Zen Guitar in Guitar Player magazine!
Tobias Hurwitz, friend and long-time collaborator with Phil Sudo, has a short feature in the June 2005 issue of Guitar Player magazine, in which he references Phil's books and the Zen Guitar community. Tobias notes that "Zen Guitar is about finding one's self by playing the music that expresses one's true nature."

Pick up the magazine and read this great article for yourself!

 

Tobias Hurwitz’s new release, The Way of Zen Guitar, sonically illustrates the Zen Guitar concept with masterful guitar playing.

It features acoustic guitar compositions by Philip Toshio Sudo, and by Tobias Hurwitz, as well as a stunning version of The Flight of The Bumble Bee, as an electric guitar duet.

Hurwitz is joined by Terry Gourley, whose lovely voice is heard on the song Hope, and by Guy Dedell, whose inspired tabla drumming heats up the last track, Zen Guitar.  There is even a bonus play along track for any of you Zen Guitarists out there who want to jam with Tobias!  

Zen Guitar.com highly recommends this CD! Check it out!

Buy The Way of Zen Guitar now.

The second installment of the Zen Guitar: One Sound One Song Festival took place in New York City at the fabled Bowery Poetry Club on Saturday, October 9th, 2004.

The guiding light and spiritual father of the OSOS festival, Phil Toshio Sudo, was certainly present in spirit if not in body.

Many colleagues, fans, friends and ZG aficionados packed the house and added their considerable creative talents and support to the proceedings with performances that embodied the Zen Guitar philosophy and social & artistic interactions that have always been the bedrock of Sudo's work and efforts. The evening furthered the concept of an ever-expanding Zen Guitar Dojo with many people enjoying the archival videos, anecdotal stories and personal accounts of encounters and enduring relationships with the author/composer.

Some of the works performed were interpretations of the "One Song", complemented by readings from his four published books. Others were compositions inspired, informed or dedicated to the Original Zen Guitarist (OZG).

A sense of close-knit community was palpable, and the promise of expansion and redemption permeated all that transpired that evening.

The performances were focused and tasteful and addressed the matter at hand, namely the development and dissemination of the Zen Guitar PHILosophy.

Tobias Hurwitz, who was working with Sudo at the time of his passing on the Zen Guitar sequel "The Book Of Six Strings", performed solo and with Zen Guitar: The Next Generation (a group of youthful enthusiasts from Baltimore, Maryland). He spoke a healthy dose of ZG background and illustrated how to interpret Sudo's guitar approach into informed individualistic expression.

Deb DeSalvo, the "guitar goddess", paid homage to the sensei by evoking Shiva and urged all who might be disposed to pick up the musical axe to "Get Free."

Two New York based musical groups, Yard Sale Crisis and Shanghai Love Motel, captured the spirit of the evening with dedicated rock medleys addressing the various facets of the Zen Guitar dojo.

Felice Rosser and Nao Hakamada, two members of a band called Faith, wooed the crowd with soothing melodies and Felice's reassuring vocals, displaying both excellence and humility in one broad stroke.

Tracy Buell Sudo addressed the crowd with all the emotion & eloquence one would expect from Sudo's life partner.

Avant Garbage, the group which was the main vehicle for the author/composer's Zen Guitar expressions in the 1990s, performed a version of the "One Song" featuring guitarist Marc Stern, who tapped into his experience of performing with Sudo to reveal all that could be musically if he was with us today.

Melissa Brown leveled the vibe with her ZG tone poem.

Master of ceremonies, Salvatore Principato solidified the evening with personal anecdotes and idiosyncratic interpretations of the man and his work.

Readings from his four published books were read throughout the proceedings with Sudo's friend and videographer, "Dougie Doug" Houseman speaking volumes in a few short sentences & a chosen passage.

Images and interviews with the author were projected throughout.

click here for a slideshow


All in all big respect was given to the artist who gave us four insightful volumes, the "One Sound One Song' CD, and a damn good reason to keep our creative impulses unfettered and dominant in the day to day task of living this life to its fullest.

The New York Zen Guitar Dojo would like to urge all interested parties, both individual and collective, to organize any kind of manifestation of their choosing in order to express their appreciation and intention of furthering the efforts that Phil Toshio Sudo made in his lifetime.

For information and consultation:

salvatp@aol.com

(212) 477-8161

 

Seattle-based guitarist and singer/songwriter Clif Johnston graciously volunteered to build a new discussion forum for Zen Guitar to replace the experimental message board set up by Philip Toshio Sudo when he designed the original ZG site.

The new ZG Jam has much better functionality, including threaded message lists, multiple topic areas, user registration, searchable archives, and more. Please check it out and join in the discussion. The more Zen Guitar aficionados who join in, the livelier the talk, and the more useful the board will be!


From several continents, guitarists have united to raise money for Heifer International, a non-governmental organization devoted to sustainable solutions to world hunger.

Musicians generous enough to contribute their efforts to the project included blues guitar master Rockin' Jimmy Crimmins, best-selling guitar author Phil Toshio Sudo and New Jersey jazz maven Scott Lerner. With the help of dozens of others and many late nights with co-producer Eric Swanson, a disc of world, jazz and blues music was forged.

All expenses of production were picked up by the guitarists involved. The group solicited charitable donations to pay for a limited edition pressing of the disc. All proceeds from wholesale sales go directly to Heifer International.

For more information or to purchase a disc for this worthwhile cause, please see the Will Play Guitar for Food website.

Kokoro Ire is a new album from Dr. Maybe, which takes its title from the "Make a Statement" chapter of Zen Guitar; "kokoro ire" is translated in the book as "with the inclusion of the heart's spirit".

Dr. Maybe is channelled by Beirut-born guitarist and composer John Prusinski. A global nomad, steeped in ethnic traditions, psychedelic music, trance and electronica, he composed and recorded this album over a period of three years. The final touches were recorded in an isolated retreat in the wilds of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia in the summer of 2003.

Inspired by the writings of Philip Toshio Sudo and the Zen Guitar philosophy, John has also had the honor of being responsible for the new design of this website.

For more information and music samples from Kokoro Ire, please visit the Dr. Maybe website.