its infinite possibilities.

During this time, Woody’s early musical grounding began to blossom into an improvisational style all his own. Since then, he has pursued a rich and diverse career that has included playing with jazz great Attila Zoller, giving guitar lessons to Paul Simon, performing in over fifteen countries, and recording eleven albums, ranging from 1994’s “Stories” to 2008’s “Road Trip. With his diversity as a singer/songwriter, jazz and blues guitarist, and composer, a recent review in Sing Out magazine describes it best: “Mann blurs the line between jazz, blues, classical, and world music creating his own sound in the process. Attempts to categorize his music simply misses the point. This is brilliant playing that demands to be heard." Acknowledging his artistry, the famed C.F. Martin guitar company has honoured Woody with the recent release of the “Woody Mann” signature model guitar.

One of the best-known and most admired proponents of American Guitar, this will be at least the fourth time that Woody has performed in Penarth, having first graced the stage of the Conservative Club back in 1991, as guest of Penarth Folk/Blues Club. It’s been 7 years since his last visit, so in the words of a review in The Times: “Don’t miss a chance to see him; you are unlikely to hear anything - or anyone - better in the fields that Mann has chosen to master.”

Providing spoken-word support will be Cardiff-born Bob Walton. His first collection of poems, Workings, won the Welsh Arts Council New Poet Award in 1978 but, for reasons which are still a mystery to him, he stopped writing for almost twenty years.

Robert resumed writing in the late 90s, initially working with artists in other media – music, dance, storytelling, film and installation. In 2008 he wrote the poetry voice-over for the television drama-documentary Fighting to the End (BBC2 Wales), and his latest collection of poetry, Sax Burglar Blues, was published last October by Seren Books.

Doors open at 19:30 upstairs at Penarth Conservative Club. Tickets are available from Pencerdd Music or Griffin Books in Penarth, in Spillers Records in Cardiff, or online via the club’s website at www.penarthacoustic.club, where full details of all events can be obtained.