Chet Atkins, Tommy Emmanuel - Day Finger Pickers Took Over the World
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Music CD Cover Artist: Chet Atkins, Tommy Emmanuel Edition: Music CD Audio: English (Unknown) CD Release Date: 2008-02-01 Music Label: Sbme Special Mkts. Soundtracks:
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Free Music Notes for Day Finger Pickers Took Over the World Album
Free Music Review: The Torch is Handed Off Before Our Very Ears
Hit: 4 Stars
If you're reading this I'm going to assume you already know that Chet Atkins was known as "Mr. Guitar" for a reason. If you didn't know I'll go ahead and spot you the knowledge that Tommy Emmanuel is an Aussie who first heard Chet forty years ago and thought "hold EVERYTHING", then began working his way towards emulating his hero.
The Day Finger Pickers Took Over The World, from 1997, was Chet's last recording. It does not showcase the best playing of either gentleman, but it is important nonetheless.
A little technical background: so what IS this "Finger Picking"? Probably the first well-known player in this style was Merle Travis. The technique involves using a thumb-pick (like a banjo player), but no other picks. The other four fingers can be used, but predominantly the index and middle fingers are used. In Travis-style (Atkins and Emmanuel are both superlative disciples) the thumb alternates on the lower strings, playing a base line, while the other fingers are allotted to melody on the higher strings. Chords are worked out and shared between the fingers, but when done with exceptional proficiency, the effect is as if two or more guitars are playing at the same time.
The tunes here vary between beautiful and humorous rather than concentrating on "hot". (Chet was 73 at the time.) The funny cuts include the title track and "Ode to Mel Bay", a tongue-in-cheek homage to the prolific author of millions of guitar instruction books. The hottest cut is Tiptoe Through The Bluegrass, with several jaw-dropping runs and hot licks. Most of the rest of the material falls into the category of "beautiful music", and one of the characteristics of both Chet and Tommy is that aside from their technical virtuosity, they have a wonderful touch and feel for the music. Classical players might call it "dynamics", but I'd say it has more to do with being emotionally in touch with the material they're performing.
"Smokey Mountain Lullaby" ends the record and was nominated for a grammy that year. It is a beautiful, fitting coda to the career of Mr. Guitar. If you have not yet - I urge you to get yourself to a Tommy Emmanuel live performance. In the meantime, we have these recordings.