Album Notes

Combined with his career as a concert recitalist in possession of an extensive musical repertoire spanning five centuries from the Renaissance through to the 20th century, Jeff also enjoys the reputation of being a fine flamenco and jazz guitarist making him without doubt one of the most versatile guitarists in the UK.

Aside from his solo activity, Jeff performs in a variety of ensemble settings. As a flamenco guitarist, he regularly performs with Steve Homes and has many original flamenco compositions to his name.

Jeff has recorded two CDs to date. His first, “20th Century Guitar” (2005) was received to high acclaim and features some of the finest repertoire of the 20th century. His second solo release, which will be released in late 2007, features music by Iberian and Latin American composers. Future releases include a CD devoted to guitar music from the 16th to 19th century as well as a flamenco CD of Jeff’s original compositions.

Born in Canada to Portuguese parents, Jeff Rodrigues studied guitar with renowned guitarists Norbert Kraft and Jeff McFadden and received his Bachelor of Music in Performance from the University of Toronto. He also studied jazz and flamenco guitar with Rob Bulger and Pepe Haro, respectively. Upon completing his studies, Jeff moved to Europe and has been based in the London since 1998. As well as having given recitals throughout the UK, Jeff has also performed in Canada, Portugal, Spain and Italy.

In early 2007, Jeff was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Schools of Music (FRSM) in Music Performance, one of the few guitarists to receive the coveted accolade.

Jeff's debut CD release focuses on masterpieces of the guitar written in the 20th century. From little jewels such as Henze's "Drei Tentos" and British guitar classics by Lennox Berkeley and Richard R. Bennett, through to the haunting, brooding spanish sounds of Rodrigo, Falla and Ohana, the listener is offered a diverse retrospective of the some of the most defining music in modern guitar history.

Of '20th Century Guitar', acclaimed guitarist Paul Gregory wrote:

"I strongly recommend the CD by Jeff Rodrigues '20th Century Guitar'. The programme includes many of the very best compositions from the century and one or two unjustly neglected gems such as the 'Homanaje a Toulouse-Lautrec' by Eduardo Sainz de la Maza and the master miniature 'Tiento' by Maurice Ohana. The playing is clean and precise throughout. The recorded sound is always pleasing. The musical line is very well controlled and takes one seamlessly through the music. The only negative is that it ends! A major recording company should jolly well take this up..."