NEW ALBUM 'NYMPH SUITE & OTHER STORIES' AVAILABLE NOW
DEBUT ALBUM 'TO SLEEP (FAREWELL SONGS)' AVAILABLE NOW
My influences are very broad, but most certainly include Debussy, Ravel, Poulenc, Rachmaninov, Pierre Bensusan, Ralph Towner, Tommy Emmanuel, John Fahey, Django Reinhardt, Paco De Lucia, Gerardo Nunez, Paulo Bellinati, Isaac Albeniz, Makam, Kolinda, Talisman, Balogh Kalman, Taraf De Haidouks, Kali Jag, Ion Petre Stoican, Aphex Twin, Autechre, Slint, King Crimson, Tool, Alice In Chains, Helmet, Meshuggah, Blind Melon, early Smashing Pumpkins, Guns n' Roses, Nirvana, Queen, Don Cabalero, Rumah Sakit, Bjork, James Orr Complex, Joni Mitchell, Led Zeppelin, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Nick Drake, Billy Holiday, Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Wes Montgomery, John Coltrane, Art Tatum, Dave Brubeck, God Speed You Black Emperor, Steve Reich, Nick Bartch, Stefan Micus, Astor Piazzolla, music of the Gypsies from all around the world, dark cinema, lushious artwork, epic literature, science, philosophy, theology, the whole spectrum of human emotion and lifelong experience, the world and all it is surrounded by (sorry if i missed anything out).
Sounds Like
"...an emerging acoustic instrumentalist with blazing technique, ensuring the fingerpicking tradition remains in safe hands." - Owen Bailey, Guitarist Magazine 2006.
"...a brilliantly talented young artist, with a broad palette of styles mixed seamlessly together on this album...anyone with an appreciation for the fusion of ideas should love ‘To Sleep’.” – Sam Wise, Acoustic Magazine 2006
"...he'll be a name to know in the future if he keeps this up: remember you heard it here first!" - Guitar & Bass
" A breath of fresh air, indispensable..." - J.V, Guitarra Total 2007
"Westwood is prodigiously talented and able to create musical landscapes that are abstract, yet always energetic." - Patrick Regains, Minor 7th 2006.
"...an astonishing acoustic guitar talent, Lee Westwood presents his very own approach to music. Lee surely impresses as a guitar player and composer, as well as with his new album 'To Sleep'. Check him out!" - Henk de Veldhuis, Bridge Guitar Reviews 2006.
"Thank goodness for Lee Westwood, whose 'To Sleep (Farewell Songs)' will have guitar players giving up in despair and the rest of us delighted.
Very rarely is technical wizardry on an instrument used to say something
that otherwise could not be said. Lee manages that and it's a pleasure to
hear. One man, an acoustic and (apparently) four hundred thousand
fingers." - Giles Duffy, Rocks Magazine 2006.
Born in January 1982, Lee Westwood is a composer and fingerstyle guitarist based in Brighton, UK. He writes music predominantly for solo guitar, but also for other instruments such as flute, cello and voice. His music draws influence from the worlds of Folk, Jazz and Classical, being very diverse, yet maintaining a sound particular to himself.
Lee has toured extensively around the UK and Spain over the last 4 years, also appearing on countless radio shows, and has opened for artists such as Waterson Carthy, Tim Van Eyken, Pierre Bensusan, Nick Harper, Gavin Moore, Joe West and Julian Dawson. Lee's compositions were also performed by award-winning guitarist Gerard Mapstone in Tyalgum Classical Music Festival, Australia.
On the release of his debut album 'To Sleep', Guitarist magazine published an interview with Lee Westwood (see Album Reviews Blog). Other articles include Guitar & Bass magazine, Guitarra Total, Acoustic magazine, Rocks magazine, and online review sites such as Minor 7th and Bridge Guitar Reviews. In 2006 Lee also appeared on Cuatrosfera, a Spanish national television program.
'To Sleep' (2006) is a solo guitar album featuring flute by Philippe Barnes, and artwork by Adam Oehlers (see top 24 friends).
'Nymph Suite & Other Stories (2008) is a departure from the first album, in that it explores Lee's ensemble works, and contains varying lineups for guitar, flute, violin, cello and double bass. The title suite is comprised of three pieces for flute and guitar, with accompanying artwork by Nom Kinnear King (see top 24 friends) and poetry by Goon.
A new solo album is underway, and is due to be released by the summer of 2009. Expect more music for solo guitar, and even some singing. Keep watching this site for more details.
Lee is available for performances, tuition and transcriptions. You can find music samples from this site or www.lee-westwood.com, both in audio format, and in notation/tablature. If it leaves you thirsty for more, pick up a copy of the new CD here (see BUY NOW button to left), or online at www.lee-westwood.com. All pieces are available in notation/tablature.
Aside of the guitar, Lee also plays percussion, hammered dulcimer and flute.
moulettes on 6 0 clock sharp no faffing this time!
plus: beautiful jewellery and charming garments for sale and mystery djs for a boogaloo moreover oats and beards latest publication and last den free cd! x x
hi lee, great to catch up tonight, your set was amazing as ever, hope you made the train connection... i've just got back... just managed to stay awake!!!
Ei qué pasa por aqui? Desde el 23 de mayo al 4 de junio, vamos a tener en nuestro mypsace lo que creemos que es la joyita de nuestro primer Ep, es el momento de escucharla celebrando los cumpleaños de Ricardo y de Kike. A ver cómo va lo cosa, se llama Hippie ;-) Y creemos que le da al myspace un ambientazo cumpleañero que es de lo que se trata no?
greetings lee and cheers for the add,i saw you play at the barbican with philippe barnes and it was the highlight of the event for me.excellent music.your album is great too.respect and all the best to ya....
TWILIGHT FOLK PRESENTS... THE SONS OF NOEL AND ADRIAN with support from Shoreline “Having long shared a passion for rich, layered and intricate guitar music, the Sons’ deep musical exploration has quickly developed into a unique and mesmerizing style, brooding on the dark fringes of folk, crossing genres and quickly setting them apart from their contemporaries…" Following a string of monumental live shows across the country in the summer including performances at End of The Road Festival (main stage), Moseley Folk Festival and showcases at The Big Chill, the Sons are now preparing to elevate their soulful and intimate live experience to higher plains as they gear up for their first ever UK & European headline tour AND the world-wide launch of their debut album on April 20th 2009...
“Shoreline take a refreshing dip into the waters of new folk with a nine piece ensemble predominantly made up of members hewn from the WILLKOMMEN COLLECTIVE. Boasting Brighton's finest strings section, textural guitars weaving through plaintive banjo and the stunning voices of Beatrice Sanjust , James De Malplaquet and Jacob Richardson . Shoreline make their mark as indisputable bearers of the new folk crown. “
For fans of..... Jim O' Rourke, Tortoise, Stereolab, James yorkston, Joanna Newsome, Bonnie Prince Billy, Adem, The Dylan Group, Fridge, Calexico, Beirut, The Leisure Society etc......
LIVE AT ORANGE STREET MUSIC CLUB CANTERBURY Weds 22nd APRIL
Ya tenemos en nuestro myspace un par de sorpresitas para escuchar de lo que hemos estado grabando, así que... Esperamos que te/os guste. El vierens 24 habrá más en el Círculo de arte (toledo), a las 22 horas, entrada gratuita! Además que allí podréis adquirir la maqueta. Nos vemos en nada. Ciao
Hi Lee, I very much enjoyed your set @Ram Jam last night; some seriously impressive composition & playing (I like your tunes also!). "To Sleep" has just gone to into my favourite CDs pile. Cheers - Rick.
