Eric Henderson, guitar 

Review of the Eric Henderson Concert by John F. Steiner

On October 25, the accomplished guitarist Eric Henderson performed before an audience of American Guitar Society members and others at Faith Lutheran Church in Canoga Park.

The program was thoughtfully and beautifully designed for an audience including many who make a serious study of music and the guitar. It interwove traditional classical standards by composers such as Sanz, Torroba, Granados, and Ponce with some of Henderson’s own compositions and with colorful diversions into popular music.

When introducing numbers, Henderson was intimate with the audience, sharing important life experiences and their emotional effects. Before playing his arrangement of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black,” he explained that when he began playing the guitar at age 6, his inspiration came from watching the landmark arrival of the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. Explaining another composition, “Winter,” he recounted a memorable walk in the streets of Madrid while skies thundered, and as he played it, his hand swept the strings in loud, powerful strokes, creating metaphorical magic. Prefacing another of his numbers, he told of returning home from the hospital after a life-threatening illness to compose “Grace,” a moving song of gratitude.

Other highlights of the evening were Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” and Bach’s “Lute Suite No. 1.” In contrast and adding variety Henderson played his arrangements of two entertaining pieces of popular music, the surf rock standard “Pipeline,” and Jimi Hendrix’s genre-bending “Little Wing,” elevating both to complex masterpieces of creative technique and special effects.

Ending the evening’s program Henderson was joined by supporting musicians Richard Bredice (electric guitar), Jimmy Perez (bass guitar), and Frank Continola (drums) to perform several more of his compositions including “Cowboys in Spain,” a piece inspired by his love of spaghetti western scores and “Flamenco Surf,” a flamboyant finale that filled the sanctuary and inspired a standing ovation.

Truly, it was a noteworthy evening. Throughout, Henderson exhibited mastery of both traditional and innovative techniques, performing with force, imagination, and spirit, even as throughout the evening he developed a friendship with the audience in telling the story of his musical journey through life. In the end, all were grateful that long, long ago a young boy sat by a flickering black-and-white image as Ed Sullivan introduced some musicians from England.