One of Canada's greatest guitarists, Michael Laucke has peformed from the White House to Carnegie Hall to the Great Wall of China. He has produced 67 CDS, videos, films and publications and has toured in major halls in 26 countries,and has performed duets with Paco de Lucia. Flamenco Road, Michael’s first recording for Justin Time, is also the label’s first multimedia release, as it is enhanced with two videos. It took more than two hardworking years to complete the Flamenco Road project. The flow and intensity of its ten tracks follows Spanish guitar playing through different genres without ever compromising its luscious expressiveness. From the captivating "Flamenco Road," Michael’s original, to Paco’s prominent "Between Two Seas," to the inspired arrangements of Satie’s "Gymnopedies," this diverse collection is quilted together with sumptuous arrangements and imaginative orchestrations. This enhanced CD includes exciting interactive live concert footage filmed during his tenth consecutive season at Canada’s most prestigious concert venue, Montreal’s Place des Arts. Also included is the beautiful video "Flamenco Road", presently in rotation on several TV networks worldwide. ________________________________________________________________________ NOTES ON VIRTUOSO GUITARIST MICHAEL LAUCKE As far back as 1976, musical critics and the media in general began to recognize MICHAEL LAUCKE as “one of the world’s greatest guitarists” (New York Post, Eugenia Sheppard), as his exquisite playing of beautiful classical and exciting flamenco works continued to win him just such critical praise from Carnegie Hall to the White House (on six occasions), to Great Wall of China. Maestro Laucke first heard and fell in love with the guitar at the age of seven and began playing seriously at eleven. Early in his career, he delighted international visitors to Montreal’s Olympic Games in a concert performance that was also transmitted live to a TV audience around the world. At the age of 21, he was engaged to perform at the U.S. White House “Young Artist Series". His guitar colleagues, teachers, and friends have been the greatest names in guitar in the twenty-first century – Andres Segovia, Sabicas, Paco de Lucia, Julian Bream…. A lifelong friendship was born when de Lucia and Laucke shared a loft in New York City and performed together to a circle of friends which included: Calvin Klein, Andy Warhol, Tiffany jewelry designer countess Elsa Peretti, Halston, DiSantangelo, White House resident soloist Rolando Valdes-Blain, dignitaries from many countries, presidents and senators. ...read more He has the distinction of being the only Canadian disciple of the great Andres Segovia. Segovia chose Laucke from over 2000 guitarists to perform in his film at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, which was televised throughout North America on PBS to more than 25 million viewers. He has performed some 150 concerts a year worldwide on television and in major halls to enthusiastic capacity audiences, in 26 countries. His appearances include the White House¸ Wigmore Hall in London, Carnegie Hall in New York, the National Art Gallery and the famous Caucus Room of the United States Senate in Washington, Minorities Palace in Beijing, the Great Wall of China, Tzavta Theatre in Tel-Aviv, the World’s Fair in Seville, PBS specials, 10 consecutive years of sold-out concerts at Place des Arts in Montreal; and so many others... In North America, he was heralded by the Joan Reinthaler of The Washington Post as displaying “the highest form of virtuosity” ; one of his proudest moments was when renowned music critic Eric McLean wrote in THE MONTREAL GAZETTE, “Laucke is the person who has done more for the guitar in this country than anyone else”. On the uniqueness of his performances, one Chicago reporter observed in GUITAR AND LUTE MAGAZINE: “Laucke has an easy ability to communicate his great love for his music, and what a presence on the stage!…he won the hearts of the audience before even playing a note!” GUITARRA MAGAZINE, Norman Ruiz Winner of many prestigious awards, including the “Grand Prix du Disque“, Michael Laucke has made many fine records, CDs and cassettes, has been featured in films, publications, numerous TV & Radio appearances and in a superb eight-tape instructional video series; a total of 20 albums, 67 products in all. As well, 25 works by prominent Canadian modern composers were written for, performed and recorded by him; composers such as Morel, Boudreau, Brégent, Gonneville, Garant, Rea, etc.