Guitar festival and workshop includes Pat Metheny, Larry Carlton and Scott Tennant

Published: March 5, 2010

The Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation (CCGF) will host a guitar festival and workshop Aug. 29-Sept. 5 at Flathead Lake Lodge in Bigfork. The event coincides with the centennial celebration of nearby Glacier National Park.  

The festival and workshop offer a rare opportunity to study with renowned guitar artists, including Pat Metheny, Larry Carlton, Alex DeGrassi and Scott Tennant, and jam with other musicians in an exquisite setting. It is open to any and all with a passion for playing the guitar; discounts are available for those who register before March 15.

“This will be a unique guitar event, offering up-close and personal time with leading artists and teachers. Participants will improve their guitar playing while enjoying one of the most beautiful places in the world,” said David Feffer, chairman and founder of the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation.

Proceeds from the festival will benefit numerous Montana charities and civic organizations, including The Glacier Park Fund, Montana Public Radio and Public Broadcasting, North Valley Music School and Ravenwood Outdoor Learning Center. “Through our charitable partners, we will be helping to preserve the things that make Northwest Montana so unique and special,” says Feffer.

The festival offers:

• Six days of intimate workshops, master classes, and jam sessions for both the serious and casual student. Study classic rock with Matt Smith, blues with Mark Dziuba, jazz with Pat Metheny and Jody Fisher, modern acoustic guitar with Alex De Grassi, or classical guitar with Scott Tennant and Andrew Leonard. Also offered is a beginners’ course with Doug Smith;

• Exclusive evening performances every night, plus public performances in the Flathead Valley; and

• Four-star accommodations at the Flathead Lake Lodge, and access to Flathead Lake, Glacier National Park, the Swan Mountain Range and other pristine natural amenities.

Registration for the CCGF is available on a first-come, first-served basis by calling 800-234-6479 or visiting www.cocguitarfoundation.org. There is a discount for individuals who register prior to March 15.

About Pat Metheny

With the release of his first album, Bright Size Life (1975), Pat Metheny reinvented the traditional "jazz guitar" sound for a new generation of players. Metheny's versatility is almost without peer on any instrument. Over the years, he’s topped countless polls as "Best Jazz Guitarist" and won three gold records for (Still Life) Talking, Letter from Home, and Secret Story.

He has also won 17 Grammy Awards spread out over a variety of different categories, including Best Rock Instrumental, Best Contemporary Jazz Recording, Best Jazz Instrumental Solo and Best Instrumental Composition. The Pat Metheny Group won an unprecedented seven consecutive Grammies for seven consecutive albums.

About Larry Carlton

During the 1970s and early 1980s, Carlton was a busy session musician in Los Angeles, making up to 500 recordings a year, including albums by Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones. His guitar work on Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne" has been listed as the third best guitar solo on record by Rolling Stone magazine.

From 1971 to 1976 he played with the jazz-rock group The Crusaders before launching a solo career in 1977. He released two CDs in 2007 – a live recording with blues guitarist Robben Ford, Live in Tokyo, and The Jazz King album. In July, August and September of 2009, Carlton joined Steely Dan as guest guitarist for six selected dates in the band's "Rent Party '09" tour.

About Alex De Grassi

Alex De Grassi’s trademark is an ability to create a highly orchestrated sound in his solo guitar music. His playing weaves together melody, countermelody, bass, harmony, rhythm, and cross-rhythms to create a canvas of sound unheard of in a solo guitar performance.

Fellow guitar players consider De Grassi to be among the most virtuosic living guitarists.

About Scott Tennant

Scott Tennant, a founding member of the Grammy-winning L.A. Guitar Quartet, is considered one of the world's top classical guitarists. He has authored several books and articles on guitar technique, including the best-seller Pumping Nylon, which has attained a "cult" classic status. It has become a standard text in conservatory and university guitar programs around the world.

About Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation

Founded in 2009, the Crown of the Continent Guitar Foundation is a nonprofit organization established to celebrate the artistry of the guitar across all genres, inspired by the unique ecosystem and beauty of the Crown of the Continent region of the Northern Rocky Mountains.   

The organization’s mission is to collaborate with other organizations in Northwest Montana to establish the area as a nationally respected center for guitar study, performance and composition. In addition to the annual weeklong event, the foundation will hold weekend guitar workshops, performances and other related activities throughout the year.

The foundation will be supported in planning and managing its events by The National Guitar Workshop, one of the leading residential guitar education programs in the country.

For details, call David Feffer 406-837-2574; email ; or visit www.cocguitarfoundation.org.